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.

5 Comments

  1. Dutchess on March 1, 2012 at 8:08 pm

    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. :)



  2. Plantiful on March 8, 2012 at 1:58 pm

    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.



    • Sherry G. Oliver on March 9, 2012 at 10:33 am

      Corporations are not people. People need health care.



  3. Laura on March 8, 2012 at 3:32 pm

    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.



  4. A Solution on March 9, 2012 at 9:43 am

    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
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    Congressional Reform Act of 2011

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    If you agree, pass it on. If not, delete.
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