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Editorial: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness OR Existence, Leisure for Some Hard Work for Others, and Paying the Government vs Living Off the Government!
The U.S. Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. The text of the second section reads:
"We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
Life can be defined as "the physical, mental, and spiritual experiences that constitute a person's existence."
Liberty is the right to act, believe, or express oneself in a manner of one's own choosing; the condition of being free from confinement.
Pursuit of happiness, according to U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Stephen Johnson Field in his concurring opinion to Associate Justice Samuel Freeman Miller's opinion, is:
"Among these inalienable rights, as proclaimed by that great document, is the right of men to pursue their happiness, by which is meant the right to pursue any lawful business or vocation, in any manner not inconsistent with the equal rights of others, which may increase their prosperity or develop their faculties, so as to give to them their highest enjoyment."
These truths simply provide to us the protection and opportunities as free and responsible citizens. They do not provide guarantees of food, clothing, shelter, medical care, retirement provided by the government, but simply the opportunity for us to work and earn the necessities of life in a free nation. This requires "responsible" citizens. A citizen must be responsible in their actions; if not, then they have not accepted the responsibility of living in a free land. Obviously, if someone is in need of assistance due to circumstances beyond their control, that is a different story. But willfully neglecting one's responsibilities to provide for themselves and their family confers no requirement on the government to care for them. It's time our nation learned this lesson.
Loyd V. Allen, Jr., PhD, RPh
Editor-in-Chief
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Bipartisan Prescription Drug Importation Bill
U.S. Senators introduced critical drug importation legislation today that will reduce the cost of prescription drugs in the U.S. The Senators said their legislation, the "Pharmaceutical Market Access and Drug Safety Act," will bring consumers immediate relief and will ultimately force the pharmaceutical industry to lower drug prices in the U.S. The Congressional Budget Office estimates the bill would save American consumers $50 billion over the next decade, including more than $10 billion in federal government savings.
The bill allows U.S.-licensed pharmacies and drug wholesalers to import FDA-approved medications from Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan and pass along the savings to American customers. This approach will allow Americans to benefit from prices in these countries, which are 35 to 55 percent lower than in the U.S., while still enabling consumers to receive medications at a local pharmacy. The legislation would also allow individual consumers to purchase prescription drugs for personal use from safe, reliable, FDA-inspected Canadian pharmacies.
The legislation contains strong safeguards to prohibit drug counterfeiting or any other practices that would put the consumer at risk, and applies only to FDA-approved prescription drugs produced in FDA-approved plants from countries with comparable safety standards.
http://pharmalive.com/news/index.cfm?articleID=609505&categoryid=9&newsletter=1
Senator's Letter Prompts Statement from Pfizer
A Republican senator's pointed questions about why a Pfizer Inc. employee was photographing a Harvard medical student protest drew a statement of regret Wednesday from the drug company. Pfizer stopped short of an apology, saying only that it regrets if anyone was offended when a company sales representative photographed medical students protesting pharmaceutical company influence on campus.
The drug-maker offered no explanation for why the photos were taken.
http://www.therapeuticsdaily.com/news/article.cfm?contentValue=1891511&contentType=sentryarticle&channelID=33
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