Golden Goose Economics

Golden Goose Economics, in this rant referred to as GGE, is fast becoming the prominent economic theory in The United States of America.  It would best be described as an unsustainable business theory, which only considers short term profits, not long term results.  I am presently a casualty/participant in GGE.  That is, I have sold my soul in order to live. 

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I will give you a short back story.  In 2009 I was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).  It stayed in the “wait and watch” stage, with little or no symptoms, until late 2018, when the White Nationalist Lymphocytes decided to kill off the other blood cells, both red and the other whites.  This was a good short term decision for the lymphocytes, for they did greatly multiply their number, but at the long term cost of killing their host (me).  Leukemia will do that to you.

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Along comes the cavalry, sort of.  Abbvie (a GGE company) sells a drug known as Ibrutinib for twelve to fourteen thousand dollars a month.  The insurance co-pay on a drug of this price is about three thousand dollars a month.  I am using it.  Why so high?  Stay with me.  We need some history here.  Celera researched and developed the drug.  They sold it a couple of years later to Pharmacyclics for three million dollars*.  A nice profit and well deserved for the R&D given.  In 2011 Johnson & Johnson, after Phase II FDA trials, bought into the GGE program for $975 million dollars*.  Most recently Abbvie saw that J&J and Pharmacyclics had a good GGE program going and in March of 2015 paid them 21 Billion Dollars* for the scam.  Why do I call it a GGE scam?  Because, the developer, Celera, could have sold the drug for $50 a month and made money.

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Now you are asking yourself, “How can this retired guy, a blog writer, living on Social Security pay a three thousand dollar, a month, co-pay?”  I can’t.  A foundation pays the co-pay.  After I turn down the program, the drug supplier calls me and asks, “What is your monthly income?”  I answer the question, with no verification required, and I am told that you qualify for the foundation’s program.  I have no co-pay.  This seemed both easy and fishy to me, so I asked the obvious question, “Who finances this foundation?”  Answer given, “The Pharmaceutical Companies.”  How would the CEO or CFO or a drug company analyze this transaction?  Price a lifesaving drug so that less than 10% of the market can afford it.  Fund a foundation to pay the co-pay.  Get the co-pay back when you sell the drug, plus get the benefit of a “charitable” contribution.  Now your market is 100% of CLL patients.  Who pays for this GGE scam?  Medicare.  Who pays for Medicare?  You, the tax payer, pays for Medicare.  How long can Medicare pay for this program?  Great question.  Put it to a Republican Congress.

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So, I sold my soul to the Devil for the possibility for a slightly longer life.  This is the mother chimp philosophy.  I, long ago, read about an experiment involving a mother chimp and her baby being placed in a large water tank.  As the water in the tank slowly rose, the mother held her baby high.  When the level rose over her nose, she stood on the baby.  Before this incident, she had hoped to be reincarnated as a Trump Train Rider or a Big Pharma CEO (the lowest form of human), but when it was her life, she stood on her baby.  She will be lucky to be reborn as a chimp.  Before I joined the Golden Goose Economics scam, I had hoped to be reincarnated as an ACLU Lawyer.  By joining the Big Pharma program, I think it will be chimp in the next life for me.  I will be demoted from a blog writing, retired motorcycle dealer.  Not much of a step down, but a step down just the same.

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Cheers, Old Buz

Born an agnostic and with God’s help will remain one.

*Source: Wikipedia > ibrutinib > history
  

"MAGA"

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Make America Good Again.  When I was a small child, growing up in Columbus, Ohio, I believed that I was a citizen of a good country.  It was 1945, I was five years old and I’ll admit, quite gullible.  We had just nuked two cities in Japan.  Two civilian populations.  We had previously fire bombed Japan’s largest city, Tokyo, to ashes.  Without going into Japanese / Chinese history, our history with Japan was that we sided with the Chinese and placed a naval blockade around the island nation of Japan.  Japan responded with the air attack of a military base (Pearl Harbor).  Twenty-three years later, I went to Japan and met some of the nicest, kindest, most industrious people I had yet to encounter.  All of the propaganda against the Japanese people that I experienced in my youth was just that …. Propaganda.

