Well, I was a hippie, till God saved me, and I never believed any conspiracy theories. In fact, (sorry to those who do believe this nonsense) I always thought anyone who believes conspiracy theories are uneducated and dumb. Now, back when I was a real hippie, living in a log cabin in the woods, and only one year of fine arts under my belt, I still thought that. Funny how someone who was uneducated could see through this nonsense. Ironically, as a hippie, I had 2 businesses going, and most of the hippies I knew made their living with home based arts and crafts. I made enough money to save for a large piece of property. Of course, there were lazy hippies, but mostly it was the men, the women worked like dogs to keep things going! (Do dogs work?)
I am not rich, but comfortable. So, I try and help out people who are poor, especially in third world countries. My house is comfortable and warm, although the snow is piling up outside. When the toilet plugs up, I get hubby to fix it. Or the drain in my bath tub more recently. My hubby fixing things, especially keeping old cars running for years and years is one reason why we were comfortable. Hard work, again, plus a job each for both of us! I think that people that work hard, mostly are going to be comfortable, at least in Canada. I have no idea how the American system works anymore. Having just spent a few days in Seattle, and seeing various cultural groups living in various enclaves, no racial or cultural integration I could see. But that could just be from Bellingham to Seattle, I guess!
As for as pharmaceutical companies, I love them to death. I literally would be dead by now without them. I take a lot of meds for so many autoimmune diseases. I will say, in Canada drug costs are controlled, plus most of the provincial governments, at least in Western Canada have insurance programs. I pay a small copay in Jan and Feb, by March I pay nothing for most of my drugs. Unless the provincial government doesn’t list them. Then my husband’s retirement health care plan covers them.
I think, (yes, I know about R&D and how expensive it is. My uncle was a chemist in one American pharmaceutical company, and his work was totally hush hush. Even his wife had no clue what drug he was developing or for what disease.), that the American companies are overcharging for drugs.
Take Rituxan, a biologic or chemo drug I was on for 3 years. It cost $2000 each for 2 infusions, 6 months apart. With my Alberta insurance, it cost me $25 each infusion. But a friend in Chicago, with the same kind of RA as me, getting the same infusions, paid $75,000 for the exact same 2 infusions. So, $4000 versus $75,000. That is a HUGE difference. Most people paid a little less - more like $55,000-65,000. But what is ten thousand or two between friends?
Americans are so afraid of socialist medicine, yet it has paid for absolutely every ill, operation, hospital cost, and most of the cost of my meds. Everyone has free and equal access to doctors and procedures and tests, except the very, very rich, who sometimes go abroad for surgeries, which is risky stuff, I have heard. I know someone that went to India for an MS procedure and had terrible problems. Plus, it was not covered by medicare, because it had been done in a foreign country. (Because it was not available in Canada.)
Anyway, my meds keep my going. I am constantly reviewing them, subtracting or sometimes adding new ones. I think healthy people love to criticize pharmaceuticals, because they have never experienced a sickness that is so debilitating and painful without the drugs, life is not worth living!
