This should be a no-brainer: If you had access to a drug that treated a potentially fatal disease and knew someone who didn’t have access but desperately needed that drug, you’d help them out—right? It would seem unimaginable to do otherwise, unless perhaps you needed it yourself. Most of us would consider it immoral or even criminal to withhold a life-saving drug merely to extract a profit. So why do American taxpayers support this practice? That’s right, we support this shameful behavior by subsidizing the pharmaceutical industry.

American taxpayers often foot the bill for the discovery and development of new drugs, yet the lion’s share of the profits gleaned from those new drugs are reaped by private pharmaceutical companies.

In many cases, the very Americans whose tax dollars contributed to the development of a drug are themselves unable to get that very same drug when they need it because it’s too expensive. This is partly due to Big Pharma’s drive to maximize profits.

As bad as this is, it’s even worse when you consider that even people with healthcare insurance are being priced out of the market. In a piece entitled, “Americans Are Dying Because They Can’t Afford Medicine”, independent journalist April M. Short reported on the case of a 38-year-old teacher and mom who had healthcare insurance but still couldn’t afford some prescription drugs. She came down with the flu and found that the medication her doctor prescribed came with a $116 co-pay. She didn’t have the money—so she died!

People all over this country are facing this—even the insured. Thousands of Americans are dying because the price of medication puts it out of their reach. And get this, much of it is manufactured right here in the United States but sold in other countries at affordable prices—WTF!!!!

Why the hell are we not standing together and saying, enough is enough? Have we all been brainwashed to bow at the altar of profit? Is death itself preferable to questioning our predatory capitalist economic system?

Well, thank goodness, there is a growing minority of people right here in the United States that are saying, “Hell No” to these questions. I’m one of them.

Capitalism Under Trump

You can find out why we have reason to be hopeful that we can change this system. For several years, the LA Progressive worked with with co-host Occidental College to bring Professor Richard Wolff to Southern California for an evening with a bunch of like-minded individuals to explore ways to turn this ship around.

April 23 professor Richard Wolff talked about Capitalism Under Trump at Occidental College in Los Angeles.

If you have no idea who Richard Wolff is, check out the video below.

I know that a lot of you want things to change in this country. But you also know that things will not change as long as the masses continue to be over entertained and under-informed. The mission of LA Progressive and BC is to be a trusted source of information for people who care about this idea called democracy in the struggle for economic justice, social justice and peace.