Will Flu Shots have an Effect the Presidentail Race?

[BDawg]

I saw on CNN that people are crossing the boarder to get flu shots in Canada. I also heard today that Bush is blasting congress for ensuring that there are enough shots for all congressmen and their staffers before the needy groups.

How will all this play out in terms of the election? Will people see this as a Bush caused problem? Is this the kind of thing we expect when we rely on private industry to produce vaccines?

 

[cKGunslinger]

With a huge war, terrorism, human rights, civil rights, and the economy being at stake, it would hurt my heart to know that some people made a voting decision based upon whether our country got enough flu shots this season.

 

[dmcowen674]

Originally posted by: BDawg
Topic Title: Will Flu Shots have an Effect the Presidentail Race?

No, the Neocons are screaming that it is Clinton's Fault.

 

[daniel1113]

Nope.

 

[PingSpike]

Originally posted by: cKGunslinger
With a huge war, terrorism, human rights, civil rights, and the economy being at stake, it would hurt my heart to know that some people made a voting decision based upon whether our country got enough flu shots this season.

Prepare for a heart attack:

Originally posted by: Aimster
My girlfriend "Kerry is cool he snowboards." her friend "Bush is hot. Kerry is ugly".

Originally posted by: cobalt
I was talking to my ex-girlfriend, who I still speak with quite often, and I asked her why she supported Bush. Her exact response was, "They are both assholes but I guess I support the one who likes God in public."

Democracy is doomed.

 

[Infohawk]

It will have a small effect. I have a hard time believing any old person who have to go to another country to get medicine would still support Bush.

 

[Kibbo]

I heard briefly on the radio that up here we are restricting American's access to the shot, in order to make sure we have enough for ourselves. Imagine how an older person who is turned away will feel.

 

[Tom]

The flu shot fiasco is at least partly a result of policy decisions about healthcare, competance, and ideological positions about free markets and competition, so to the extent there are differences between the candidates on these points it certainly could be an issue.

I would expect a Kerry administration to place more emphasis on healthcare, and generally be more involved in making sure government works in it's role overseeing private corporations, generally.

And since I believe this is the right role for government I favor Kerry on this.



edit- I want to expand on what I mean by competition, it's my opinion that the laissez faire approach to markets and industry ultimately reduces competition, because it encourages concentration into fewer and larger players in the market.

 

[chowderhead]

This is yet another example of the GWB administration not being on the ball in handling a issue. The FDA received warnings last month that there were problems with the vaccine. GWB is so out of touch that in the third debate, he did not know that a US company had outsourced the vaccine to England. Instead, he tried to blame it on "an company in England" and suggested that we import vaccines from Canada when we cannot reimport other drugs from Canada. I think this issue will reenforce the notion that GWB is hopelessly out of touch with what is happening.

 

[BDawg]

Update: My wife (6mo preg) finally found a flu shot. The health department got a shipment in. She is scheduled to receive hers tomorrow.

 

[dmcowen674]

Originally posted by: BDawg
Update: My wife (6mo preg) finally found a flu shot. The health department got a shipment in. She is scheduled to receive hers tomorrow.

Congrats and Congrats :thumbsup:


Edit: Question - How do you guys feel bringing up a child in the New Third World Country called the U.S.?

 

[Genx87]

I am interested in knowing if John and Teresa got their flu shots or not?

edit:Edit: Question - How do you guys feel bringing up a child in the New Third World Country called the U.S.?

Anytime you feel like moving to Sierre Leone, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Iraq. Feel free to do so.

 

[dmcowen674]

Originally posted by: Genx87
I am interested in knowing if John and Teresa got their flu shots or not?

I'm sure they did, many Politicians have already:

10-20-2004 No flu vaccine shortage on Capitol Hill Lawmakers' doctor provides free shots

Washington -- While many Americans search in vain for flu shots, members and employees of Congress are able to obtain them quickly and at no charge from the Capitol's attending physician, who has urged all 535 lawmakers to get the vaccines even if they are young and healthy.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., a heart surgeon, sent letters urging his 99 colleagues to get the shots, because they mingle and shake hands with so many people.

The practice appears to directly contravene the instruction being given by the executive branch

Tommy Thompson, secretary of Health and Human Services, reiterated the Bush administration's guidelines at a news conference Tuesday afternoon at his department's headquarters at the foot of Capitol Hill.

"What we are telling people is if you are not in a priority category, do not get the shot," he said. "If you are one of the doctors who got vaccine in the early shipments, please do not give it to people who are not in one of the classifications I have just spelled out."

 

[dmcowen674]

Originally posted by: Genx87
I am interested in knowing if John and Teresa got their flu shots or not?

edit:Edit: Question - How do you guys feel bringing up a child in the New Third World Country called the U.S.?