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We recently elected a president who is the living symbol of greed, lies and abuse.  As a nation, we knew this about him before his election.  He obviously didn’t receive a majority vote, but it was close enough to fairly represent a stain on the goodness of our nation.  We chose him.  His opponent was not much better.  She only lied 23% of the time, to his 86%.  You would hope that leaving the truth would be the result of misinformation, held as truth, but that was probably not the case for either of the candidates.  Truth and the unbiased spreading of it is a major force in producing a good nation.  Ideally it’s called The Media.

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Our nation spends 56% of its discretional tax income on the tools of warfare.  Could this possibly make us a good nation?  Killing folks for financial gain is hard to justify.  In this area we lead the world and there isn’t a close second.  The old pacifist cliché on this issue is, “Why not spend it on healthcare and education?”  Well …. Why not?

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I don’t believe that any well-educated, intelligent clergyman believes that the bible he or she teaches as truth is not in fact, mythology.  So we are taught in our places of worship, as well as in the public square, by hypocrites.  It is called faith.  There are of course exceptions to this, but they are rare.  As for the business world, they are proud of the lies that make them wealthy, but not proud enough to own up to them.

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So what am I rooting for?  Make America Good Again.  Make it as good as I, a child, once thought it was.  It will never realistically be that, but let that be our goal.  Our direction.  Making our nation become a better place and helping the other nations of the world become a better place is good for all human beings.  It’s time to change direction. 

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Make America Good Again, Old Buz

Iambloggerbuz.blogspot.com

Shutdown the Shutdown

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There is an appropriate application for a Government Shutdown.  It would logically be used on the last day of a government’s existence.  Other than that, it is an illogical solution to any problem.  We need not remove the tool from our existing government, but it should require at least a 95% vote of Congress to put it into effect.  When our government votes by over 95% to shut down the government, that government no longer serves any purpose.  If Congress doesn’t get a budget passed on time, temporarily reinstate the previous year’s budget.  The small minds who brought you this shutdown and shutdowns before it, vote as a “rubber stamp” for their political party.  Otherwise the shutdown would not have occurred.  Political parties have outlived their usefulness in America.   They are at the root of the mindless government shutdowns.  If our representatives were not under the thumb of their political party, few would opt for a government shutdown.

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How can we the people end a government shutdown?  Simple.  The Air Traffic Controllers (ATC) would land aircraft only (clear the skies), then go home.  In other words, shut down civilian air traffic.  This small move would serve to educate those who so poorly govern us.  An Air Traffic Controller goes to work each day for a secure income and to serve the public.  Their service is not appreciated or earned without the secure income.  It is time for you ATC folks to stand up, put on your capes and take to the sky.  Patriotic Americans will applaud you.   You government employees will once again be gainfully employed, within 48 hours.

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When Mitch McConnell says that he will not bring a motion to the floor of the Senate without first knowing that Trump will sign it, he is giving the President the right to determine all future legislation.  A proposed bill does not become law until both houses of Congress pass it.  Then it is sent to the President for signature.  A Presidential Veto can be overridden by Congress.  Laws and oversight have always been the duty of Congress.  The McConnell rule removes the need for and purpose of Congress.  Perhaps the Senate could elect a new Leader.  Certainly the citizens of our country did not elect Mitch (a Senator elected by one state only) to remove the Legislative Branch of our government. 

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If compromise in government means agreeing to ideas that you think are bad ideas in order to get what you think is a good idea passed, you are going to have a lot of bad laws passed.  It is easier to get a bad bill rejected than a poor law removed.  The answer is don’t bundle legislation.  A border wall has nothing to do with DACA legislation.  Deal with them separately. They are separate issues.  Any bill seconded by more than 10 legislators should be brought to the floor, debated in front of the entire house and receive an up or down vote.  If passed in either House, the other House can be required to go through the same procedure.  If we could remove political party influence from this transaction and each representative voted their wisdom, we would get some very good decisions out of our Congress and no shutdowns.  We might even witness truth in government.  Could make us a better country.

