
Drug Company's Latest Tricks to Control Congress
The pharmaceutical companies clearly manipulate Congress with their overwhelming lobbying, but it’s always interesting to see the details of just how these schemers operate.
Case in point, drug company giant Eli Lilly has made a temporary shift in their contributions to favor the new Democrat congressional majority. The company has already given nearly $60,000 in all to both parties in the first four months of 2007.
To really cover their bases, Eli Lilly has also planted key lobbyists with influence, such as one of their in-house lobbyists who used to be the top GOP aide on the Senate Judiciary Committee.
In all, the pharmaceutical and health-products industry has spent more on lobbying -- over $1 billion -- in the last decade than any other industry.
Their influence is just massive. Eli Lilly alone spent $3.7 million on lobbying last year, and employed 40 lobbyists to represent its interests. This year, they’ve already hired on three new outside lobbying firms.
But as pervasive as the drug companies may be in
USAToday.com May 28, 2007
Dr. Mercola's Comment:
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The pharmaceutical companies clearly manipulate Congress with their largest lobbying force, but it's always interesting to see the details of just how these schemers operate. If you didn't see the video in the last issue of the newsletter you simply have to watch it. I have never seen a better example of how the drug cartel is raping the If just a portion of the funds drug companies use to change the laws in their favor were allocated to optimizing food and stress concerns, we would have more than enough funds left over to help the more than 40 million Americans walking around without any health coverage. But the drug companies are not out for your best interest, they are out for their own bottom line profit to their shareholders. That is their mandate. The influence of the drug companies is just massive. In addition to their pull with Congress, the drug companies also have a huge influence on the majority of published studies and nearly all of medical education. This influence causes physicians to use their expensive symptomatic Band-Aids as solutions for people's problems instead of addressing the underlying cause. But as pervasive as the drug companies' influence may be in Washington, the word is getting out about their deceptive practices, and we are really starting to make a difference to transform this fatally flawed health care system. |
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