AARP Releases Senate's'Top 5' Excuses for Not Passing Critical Rx Affordability Bills

[rodeodance]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/usnw/20061211/pl_usnw/aarp_releases_senate_s_top5__excuses_for_not_passing_critical_rx_affordability_bills111_xml

AARP Releases Senate's'Top 5' Excuses for Not Passing Critical Rx Affordability Bills

Mon Dec 11, 10:00 AM ET



..............
AARP members gathered in the Capitol today and released a top five list of the most commonly heard excuses from Senators and launched an Rx "excuse-a-thon" where members from across the state publicly read hundreds of excuses they've heard from their Senators.

"AARP members refuse to take another Senate failure lying down, so they called their Senators and asked why they didn't pass these bills. The answers they gave just did not add up," said Lois Aronstein, AARP New York State Director.

The top five excuses that over 45 State Senators gave their constituents for not passing S.696 (Maziarz), to "shine the light" on the billions of dollars Rx companies spend on gifts to doctors and S.5029 (Golden), to allow the state to bulk buy its drugs and create an Rx discount card were:

Excuse No. 1: They ran out of time.

The Senate had a chance in September after the regular session to pass the bills that both overwhelmingly passed the Assembly and they have another chance on Wednesday.



............more ........

[iconoclastic cat]

1. And yet AARP members keep voting for Repubs. nt

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

6. This AARP member voted straight Democratic n/t

[iconoclastic cat]

11. Today is Icon Cat Puts Feet in Mouth day, apparently. nt

[flyingfysh]

2. why should I trust AARP for anything?

They were a major factor in the destruction of Medicare.

[MaineDem]

3. Totally!

We quit AARP over that.

[Gin]

8. Me too

g

[tblue37]

9. So did I. (eom)

[ashling]

10. same here

[SemperEadem]

4. This needs to be put into terms that nail the thugs to their

collective crosses: voting against affordable medication for US citizens is not pro-life. If they are on the pro-life bandwagon, they cannot then talk out the other side of their face and say that they don't support the means by which one can maintain said life.

Either they are all the way or they aren't, but they can't pick and choose. This is the fire to which their feet must be put.

[krispos42]

5. Dear NY State Assembly:

Here's a clue. If it makes the big pharmacuetical companies afraid of lost profits, it's probably a good thing to pass.

Make Big Pharma cut their management salaries to stay profitable. Think I give a shit if Pfizer CEO has to take a 'mere' $4 million instead of the $16.6 he earned in 2004? Hell, his pay was UP 72% from 2003!

Pfizer (nyse: PFE - news - people ) Chief Executive Henry McKinnell's 72% pay increase last year may not leave you overly flummoxed. McKinnell's impressive haul of $16.6 million was made up of a base salary of $2.2 million, a healthy bonus of $3.9 million, plus a restricted stock award of $4.3 million. Sharp-minded number-jugglers will notice that these figures don't quite $16.6 million make. Well, throw in $5.81 million in common stock as part of an incentive program, and $307,454 in retirement savings, and all becomes clear. McKinnell's 2004 salary dwarfs his 2003 earnings of $9.7 million.

Boldface mine. Why is a man making a base salary of $2.2 million getting retirement savings? He can't save for his OWN retirement from that money?

And from the same article...

...the New York-based pharmaceutical manufacturer will hold an analysts meeting next month to discuss how to reduce costs by $2 billion

Anybody care to guess where the $2 billion is going to come from? Hint: NOT McKinnell's pocket!

http://www.forbes.com/2005/03/10/0310autofacescan06.html

<edit> forgot to put in link

[depakid]

7. AARP supported the Medicare Part D scam

So I don't know what they're complaining about.

[xxqqqzme]

12. and they lost thousands of members

because of it...including me and I don't take any medication.

No. 1 excuse why AARP supported 'plan D' - it was the best we could get right now!

[Liberty Belle]

13. kicked and recommending...