Folks,
Today, Allison and I are travelling from Nelson, NZ to Auckland, NZ. Therefore, I have some time to write you.
Tuesday is election day in Michigan. Again, as in past elections, I am unhappy with the choices presented to me.
As for my politics—I dislike both major parties and feel they have failed our country terribly. We are in desperate need of a third party where healthy, normal citizens can run for the major offices.
Although I am in New Zealand, I just discussed the election with Allison. Here are my thoughts.
In the U.S., as in other countries, we have a lot of problems. But, the biggest problem–the white elephant in the room– is our dysfunctional health care system. We spend nearly 20% of our GNP on health care—well more than any other Western country– and have little to show for it. On every single health indicator as monitored by the World Health Organization, Americans finish dead last. As compared to other Western countries, America finishes last in every category including infant mortality and longevity. We take more medicines and inject our children with more vaccines than any other people on the face of the planet. Our children are suffering more and more health disorders and each generation seems sicker. According to the WHO, our children are sicker than children from other Western countries. And, to top it off, our medicines are the most expensive. Clearly, taking more medicines or injecting more vaccines is not the answer.
I fear our health care expenditures will bankrupt the country if we do not change things.
So, which candidates could you trust to change this situation?
Hillary Clinton, Ted Cruz, and Marco Rubio have all been well-funded by Big Pharma. They have all received hundreds of thousands of dollars in financing from Big Pharma. Each one of these candidates is already bought and sold by the Big Pharma Cartel. None of these candidates can be counted on to make the right decisions when it comes to the Big Pharma Cartel.
Recently the Senate confirmed a new director of the FDA—Dr. Robert Califf.
I have two words for this confirmation: Oy vey.
Dr. Califf is the epitomy of the Big Pharma Cartel insider. (Note—the next bit of info was taken form Naturalnews.com), A disclosure statement on the website of Duke Clinical Research Institute says “Robert M. Califf, MD, reports receiving research grant support from Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Johnson & Johnson/Scios, Lilly, Merck, and Schering Plough, and consulting fees from Annenberg, Aterovax, Bayer / Ortho McNeil, BMS, Boehringer Ingelheim, GSK, WebMd / theheart.org, Johnson and Johnson / Scios, Kowa Research Institute, McKinsey & Company, Medtronic, Merck, Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Sanofi Aventis, and Schering Plough, and has an equity position with NITROX, LLC.”
In disclosure information for a 2013 article in Circulation, Dr. Califf’s also lists financial links to Gambro, Regeneron, Gilead, AstraZeneca, Roche, other companies and equity positions in four medical companies. The medical website Medscape discloses that Dr. Califf “served as a director, officer, partner, employee, advisor, consultant or trustee for Genentech” as well as for Medscape LLC / theheart.org. Portola Pharmaceuticals says Dr. Califf served on the Board of Directors until he was appointed FDA Deputy Commissioner for Medical Products and Tobacco.
Appearing on PBS with Susan Dentzer after Vioxx was withdrawn because of its links to thousands of heart attacks and stroke, Dr. Califf said, “Merck played by the rules from everything that I’ve seen.” He also said, “many of us consult with the pharmaceutical industry, which I think is a very good thing. They need ideas and then the decision about what they do is really up to the person who is funding the study.” What?
The FDA is tasked with regulating Big Pharma. The FDA has not been doing a very good job of that in the past as illustrated in the Vioxx debacle where 50,000 people died and over 100,000 suffered a stroke or heart attack from taking drug—Vioxx—that never should have been approved. Merck played by the rules? Give me a break, Dr. Califf.
So, who opposed the confirmation of Dr. Califf? Not the two Republican Senators who are currently running for office—Cruz and Rubio.
Bernie Sanders, currently running for the Democratic nomination opposed Califf’s nomination because Senator Sanders felt he was a Big Pharma insider.
That leaves Donald Trump on the Republican side who has received very little money (similar to Bernie Sanders) from Big Pharma. I saw a report where he received less than $1,000 from Big Pharma. Trump has made it clear that he will not be influenced by big donors in the election.