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Cheers, Old Buz

Iambloggerbuz.blogspot.com

"The Golden Ass"

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I’m reading a book titled, The Power of Myth, an interview of Joseph Campbell by Bill Moyers.  On page 223, of the paperback version, Campbell mentions one of the oldest presently read novels, The Golden Ass, a Greek/Roman mythology, written in the late 2^nd century, by the author, Apuleius.  In the novel, a magician converts the hero, because of his lust and greed, into a golden ass.

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We in America now live in the era of The Golden Ass.  An age of mythology.  Our hero, The Golden Ass, is faithfully supported by his legions.  “In their hearts, they know he’s white” and wealthy.  Little attention is paid to the ass’s history or how he became golden.  His meager beginnings of millions were inherited as a slum lord.  He moved on to the casino world.  The casinos were his temples.  His faithful attended, each with a dollar in hand.  The temples produced nothing … but wealth.  When a hundred faithful each donated a dollar some gullible attendee got back ten dollars, with much fanfare.  The lucky winner didn’t have the ten dollars for very long.  They brought it back to the casino on another day and our Golden Ass walked away with the other ninety dollars each time the transaction was repeated.

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The foundation of the belief in the Golden Ass is that if he can build all of this wealth for himself, that he will build wealth for the Nation and that some of this wealth will trickle down to the faithful.  This theory is best refuted by The Ass himself, when he affirmed that: Perhaps some of my personally held corporations have gone bankrupt, but I, personally, have never gone bankrupt.  Or, I’ll screw everyone, but I’m OK.

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The Golden Ass has said some very asinine things, both in speeches and in his tweets.  He shows little sign of having a well-functioning adult mind.  His followers pay no attention to this, they are faithfully waiting for their pay day.

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In the end, the myth has The Golden Ass transformed into a benevolent being, by the Goddess Isis (don’t you think the name of the goddess is a little ironic?)  I don’t know if all of this bodes well for The Nation or for The Golden Ass, its President.  The Power of Myth, perhaps to be feared.

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Cheers, Old Buz

"Leader of The Free World"

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Recently a TV news commentator said that he believed that our President Trump, in his decision to pull out of the Paris Agreement, was lessoning world confidence in him and jeopardizing the long held American President’s position of “Leader of The Free World.”  Seems we have never had a President who less fits this title.

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Truth is, the title has never been valid.  Our President has always been the political leader of our nation and our nation only.  I am ashamed to admit that it required the present man/child being President to make this clear to me.  Why is something seemingly obvious and unimportant so important?  Because it is an indicator of how our nation and its leaders view the world.  We see the world as being there to serve our purposes.  If a nation chooses to fight a war alongside of us or trade nicely with us, we see them as good and if they choose not to go along with us, we see them as evil or non-caring.  In either case, each nation of the world acts in its own best interest.  Today, that is both how it is and how it should be.  If humans get a chance to evolve, their interest will be in the welfare of the planet.  The Paris Agreement was a step in that direction and President Trump opted out.

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Presently the leader of North Korea is trying to irritate President Trump.  It is like a toy poodle yapping at a bull mastiff.  I am not comparing the stature of the men involved, but am comparing their military might.  Their personal stature is about the same.  A self-assured mastiff will just walk by and perhaps give a dismissive snort to the yapping little poodle.  An insecure mastiff will engage with the little yapper, as Trump has.  We might as well accept that North Korea will someday have ICBMs capable of circling the globe, but to what end would they engage the U.S.?  Well … to their own end and perhaps the world’s end.  Let North Korea have their nukes.  They are but one of nine nations presently with such weapons.  There will soon be more, but nuclear weapons can no longer be employed without ending civilization.  Hopefully, not even Donald or Kim would do that.  Donald would miss his opulent resorts and his golfing.  Kim would miss his colorful parades.

