OT - <I think the majority of us would agree that both parties are equally guilty of all of the ills facing the USA, especially in response to the particular post from the GAO. If one was more guilty than the other on one topic (such as the prescription drug plan) the other party is more guilty on something else.>
fwiw, i'm not american, but probably would be considered more conservative (i.e. republican) in my views/support than liberal/democrat.
that said, two minor points in response - it was Walker of the impartial GAO (not me) that stated the Medicare prescription Drug Act (clearly the work of republicans) was the most irresponsible bill in decades costing $8 Trillion.
second, Walker seems to hold out hope that it will be political will (whether due to crisis or preferrably someone who actually is able to demonstrate real leadership before it becomes a crisis) that gets the US out of the mess, which i found rather ironic, given that in general, I agree with your observation that there is more than enough blame to go around with politicians of both parties for the current ills facing the US.
another more on topic aspect about this to consider is if this bill helped put $8 trillion into the pockets of big pharma & biotech (and presumably was/is reflected in their stock valuations) what will happen to those companies & their associated market valuations if/when the necessary changes to US healthcare are made (especially in the context of an FDA that seems ultra conservative)?
i'm not trying to provoke any endless political debate, but would be interested in hearing considered comments about what the fallout might be for big pharma & biotechs if healthcare undergoes a major reform that potentially could undo or significantly alter the effects of the maligned Medicare prescription drug act.