It is a sad situation that most of the candidates who are running for the most powerful position in the U.S. are bought and sold by Big Pharma before they are even elected.
What can we do? We can say we have had enough and elect someone who will work for us, the citizens. I see the appeal of Trump and Sanders as they are the only two candidates who I feel are not going to be pawns for Big Pharma.
I know both candidates have their issues, but that is how I see it. Unless we change who we elect, big Pharma will keep doing as it pleases, until we are bankrupt. Also, it is time to elect a whole new Congress who can stand up to Big Pharma.
Keep in mind, these elected officials should work for us, not Big Pharma.
DrB
I was hoping DR. BEN CARSON would be able to hold out. But he’s “too nice” so to speak and doesn’t get the attention that Trump does, although I do think he would get results!
Hope DR. BEN will still have a place on the Medical side and I do believe he has our best interests at heart and has mentioned medical competition NOT constrained by Insurance companies and boards. Hopefully he won’t be corrupted by Big Money.
Thank you Dr. Brownstein for all you do!! Your books have saved me.
This is the link I meant to add with my post. We need to educate Bernie on this matter.
http://vaxxter.com/where-does-bernie-sanders-stand-on-vaccines/
How about Trump and Bernie team up. If Trump says he can get along with anyone he should be able to get along with Bernie. They have a lot of common ideas. There’s your third party!
I a amazed that so many people are smitten with Trump to the point where they think he is going to change the vaccine mandate and take on the Congress, Senate, CDC & FDA all because he stated this during the republican debates:
He has blamed vaccines for causing autism in children.
(he said the same thing in 2012 and has ample time to create a foundation, stomp for a change in the vaccine mandates, showcase Dr. William Thompson in various pubic forums to reveal the corruption in the CDC & FDA, support Dr. Brian Hooker & Robert Kennedy Jr in spreading the word through the US the dangers of vaccines – Trump has enough money to bring back Dr. Poul Thorson from Denmark to answer to the fraud he committed at the behest of the CDC and the pharmaceutical industry).
He has blamed vaccines for causing autism in children.
That’s it. That’s all he’s said on the matter. He has not stated any plan to make changes and has come out in Scientific American with the following statement:
Alter vaccination schedules to avoid autism: Trump says he favors vaccines, but giving children smaller doses over a longer period of time. (that has never proven to be any safer than giving multiples at one visit and auto immune disease develop over time so how does this help a child?)
The man is a brilliant con I give him that. He hung out a hook when he knew people would be paying the most attention, the debates, got enough publicity by dangling this carrot in front of people but never taking his statements to the next level. Some psychologist have weighed in on Trumps behavior and from their observation, not by doing any examinations, labeled Trump a sociopath or a narcissistic personality. If this is true this behavior is right on target with what a sociopath would do….make a open ended statement that’s non committal and than allow everyone who hears it to fill in the blanks. Depending on the person’s emotional and mental state the blanks will fit what works for them and what they need. It’s brilliant because it gives him plausible deniability with the establishment, which by the way he has established with his interview in Scientific American:
“Trump says he favors vaccines”
The Science of President Trump
http://blogs.scientificamerican(dot)com/guest-blog/the-science-of-president-trump/
Trump also knows that the people he has already hooked Will Not research any of his future statements because people do not like their comfort zones breached. Trump does not speak about vaccines in his rallies. We would know that because the MSM would have a field day with it. Trump will not go head to head with the Globalist of the world who set this whole thing in motion and that includes the Congress, the Senate, The CDC, The FDA, The Task Fore for Global Health, The WHO, The B & M Gates Foundation, The Rockefeller Foundation and now the newest member of the clan-The Zuckerberg Foundation. These are just a few of the major players involved in the manufacturing, distribution and profiting of vaccines around the world. From what I’ve read 90% of the vaccine used in the US come from China-that’s a trade agreement that will not be interfered with. Please don’t forget the ploy that gave the pharmaceutical industry blanket immunity-they told congress that the pharmaceutical industry will not sell vaccines in the US if they cannot get blanket liability from lawsuits. They will not give up that cash cow. I wonder if the reason Trump will not release his income tax returns is because all those tings he says he’s against (which he has been for in the past) will show that his companies outsource American jobs and he owns pharmaceutical stock.
