American Addict Page #4

LOSING TOUCH WITH EMPATHY FOR

ITSELF AS INDIVIDUALS AND

EMPATHY FOR OTHER HUMAN BEINGS.

A CULTURE THAT HAS JUST GOTTEN

CAUGHT UP IN THE END PRODUC AND EFFICIENCY AND WORK AND NO AT ALL THINKING ABOUT.

"WHAT IS LIFE ABOUT?

WHO AM I?

WHO ARE MY CHILDREN?

ARE MY CHILDREN GIFTS FROM GOD?

ARE THEY TO BE TREASURED?

DO THEY REQUIRE THAT I CHANGE MY

LIFE TO BRING THEM UP BETTER?

OR ARE THEY OBJECTS TO BE

TINKERED WITH AND GIVEN DRUGS?"

TALKING WITH MY DOCTOR.

HE DIAGNOSED ME WITH ADHD.

AND I TOLD HIM AT THAT POIN THAT MY CHILDREN WERE TAKING

CONCERTA.

I SAID. YOU KNOW, "IS THERE

REASON TO THINK THAT IT WOULD

WORK FOR ME?"

AND HE SAID. "ABSOLUTELY."

AND I'LL PROBABLY

NEVER CHANGE:

THE MORE I TRY:

THE MORE I STAY THE SAME

I HATE TO LOOK IN THE MIRROR

'CAUSE ALL I SEE

SOMEBODY SPRUNG:

THAT LOOKS ME:

I HATE TO LOOK IN THE MIRROR

'CAUSE ALL I SEE

SOMEBODY SPRUNG:

THAT LOOKS LIKE ME

AND I CAN'T BREAK MY HABITS

I'M AN AMERICAN ADDIC THE POINT MAN IN MY

ADMINISTRATION ON THIS ISSUE WAS

SECRETARY TOMMY THOMPSON.

AND HE AND HIS TEAM DID A

FABULOUS JOB OF WORKING WITH THE

CONGRESS TO GET THIS IMPORTAN PIECE OF LEGISLATION PASSED.

TOMMY. I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR

YOUR LEADERSHIP.

THIS BILL PASSED THE CONGRESS

BECAUSE OF THE STRONG LEADERSHIP

OF A HANDFUL OF MEMBERS.

STARTING WITH THE SPEAKER OF

THE HOUSE. DENNIS HASTERT.

[ applause ]

THE SPEAKER WAS JOINED BY

SENATOR BILL FRIST. SENATE

MAJORITY LEADER OF THE SENATE IN

PROVIDING THE LEADERSHIP

NECESSARY TO GET THIS BILL DONE.

I WANT TO THANK YOU BOTH.

[ applause ]

I APPRECIATE THE HARD WORK OF

THE HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER

TOM DELAY TO SEE THAT THIS BILL

WAS PASSED.

COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN BILL THOMAS

FOR HIS GOOD WORK.

[ applause ]

SENATOR CHUCK GRASSLEY DID

A NOBLE JOB.

SENATOR MAX BAUCUS OF MONTANA.

[ applause ]

AND SENATOR JOHN BREAUX.

[ applause ]

BILLY TAUZIN OF THE HOUSE OF

REPRESENTATIVES DID GREAT WORK

ON THIS BILL.

[ applause ]

SENATOR ORRIN HATCH FROM UTAH

MADE A SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTION.

NANCY JOHNSON. THE HOUSE MEMBER

FROM CONNECTICUT DID A GREA JOB.

[ applause ]

MIKE BILIRAKIS FROM FLORIDA

WORKED HARD ON THIS PIECE OF

LEGISLATION.

[ applause ]

I WANT TO THANK ALL THE OTHER

MEMBERS OF THE CONGRESS AND THE

SENATE WHO HAVE JOINED US.

THANK YOU ALL FOR TAKING TIME

OUT OF YOUR BUSY SCHEDULES TO

SHARE IN THIS HISTORIC MOMENT.

