The Hidden Perils of Social Medicine

These leaks, in turn, contaminate soil and groundwater, posing health risks to those who live nearby or drink the water. Such health risks can range from nausea to kidney or liver damage or even cancer. As a result, some communities have closed their drinking water wells. A recent news report illustrates the problem. A school in Roselawn, Indiana, discovered that the children had been using and drinking water with nearly 10 times the EPA-recommended safe level of MTBE. I understand that an investigation is trying to determine whether the MTBE came from a nearby tank and whether it is a factor contributing to the children’s nosebleeds and other reported health problems. [Mr. John B. Stephenson, Director of Environmental Issues, U.S. Government Accounting Office 441 G Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20548]

Nosebleeds in children are a common occurance, and there is no data to suggest an abnormal increase due to a hidden chemical cause. So these studies, which are just suggesting a possible problem (with no real data) use very lose and general terms. The "concerns" are generated by environmental charities who need a cause to raise money. This sound very cynical, but after a study of several major medical charities, the statement is unfortunately true.

Studies done on the American Heart Association, the American Stroke Association, the American Diabetes Association and the American Cancer Society found that of the total annual income (based on their annual reports), the ADA scored the highest with spending only 20% of their income on research. The AHA and ASA, which are the same charity scored the lowest with only 10% of their income going to research. Ten other medical charities were also checked and none scored above 20%.

This means that a bulk of the funding comes from the NIH and drug companies. In this amount, the NIH and drug companies must support the medical systems of every country with a social medical program. In Canada, for instance, many medical scientists are supported by grants from the NIH, because the Canadian government has no money to fund it (or so it's claimed). The fact is that socialist Europe requires the American free enterprise medical system to exist.

If the Dems get in and create a social medical system in the US (as the United States of America becomes the United Socialist States of America) - who are they going to turn to - to develop their medicine?

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