There is a old school saying that’s appropriate here when it comes to Trump dangling that carrot in front of the autism and vaccine injured community: He’s going to ride that mother until the wheels fall off.
Dr. Brownstein,
I have a friend in the medical field that we discuss these topic often. She swears the infant mortality death rate is skewed because in the US we try to save babies as young as 22 weeks, when other countries do not. Can you comment on how the figures were calculated? Please and thanks,
Shalome
Shalome,
Our infant mortality rate is horrendous as is childhood autoimmune disorders, arthritis, asthma, etc. We have more childhood illnesses than other comparable Western countries.
We don’t live as long as other major Western countries. There is no denying those facts.
As for the calculations, I find it hard to believe that the major Western countries such as Canada count infant mortality any differently than we do, though I cannot answer for sure.
DrB
How anyone can support Bernie Sanders is beyond me. See the trouble with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people’s money to spend. Socialism has been tried many times throughout history. The result is always failure. Nobody will work if they know that the guy next door who will not work can take the fruits of his labor. When nobody works, everyone ends up poor. No thanks
Trump has spoken out against Monsanto and Pharma. He has agreed that Obamacare is a joke and has a health care plan. He is against the trade agreement that is going to suck what is left of jobs from this country. He may be narcissistic but they all are. I think it is a prerequisite for wanting to be a president. I think he truly cares about this country unlike most politicians that profit from insider trading and become multi-millionaires in congress. He is the only one using his own money so he is beholden to no one. For the rest, the election is nothing but an auction of stolen property, our tax dollars. I can see why some like Sanders and he strikes me as honest but he just stated that white people don’t know what it’s like to be poor. Makes me question his intelligence or at least his awareness of what is happening in this country.
Dr. B, your books have been an incredible help to me and my family. My parents and daughter take full responsibility for their health now, avoid pharmaceuticals, question their medical care and research through books and the internet..
Shasha is correct and others who recognize we need to vote to make healthcare-change happen in this country. Not going to the polls is a cop-out and a vote for Hillary and the status-quo!! As many of the Autism parents have recognized, their children’s condition may have been brought about by a barrage of predisposing factors (mother’s microbiome, father’s health, toxic load, antibiotics, gluten introduced too early, mercury amalgams, environmental toxins, etc,etc). Though I disapprove of Trump’s personality/personal attacks/behaviors, I have heard him reference the connection to autism/vaccines (for which he got lambasted). Frankly, we need an EXTREMELY ASSERTIVE person to go head-to-head with the Establishment and the Corp American. That is why I will swallow my annoyances for the greater good of the country (and willing to pray he doesn’t mess up the finances of the US too much–I’m not ready to try Socialism just yet). As Dr. B mentioned, with healthcare “adsorbing” 20% of GNP, the entire country economy will improve when we are not all ravaged by disease and wasting so much time and $ on our chronic diseases (speaking from experience). You have to pick your battles when you vote as well as everything else in life!
Bernie said it is proven vaccines work. He needs to learn more about them. Trump said vacccines cause Autism and is against GMO. Alternative medicine is cheap and prevents worse health issues. America’s downfall to be is Celiac. Gluten/dairy/soy/sugar/GMO hurting people. Get gluten/GMO/Roundup/soy etc out of food and people may be healthy again. Get people to eat real food…not processed food in a box/label. Certified gluten free premade food may also hurt with 20ppm of gluten. Hillary likes GMO. Kids can’t learn if they are dizzy from gluten or Autistic. People using drugs/alcohol maybe to cope with undiagnosed Celiac. MJ may not be needed if people were gluten free. Eating gluten and taking MJ may not help much since they didn’t fix the root cause. Gluten may cause Diabetes/MS/Cancer/ADD/depression/pain/heart disease/low thyroid/hair loss/acne/Bipolar and much more. Fix the root cause and then people’s immune system/brain/body would work.
