[lbo-talk] Health Care for the Rulers of the Eternal Reich

John Bizwas bizwas at lycos.com
Tue Oct 26 18:50:34 PDT 2004


Let me see if I've got this right. The US federal government can't buy enough flu vaccine now. Meanwhile, over 40 million lack insured access to basic health care. But the federal spending on homeland defense and homeland HEALTH have really taken off into budgetary monsters in their own right (Dept. of Homeland Security, Dept. of Health, Dept of Defense, the science R&D budgets, etc). So the federal government is stockpiling small pox vaccine. It's also paying to develop and acquire new types of vaccines for small pox and anthrax (with even more exotic vaccines for even more exotic diseases also hidden in the scientific R&D and defense budgets). It's spending 4.5 billion dollars on getting the country's hospitals ready for bioterror. It's spending another 130 million on detecting bioterror (I guess they mean like the anthrax murders that the FBI is still investigating, or are they searching for a hole in the ground?). Morover, there's another 5.6 billion dollars for still yet another federal contracting honeypot that the Prez calls his 'Project BioShield' (look for Carlyle Group to take big stakes in biotech companies making vaccines, if it hasn't already--of course, it has).

Like wow, and Sen. Kerry seems to have run out of ways to criticize Bush now. He's against Bush's war on Iraq, but he's not against war on Iraq. He's against Bush's pro-corporate, pro-medical establishment stance on health care (tens of millions get none basically), but he can't really articulate how he would even try to get insurance for those tens of millions of people who go without. And now in the last days of the campaign, he seems to have run out of things to equivocate about. If there's going to be an October surprise from this guy, he'll have to stop bullshitting about the war and about health care (in some quarters, they say, he would have to find a pair of testicles that he seems to have lost). Or is he just another Democratic loser bullshitter (the recent embrace of Clinton, a guy who has lots and lots of healthcare, would seem to give it all away).

Info. taken from gov't websites about all that waste on 'homeland health' is selectively quoted below, with addresses to go to for full text.

F

http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/budget/

a $65 million (123%) increase for the BioWatch network of sensors to detect a terrorist release of biological pathogens.

The budget includes $568 million (190% increase) to improve Americafs food and agriculture security by increasing detection capabilities and developing counter-measures against potential attacks.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/fy2005/hhs.html

Acquired more than enough smallpox vaccine for every American for use in an emergency; Improved preparedness for a bioterrorist attack, providing nearly $4.5 billion to States, local governments and hospitals;

Continues to aggressively improve bioterrorism preparedness, including a new $130 million initiative to more rapidly detect and characterize a bioterrorist attack

http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/fy2005/homeland.html

Secured $5.6 billion as part of the Presidentfs Project BioShield to buy cutting-edge drugs, vaccines, and other medical supplies for biodefense

Since homeland security is a national challenge, not just a Federal one, State, local, regional, and tribal governments are vital to fighting terrorism and safeguarding our homeland. From 2001 through 2004, DHS has provided $11 billion for State and local first responders, including $8.4 billion focused on homeland security needs. When combined with related grants in DHS, and the Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Justice, including non-homeland security programs, State and local assistance has totaled nearly $16 billion since 2001.

Enhancing Public Health Response Project BioShield Project BioShield will give our scientific leaders greater authority and more flexibility in decisions that may affect our national security. Our labs will be able to hire the right experts, to buy the right equipment and to speed the construction of the right facilities to accelerate urgently needed discoveries.

President George W. Bush June 2003

The 2005 Budget continues implementation of the Presidentfs Project BioShield initiative that allows the Federal Government to buy critically needed vaccines and medications for biodefense as soon as experts agree that they are safe and effective enough to be added to the Strategic National Stockpile. The program seeks to encourage the development of necessary medical countermeasures against a chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear attack. BioShield is a shared responsibility, joining the threat assessment capabilities of DHS with the medical expertise of HHS. Last year in response to the Presidentfs call, Congress provided $5.6 billion in multi-year funding for Project BioShield. For 2005, $2.5 billion will be made available for BioShield, compared with $0.9 billion in 2004. The Administration is moving forward in purchasing the most important countermeasures. High on the list are next-generation vaccines for both smallpox and anthrax.

DHS has also been working to fully incorporate public health programs transferred to the Department from HHS. For example, DHSf ability to respond to disasters is enhanced by the integration of the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS). NDMS is responsible for managing and coordinating the Federal medical response to major emergencies and federally declared disasters. Additionally, DHS is taking the lead role in planning for response to a major medical disaster. For 2005, the Budget includes $20 million for planning and exercises associated with medical surge capabilities.

The 2005 Budget transfers the Strategic National Stockpile to HHS where it will be better aligned with HHSf medical expertise. The stockpile contains drugs, vaccines, and other medical supplies and equipment that can be delivered to anyplace in the country within 12 hours. As a result of the transfer, $400 million is moved to HHS to maintain the stockpile and strengthen its future capacity with new and needed medical products as soon as they become available. (For more information, see the Department of Health and Human Services chapter.)

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