[ applause ]

THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION DID

MEDICARE PART D TO HELP THE

ELDERLY. ALL RIGHT.

THE ELDERLY OWNERS IN THE

PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY.

THE PEOPLE WHO ARE THE CEOs.

THE PEOPLE WHO ARE THE MAJOR

STOCKHOLDERS.

WHEN I WORKED ON WALL STREE OR WHEN I WORKED IN WASHINGTON.

WE WOULD NEVER ASK THE QUESTION

ON HOW DO WE MAKE MONEY ON

SOMETHING SO MUCH AS THE

QUESTION WOULD BE ASKED.

"WHERE DO WE WANT THE WORLD TO

GO AND THEN HOW DO WE ENGINEER

THINGS SO THAT IT WILL GO THA WAY.

I LEFT WALL STREET. AND I WEN TO WASHINGTON. AND THEN I LEF WASHINGTON AND MOVED TO

TENNESSEE. AND ONE OF THE THINGS

I STRUGGLED THE MOST WITH WAS

EXPLAINING TO MY FAMILY AND

FRIENDS HOW THE ECONOMIC MODEL

THAT AMERICA WORKS ON REALLY

WORKS.

AND I FINALLY--I FINALLY DECIDED

TO WRITE A CASE STUDY.

IT'S CALLED DILLON READ AND THE

ARISTOCRACY OF STOCK PROFITS.

AND IT TELLS THE STORY OF HOW

WALL STREET MADE MONEY ON

HELPING FINANCING PRIVATE

PRISONS.

AND I--I WROTE IT BECAUSE I

WANTED PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND THA A VERY FUNDAMENTALLY

NON-ECONOMIC ACTIVITY CAN BECOME

VERY PROFITABLE FOR MANY PEOPLE.

WHAT MEDICARE PART D DID WAS.

IT GAVE THE DRUG COMPANIES THE

ABILITY TO NAME THEIR PRICE FOR

PHARMACEUTICALS AND TO GET I AND TO HAVE THE GOVERNMEN PAY FOR IT.

WHAT YOU'LL OFTEN SEE IS SOR OF A COMBINATION OF AN INDUSTRY

MAKING MONEY AND GOVERNMEN ENGINEERING THE INCENTIVES AND

THE ECONOMICS SO THAT. WHETHER

IT'S THE CONSUMER OR THE

TAXPAYER. THEY ALSO MAKE MONEY

GOING IN THAT DIRECTION.

NOW. THIS IS AN INDUSTRY,

FROM MY UNDERSTANDING AND FROM

SOME AMOUNT OF RESEARCH. THA HAS REALLY CHANGED IN THE LAS 20 YEARS.

AT LEAST PEOPLE WILL OPINE THA THERE ARE VENTURE CAPITALISTS

WHO DID A GOOD DEAL OF RESEARCH

TO SEE WHO AMERICANS TRUSTED.

AND AMERICANS USED TO AND STILL

DO PUT A LOT OF TRUST IN PEOPLE

IN WHITE SMOCKS. PHARMACISTS,

DOCTORS--AS THEY SHOULD--

AND IN PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES.

UNFORTUNATELY. IN MY OPINION,

LIKE A LOT OF THINGS IN THE

INVESTMENT WORLD. THERE WERE

PEOPLE WHO WENT IN AND TOOK

COMPANIES OVER AND WHA COMPANIES USED TO PRIDE

THEMSELVES ON RESEARCH

AND DEVELOPMENT AND PROVIDING

A PRODUCT TO THE UNITED STATES

PUBLIC THAT WOULD LENGTHEN YOUR

LIVES AND MAKE THEM HEALTHIER

LIVES SOMEWHAT GOT CORRUPTED

AND GOT DRIVEN MORE ABOU PROFITABILITY. RETURN ON

INVESTMENT.