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Cheers, Old Buz  

Humpty Dumpty Built A Great Wall

Yes, President Dumpty will have a great fall and he will do it during the next six months.   Just as FBI Director Comey gave him the office, he will take it away.  The novelty of having a buffoon as POTUS is starting to wear a little thin.  Comey will prove the coordination between the Dumpty campaign and the Russian election interference.  There is so much smoke there, that you don’t need a fire.  You will have one anyway.  The problem with this amazing great fall, is that he may take US with him.  

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The Tripod that supports him is very strong and unbending.  Trump will squeal “fake news” and “the investigation is rigged” as the evidence mounts and the Tripod will applaud and shout “fake news” and “it’s rigged” right along with him, but our Congress will pretty much listen to the evidence.  The vote to impeach will come from the honest Republicans (there are some) and all of the Democrats (a rubber stamp).  Trump will then be tried and found guilty, unless he resigns as Nixon did.  Will the Tripod let Humpty go quietly into history, as did Nixon?  No, no, no.  They will not.  They will be throwing monkey wrenches into the gears of governance for a long time to come.  Trump will continue cheating and lying, as he has all of his life.  No jail time folks.  He will find another wife and will have bankrupted the nation, but he will not personally go bankrupt.

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Who is this Tripod, which will give their undying support?  The strongest leg is the Gullibles, his true believers.  They are the not too bright, wishful thinkers.   They intend to win the lottery.  The second leg is what PAC Woman (Hillary Clinton) tagged as “Deplorables”.  I have trouble with this term.  It is too nebulous.  PAC Woman had a little difficulty with truth, herself, and I would put this charge in that area of her patter.  To me, deplorable, is a value judgement and belongs to the accuser, not to the accused.  The third leg is that of the Prejudiced.  They are a smaller leg, but strong just the same.  With wisdom and time their numbers will shrink.

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It was a great ride, having Trump as president, some interesting cable news shows, but I don’t believe it will be one that the nation will soon repeat.  One buffoon, is one too many.

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Cheers, Old Buz (feel free to comment)

Trump's Promises

President Elect, Donald Trump, has promised that he will drain the swamp of Washington, DC and he seems to be trying to be true to his word, on this one.  He is draining the worst of DC, right into his Cabinet.

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When Trump says, “Believe me …..” you can disregard, at least, the concepts that follow.  It has been my experience that you can also disregard anything that precedes those two words.  A thinking person should learn this, in their youth, from their first conversation with a salesperson on a used car lot.  Obviously, not all used car salespersons are liars, but if they use the words, “Trust me” or “Believe me”, exercise care.

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Hillary Clinton once said, in a debate, that “half of the Trump voters are a basket of deplorables.”  A fact checking organization, reporting to our morning paper, said that she lied in the debates with Trump, 23% of the time.  I would count this in the 23%.  Trump voters, other than the fascists, are not deplorable.  They are gullible.  It is his cabinet members that are deplorables.  The same fact checkers that said Hillary lied 23% of the time, said Donald lied 87% of the time.  It is hard to take pride in either of them.  “Where have all the flowers gone?”  

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And why do we still have the Electoral College?  The Presidency is a Federal office, not a State office and should not be a decision made by the States.  Each individual voter should have an equal right to choose their President.  The election can only be decided fairly by the majority of the voters.  The Electoral College might have been a good system, over two hundred years ago, but it certainly isn’t today.  I live in a solid Red State, Arizona.  (We feed the political satire skits on Saturday Night Live.)  My liberal vote for President has been meaningless for the decade that I have lived in Arizona, just as the conservative voter in California’s vote for President has been.  This makes no sense.  The Electoral College has to go.  It is a flawed system.

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On the bright side, these next 4 years in America will be exciting times.  It will be a test of the strength of our Nation to survive the Trump Presidency.  There will be damage to our core beliefs of “Liberty and Justice for All”.  There will probably be damage to our trade and human relations with The World.  Earth’s climate change will increase.  Much of our progress in education will be reversed.   Hopefully, we will learn and never take a path like this again.

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Cheers, Old Buz, a proud member of Curmudgeons Anonymous