Why haven't I seen any criticism of Bush for outsourcing the flu vaccine?

[heidler1]

Was this some payback to Blair? Were they trying to prove out of country medicine was unsafe? In the debate Bush's answer was to go without like he was doing, which I doubt. Bush also said that no one here wants to make the vaccine, which I doubt.

I'm 79 and could not find any one with any vaccine till I paid 25 bucks. It's always been free before, under my senior HMO. Now the prices are really going up.

[baby_bear]

1. I'd like to know too, but....

Is it really a matter of outsourcing, or is it a matter of relying on the private sector to take care of what is really an essential federal government responsibility?

Don't get me started on outsourcing (my own federal job is at risk), but in this case, I really think it is the feds being asleep at the wheel. Why do we rely on market forces to prevent a 1918 type of flu epidemic?

On the other hand, maybe the Repubs just don't care if a lot of elders die off.

I wouldn't put it past them. Seriously. Anybody know if Congress has received THEIR flu vaccinations? We don't even have to ask about the Bushies.

s_m

[Nite Owl]

2. I think the vaccine is made by Chiron

which is CA based company. I guess the plants for this vaccine are there. But I remember hearing that * said it was British company if that is so he doesn't even know about the company that is making it. There hasn't been any followup on this today at all that I have heard. Few companies make vaccines because they are not profitable and they are afraid of the lawsuits.

[Barney Rocks]

3. we have been

relying on other countries to provide our flue vaccine since the early 1980's. I guess you could say that it was outsourced--but it was done long before the reign of this Bush. American drug companies don't want to do vaccines, because in the 1980's several parents who have autistic children were suing them (claiming that the autism was caused by vaccines). I don't believe any of the lawsuits were successful--but US drug makers won't touch vaccines now.

[jab105]

4. Because we are all focused on how outraged Cheney is that

Kerry gave is daughter a compliment:shrug:

[Senior citizen]

5. Uh-huh, flu vaccine gets outsourced, but we still can't

buy prescription drugs from Canada or Mexico.

This free trade stuff is miiiiiiiighty peculiar.....

[sandnsea]

6. This is the one right here

That was my exact thought. Last week it wasn't safe to buy drugs from Canada, now we're getting our flu vaccine from them???

[durablend]

8. Actually we're not...

I heard that Canada has a couple million doses but they're not licensed to sell them here.

[sandnsea]

9. Did you watch the debates?

First Bush said he doesn't want us to buy medicine from Canada because he wants it to "cure us and not kill us". Now he wants to buy flu shots from Canada. That's what he said, that's all I'm talking about.

[goodboy]

7. Why didn't Kerry say that Bush knew of the shortage but witheld the info

from the american people?

[TexasSissy]

10. Yes, this needs to be talked about on the media. I'm going to do a

couple of e-mails tonight.

One guy in a CNN focus group noticed what * said. He was an older fellow, undecided but leaning to Kerry (and he stayed that way!). But he mentioned that * had said we're going to import the flu vaccine from Canada, now, when he'd said before the reason we couldn't get drugs from Canada for seniors is because it's unsafe! He caught it! SMAAAAAARRRRRT MAN!

[ladybugg33]

11. Missed opportunity by Kerry. I was wondering the same thing?

There ought to be a new ad about this.

[heidler1]

12. Is there any reason to believe the Media reads our posts?