Anytime you feel like moving to Sierre Leone, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Iraq. Feel free to do so.

Why move???

We're emulating those Countries more and more everyday, hell they're even modeled after the U.S. now.

 

[DrDrakeRomoray]

If Bush gets re-elected, I'm moving to France. Bush is a moron!

 

[cKGunslinger]

Originally posted by: dmcowen674

Originally posted by: Genx87
I am interested in knowing if John and Teresa got their flu shots or not?

I'm sure they did, many Politicians have already:

10-20-2004 No flu vaccine shortage on Capitol Hill Lawmakers' doctor provides free shots

I don't know how to feel about that. I know it seems we should save the vaccines for those that truly need them, but I also know that its important to keep those people who would come in contact with those who are susceptible to receive them as well. I know a little girl in our church who has several respiratory problems finally got her shot and everyone in her household had to get one as well, to help keep her safe.

 

[DrDrakeRomoray]

If Kerry was in office, there would have never been a flu vaccine shortage.

 

[cKGunslinger]

Originally posted by: DrDrakeRomoray
If Kerry was in office, there would have never been a flu vaccine shortage.

Did I get the distinction of being the first to give you a cokie?

Can you give us some reasoning as to why you believe this? (that kinda helps the discussion to move long, ya know)

 

[DrDrakeRomoray]

Because Kerry is short for Karing.

 

[NightCrawler]

There use to be 24 companies producing the Flu shot now there are only two. The Flu shot is expensive, very complex and there is no profit in it.

Of course this is ALL Bush's fault.

 

[dmcowen674]

Originally posted by: DrDrakeRomoray
Because Kerry is short for Karing.

Here's another for you, now go run along and play in Off Topic.

 

[Tom]

Originally posted by: NightCrawler
There use to be 24 companies producing the Flu shot now there are only two. The Flu shot is expensive, very complex and there is no profit in it.

Of course this is ALL Bush's fault.

Is the proper motivation for producing flu vaccine, profit ? And how do you measure the true cost versus profit ? Is it strictly how much profit those two companies can or can't make ? What about the lost productivity of more people getting the flu ?

What is the proper role for government in this kind of issue ?

Of those 24 companies, did any of them merge into the remaining 2 suppliers, or sell their means of production to the two remaining companies ?

Did the Bush adminstration do anything to prevent the concentration, ie subsidize providers, tax breaks, contigency plans ?

 

[BDawg]

Originally posted by: dmcowen674

Originally posted by: BDawg
Update: My wife (6mo preg) finally found a flu shot. The health department got a shipment in. She is scheduled to receive hers tomorrow.

Congrats and Congrats :thumbsup:


Edit: Question - How do you guys feel bringing up a child in the New Third World Country called the U.S.?

Raising a kid in modern America was never a topic we discussed. I have faith that after November, things will get better. If not, we'll have to do the best we can.

 

[BDawg]

Originally posted by: Tom

Originally posted by: NightCrawler
There use to be 24 companies producing the Flu shot now there are only two. The Flu shot is expensive, very complex and there is no profit in it.

Of course this is ALL Bush's fault.

Is the proper motivation for producing flu vaccine, profit ? And how do you measure the true cost versus profit ? Is it strictly how much profit those two companies can or can't make ? What about the lost productivity of more people getting the flu ?

What is the proper role for government in this kind of issue ?

Of those 24 companies, did any of them merge into the remaining 2 suppliers, or sell their means of production to the two remaining companies ?

Did the Bush adminstration do anything to prevent the concentration, ie subsidize providers, tax breaks, contigency plans ?

For the sake of the population's health, the goverment should provide financial support to make sure flu shots are produced and available.

 

[Monkeyshack]

I feel like the world as we knew it is over, we are now entering a place of total idiocy. We are placing blame on Bush and Kerry for things that they A) Don?t have any control over or B) Did have control over, but only democratic or republican politicians are complaining about it.

I don?t want to say much about this but, there is no need to panic over the Flu Vaccine shortage. If you are going to blame anyone blame the United Kingdom for not catching this sooner, so that the company could rectify the problem and get back to producing.

If you are in the ?risk? zone contact your doctor, if he doesn?t have it get a referral.

The Vaccine comes from a private corporation not the government. The government only regulates the corporation so that the product that it is supplying to you and me is ?safe?. So be thankful that the government (in this case U.K.) did its job, and you are not receiving a contaminated dose of the vaccine.

The best advice I could have for you is TURN YOUR TV OFF. We are support to be intelligent people, get a book and read about: Flu, influenza, respiratory tract infection see what it is, what it does, what the symptoms are, and what things you can do if you in fact have it. Become a member of our society, don?t contribute to its delinquency.