How anyone can trust Donald Trump to be an advocate on behalf of the people of the US is beyond me. And this is why:
“Trump was born in New York City in 1946, the son of real estate tycoon Fred Trump. Fred Trump’s business success not only provided Donald Trump with a posh youth of private schools and economic security but eventually blessed him with an inheritance worth an estimated $40 million to $200 million.”
http://www.alternet.org/story/ 156234/exposing_how_donald_ trump_really_made_his_fortune% 3A_inheritance_from_dad_and_ the_government’s_protection_ mostly_did_the_trick
Despite his inherited wealth:
“Trump eventually found himself in serious financial trouble. In 1990, due to excessive leveraging, The Trump Organization revealed that it was $5 billion in debt ($8.8 billion by some estimates), with $1 billion personally guaranteed by Trump himself. The survival of the company was made possible only by a bailout pact agreed upon in August of that same year by some 70 banks, allowing Trump to defer on nearly $1 billion in debt, as well as to take out second and third mortgages on almost all of his properties. If it were not for the collective effort of all banks and parties involved in that 1990 deal, Trump’s business would have gone bankrupt and failed.”
https://www.washingtonpost. com/news/wonk/wp/2015/07/22/a- secret-to-donald-trumps- success-that-you-simply-cant- replicate/
“Donald J. Trump, whose father was a wealthy New York real estate developer and whose firms have gone bankrupt four times since 1993, has argued that his successes as a businessman qualify him for the Oval Office.”
Also:
https://www.washingtonpost. com/news/the-fix/wp/2015/10/ 26/donald-trump-says-it-hasnt- been-easy-for-him-financially- but-he-omits-a-few-things/
“when the younger Trump entered the Manhattan market in 1973, Fred had property in the city worth $150 million — generating annual rents of $50 million — according to a contemporaneous New York Times report.
By 1974, Trump was president of his father’s company — meaning that the status of that modest million-dollar loan was probably somewhat irrelevant by that point; Trump was now in primary control of that sizable real estate empire.”
If Donald is elected President, who will bail out the US?
I was wavering between Bernie and Kasich. On the way to the polls I heard John Kasich speak about the corrupt medical arena so he got my vote. I also read on that natural news website that the AMA is considering eliminating the horrendous barrage of TV commercials about pharmaceutical drugs. Hallelujah! If it happens! The people are speaking and I certainly hope the powers that be are getting the message.
Kathie,
Don’t hold your breath about the AMA. That is another organization that needs a major overhaul. They recommended that the FDA ban direct to consumer advertising. It was a start. Let’s hope the FDA bans direct-to-consumer advertising.
DrB
Kathie,
Glad you voted!
DrB
two names: gary johnson and jill stein…the rest are questionable.
I totally support the idea of an independent candidate not supported by Big Pharma, Big Ag, etc., but I think it’s important to keep in mind that a President affects many other things besides health care policy, and in my mind, even if Trump were the only one who might stand up to Big Pharma, I absolutely do not trust him to handle the presidency in any kind of thoughtful manner. He shows many classic signs of narcissism, which in itself can be harmless, unless the narcissistic person is seeking a position of power over others, which Trump seems to thrive on. No candidate who thinks he can do no wrong and who routinely denigrates anyone who opposes him will ever get my vote. I suggest others who want a fresh approach rethink whether a highly self-centered, judgmental personality who changes his tune according to whatever will sway people to support him is really worth supporting just out of our desire for a change from the status quo.
I think individuals are ultimately responsible for their own health. There are ample resources on the Internet that teach people how to properly care for themselves, whether it’s eating right, exercising, minimizing toxins, you name it. Yes, there are plenty of political shenanigans at play but if each person in an ideal world cared enough about his or her health and made the effort to learn and do everything they could to maintain it, improve it and even become wonderful, vibrant human beings as a reward for that effort, then big pharma, big agra, big food and so on would not even be in our vocabulary.
