Occupy Wall Street Gives Award to Pfizer: “Excellence in Profiteering”
Part of National Day of Action against corporate greed and corruption
New York, NY – February 29 – Healthcare workers, doctors, nurses, and Occupy Wall Street activists gathered outside of Pfizer’s International Headquarters in New York City to protest the world’s largest drug company’s connection to the American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC, a right-wing, corporate-funded think tank that develops and promotes radical pro-corporate laws for state legislators to enact.
Healthcare for the 99%, the working group of Occupy Wall Street that organized the demonstration at Pfizer, pointed out that ALEC promotes bills that limit drug companies’ liabilities for defective products and deceptive marketing, prohibits Americans from importing cheaper drugs from other countries, and prohibits states from negotiating lower prices for drugs, especially for programs like Medicaid.
Dr. Steve Auerbach of Physicians for a National Health Program NY Metro Chapter stated, “even though most of Pfizer’s drug research is funded by tax payer dollars, corporate control prevents equitable access to the products funded by the people.”
Billionaires for Wealth Care showed up to defend Pfizer’s profit making in healthcare, saying, “We support healthcare that serves the 1%. We want healthcare for profit…not people,” and proceeded to award Pfizer with “Certificates of Excellence in Profiteering, Passing Laws for the 1%, and Pricey Medications.”
Hoisting a sign reading “I can’t afford to get sick” was Jennifer Roberts, 44, a painter who lives in Jersey City, New Jersey. “I’ve lived the bulk of my adult working life without insurance,” said Roberts. “I feel it’s very important to pursue a single payer system for this country.”
Occupy nationwide is holding actions today to raise awareness about the destructive political activities of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and the corporations, Pfizer among them, that run it.
Wish I’d known about this as I would’ve joined ’em. I’m a former Pfizer (Wyeth) employee. I was retired a year ago and I’m well aware of how the drug companies and FDA work together to legally kill people. I’ve nothing to lose . . . I took my pension out and put it in an IRA, and they are no longer paying me severance. On top of that, I have my own business with established clientele. :)
Welcome to Healthcare in these, the United Corporations of America, est’d Jan 2010. “In Profit We Trust”.
If you want to have what used to be the peoples’ government responsive to us again, Corporations must be removed from any and all influence. Universal Health Care does not serve corporate profits. Therefore, paid lobbyists had it removed so that it was not even mentioned as a solution to the current “healthcare” system we have. Corporate corruption of our government is the root cause for the failing society that America is becoming.
H.J. Res. 88 is a Constitutional Amendment that will overturn the flawed USSC judgement that was Citizens United, and it will eliminate the fictional concept of corporate personhood. The bill and its list of current co-sponsors can be found at thomas[dot]loc[dot]gov.
Call your U.S. Representative and ask them to support this bill. If they refuse, they represent corporate interests over yours, and then vote them out of office in November. A functioning democracy requires participation of a knowledgeable public. Currently, the only influential participants are Corporations.
What kind of country do we want to live in? Our current Plutocracy-Corporatocracy, or a democratic republic, or perhaps a full democracy?
Time for action.
Corporations are not people. People need health care.
As long as people continue to wallow in the mud of the mainstream medical community they will encounter the drug industry because the medical community is in bed with them. Better to join a gym and get healthy and fit rather than adopt the victim role and take charge of your own health. Stop feeding the beast! Tell your doctor to stop promoting an industry that has little to do with the “care” of any individual’s health. In fact Big Pharma hopes you will “listen to your doctor” and take anything he prescribes without question. Stop being a pawn in this corporate game.
HERE’S A SOLUTION! Please email and pass on to everyone.
Subject: FW: Warren Buffett – IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR ALL TO READ
Warren Buffett
Another brilliant idea from Warren Buffett Could this be an idea
whose time has come?
Warren Buffett, in a recent interview with CNBC, offers one of the best quotes about the debt ceiling:
“I could end the deficit in 5 minutes,” he told CNBC. “You just pass
a law that says that anytime there is a deficit of more than 3% of
GDP, all sitting members of Congress are ineligible for re-election.
The 26th amendment (granting the right to vote for 18 year-olds)
took only 3 months & 8 days to be ratified! Why? Simple!
The people demanded it. That was in 1971 – before computers, e-mail,
cell phones, etc.
Of the 27 amendments to the Constitution, seven (7) took one (1)
year or less to become the law of the land – all because of public pressure.
Warren Buffet is asking each addressee to forward this email to a
minimum of twenty people on their address list; in turn ask each of
those to do likewise.
In three days, most people in The United States of America will have
the message. This is one idea that really should be passed around.
Congressional Reform Act of 2011
1. No Tenure / No Pension.
A Congressman/woman collects a salary while in office and receives
no pay when they’re out of office.
2. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social
Security.
All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social
Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social
Security system, and Congress participates with the American people.
It may not be used for any other purpose.
3. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all
Americans do.
4. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise.
Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.
5. Congress loses their current health care system and participates
in the same health care system as the American people.
6. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the
American people.
7. All contracts with past and present Congressmen/women are void
effective 1/1/12. The American people did not make this contract
with Congressmen/women.
Congress made all these contracts for themselves. Serving in
Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned
citizen legislators, so ours should serve their term(s), then go
home and back to work.
If each person contacts a minimum of twenty people then it will only
take three days for most people (in the U.S.) to receive the
message. Don’t you think it’s time?
THIS IS HOW YOU FIX CONGRESS!
If you agree, pass it on. If not, delete.
You are one of my 20+ – Please keep it going, and thanks