IF YOU LOOK AT THE AMOUNT OF

MONEY THEY SPEND ON LOBBYING IN

THE LAST CYCLE. IT WAS ABOU $272 MILLION.

I MEAN. THEY HAVE MORE LOBBYISTS

ACTIVE THAN THERE ARE MEMBERS OF

CONGRESS.

THERE'S $64 BILLION IN PROFITS

LAST YEAR. AND THAT'S ON

REVENUES OF ABOUT $254 BILLION

FOR THE TOP 12 PHARMACEUTICAL

COMPANIES.

SO YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT AN

ENORMOUS ECONOMIC IMPACT. AN

EXTRAORDINARY LOBBYING IMPACT.

AND A REAL POLITICAL IMPACT.

WE HAVE SOMETHING IN THIS

COUNTRY CALL A MEDICAL CARTEL.

A CARTEL IS BASICALLY

INTERLOCKING INTERESTS THAT FORM

EITHER A MONOPOLY OR SOMETHING

CLOSE TO MONOPOLY.

WE'RE TALKING ABOUT COMPANIES.

CORPORATIONS.

IN THIS CASE. WE'RE TALKING

ABOUT PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES.

MEDICAL SCHOOLS. GOVERNMEN AGENCIES LIKE THE FDA.

AND I WENT BACK TO HARVARD

FOR MY FIRST YEAR OF RESIDENCY

RIGHT AT THE TIME THAT THE

POLITICS OF PSYCHIATRY WAS

CHANGING.

WHEN I INTERVIEWED FOR HARVARD.

I WAS INTERVIEWED BY A FAMILY

THERAPIST. AND I MET PEOPLE WHO

WERE DOING FAMILY THERAPY AND

PSYCHOANALYSIS AND SOCIAL

THERAPIES.

ONE YEAR LATER. THE PROGRAM HAD

CHANGED INTO A BIOLOGICAL

PSYCHIATRIC PROGRAM WHERE YOU

HAD LIMITED TIME WITH YOUR

PATIENTS AND SPENT MOST OF YOUR

TIME DOING MEDICATION. MANAGING

WARDS. GIVING ECT.

THIS TRANSFORMATION WAS NO THROUGH SCIENCE.

THIS WAS A DECISION BY POLITICAL

PSYCHIATRY THAT THE FUTURE WAS

WITH SELLING BIOLOGY AND DRUGS

AS THE SOLUTION TO HUMAN

SUFFERING IF PSYCHIATRY WAS

GONNA KEEP ITS POWER

AND ITS STATUS.

WELL. ORIGINALLY, MODERN

MEDICAL SCHOOLS WERE MAINLY

FUNDED BY HUGE MEDICAL

NON-PROFIT FOUNDATIONS.

THOSE FOUNDATIONS HAD

A PARTICULAR VIEW OF MEDICINE

THAT WAS LEANING TOWARD WHAT HAS

BECOME MODERN PHARMACEUTICAL

MEDICINE.

AND SO TO HONOR THESE GRANTS.

THE MEDICAL SCHOOLS WERE FUNDED

AND EVEN ESTABLISHED TO TEACH

THAT BRAND OF MEDICINE.

MANY PEOPLE. WHEN THEY LOOK

AT A UNIVERSITY.

SEE A UNIVERSITY. SEE A SCHOOL.

THAT'S NOT WHAT I SEE.

I SEE AN ENDOWMENT. AND A LOT OF

INTERGENERATIONAL CAPITAL THA FINANCES CORPORATIONS IS

SHELTERED FROM TAXES BY MANAGING

IT THROUGH ENDOWMENTS. OFTEN FOR

UNIVERSITIES.

SO EVERYWHERE YOU GO. THERE'S

THE PSYCHOPHARMACEUTICAL

COMPLEX. AND ITS TENTACLES REACH

DEEPLY DOWN INTO OUR EDUCATIONAL

SYSTEM.

WE--WE NOW HAVE A SITUATION

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