Bernie Sanders is the only candidate who has a plan to make health care a right for all Americans, who refuses to take money from BIG PHARMA, who understands the problems caused by the Medical Industrial complex, and has a plan to stop it. The youth of our country understand this and support Bernie in droves.
I was having a sonogram yesterday, partly because of left hip pain. Previously colitis was discovered.
The physician performing the sonogram mentioned using anti-inflammatory drugs.
I asked him if those drugs are good to use with colitis. SILENCE.
My own physician acknowledged that most harm the gut.
Dr. B, thanks for your synopsis. I couldn’t agree more with the sad state of our voting options. I had a very disconcerting voting experience this am with the “smart” box which I inserted my ballot into. Grrr. Have emailed Director of Elections for our county – but realize it likely will amount to naught.
Awesome that you’re in NZ – my kids were born there, we lived in Christchurch! Love Nelson – sunniest place in NZ. 🙂
Oy vey indded, Dr. B. Thankyou for writing on this important topic. We MUST change things before we completely destroy our country. I saw a graphic recently that pictured a copy of The Constitution of the U.S. with “We the People” altered to read “We the Corporations.” It’s devastating to know how very true this has become.
One of the striking things about all the hoopla over health care (actually the System is based on “disease creation and maintenance”) in this election cycle, is that all candidates fail to recognize/address the complete and utter failure of mainstream medicine in almost every area. Until the stranglehold that the Medical-Industrial Complex has on the minds and bodies of the 99% is broken, things will only get worse and worse. People need to awaken – learn to care for themselves – and, vote “no” for more of the same. I would argue that people DO have a Right to good health, but that goal does not require a totalitarian government or priests and priestesses in white coats to “pharm” the masses. The resources are available for all to care for themselves in most situations. Dr B’s books and columns are tremendous assets for this. Be safe, Dr. Brownstein!
I agree with you 100%, Dr. Dotson. It is a sick care system, not a health care system.
DrB
The very notion of ‘political parties’ is divisive, and something I’ve never been able to reconcile. You’re either a candidate for all people, or you’re not a viable candidate.
It isn’t a coincidence that Big Pharm and Big Ag and Big Bank are Big Issues. The powers given to our Big Gov that allow their greed to become law speaks of a language only they speak. Until the citizens learn the language, we need to insist on only one salient point: One year term limits. Elected officials not doing the bidding of the public won’t have the leisure to serve their own agenda. Thank you Dr. Brownstein.
Well said Dr. B! And we do need more new people in office as most are bought by special interest groups from all big business. As far as Trump goes we need to remember he’s not a paid for political. His business and financial investments were before he decided to run for office. I think if Trump isn’t the R candidate then I think a lot of the voters will swing for Sanders and vise a versa towards Trump. I don’t think the general population realize that four to five decades of re-elected congress members are the problem with our country’s government. We need fresh blood on our government. People who are asking for re-election should be replaced. Enough said.
The way I see it is that all the candidates are just different heads on the same monster…except trump and to a lesser extent sanders. A good sign that something different is happening is the amount of discomfort and panic appearing in the establishment status quo regarding trump. He may not have all the answers but who does? At least he’s coming from a completely different place. One not bought by corporate lobbyists and powerfull vested interests. I think he’s worth a shot.
Hello, just been told that Donald Trump although not getting donations from big pharma, he has millions invested in bi pharma…. Is this true? That is difficult to believe with certain of his stances with regards to big pharma! Do you Know? Thank you.. M
Thanks for sharing this Dr. Brownstein. Special interests are a huge threat — not just from Big Pharm but from Big Ag, Big Food, Big Banking, etc. Your readers may want to explore OpenSecrets.org or similar sites to see where candidates are getting their money. Hillary, Cruz, and Rubio seem far and away the most “bought” candidates according to that site, followed by Kasich.