Hillary's Flu Vaccine Crisis

newsmax.com ^ | 12/13/03 | Carl Limbacher

[Mich0127]

December 13, 2003 Schwarzenegger: Terminates Hillary's Plans?

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With Carl Limbacher and NewsMax.com Staff For the story behind the story...

Click Here Hillary's Flu Vaccine Crisis

Newspapers are awash this week with headlines warning that the U.S. is running out of flu vaccine, just as the crisis reaches near-epidemic levels, with 11 children dead so far.

But as top radio talker Rush Limbaugh noted this week, the press isn't explaining how the most sophisticated health care system in the world was caught short by the flu crisis.

Perhaps reporters ought to ask New York Sen. Hillary Clinton, since one of the few health care reforms she managed to inflict on the nation during her co-presidency has now backfired by driving most of America's flu vaccine producers out of business.

As reported by the Wall Street Journal this week, "The reason for today's shortage - as well as seven previous preventive vaccine shortages since 2000 - is that there are just five vaccine makers.

"This lack of suppliers is partly thanks to Hillary Clinton, who as first lady turned government into the majority buyer of vaccines and pushed prices so low as to make business unsustainable."

Last summer the Journal noted that the problem goes back to 1993, when Mrs. Clinton's "Vaccines for Children Program" was first implemented.

Hillary's vaccine crusade was being pushed by her Children's Defense Fund mentor Marian Wright Edelman - even though U.S. child vaccination rates at the time were considered relatively high by medical experts.

But that didn't stop Sen. Clinton and her "reformers." She pressured Congress to back the disastrous plan in a bid to make vaccines more available to poor, uninsured and underinsured children. In the process she turned the government into the major purchaser and distributor of vaccines.

Oops! Unfortunately for the familles of the 11 children killed by the disease so far, things didn't quite work out the way Hillary had planned.

As noted by the Kansas City Star this week, the decision to force vaccine makers to discount their price resulted in "declining financial incentives to develop and produce vaccines."

What's more, the vaccination rate "barely budged" after the Hillary-Edelman brainchild was implemented.

Hillary's "reform" did, however, manage to leave the nation thoroughly unprepared to handle the current flu crisis.

[Mich0127]

Good job Hillary! What were you thinking, you were going to show the virus your face and tell it your politics to "scare" it away?

[Mich0127]

bump

[LibWhacker]

Oops! Unfortunately for the familles of the 11 children killed by the disease so far, things didn't quite work out the way Hillary had planned.

But who knows? She is one vicious bitch whose only discernable motivation is raw political power.

[Mich0127]

Nah, we all know that it is not Hitlery's fault...because everything that happens is Bush's fault!
Yeah, but what is a couple of lives compared to world domination?

[mjp]

things didn't quite work out the way Hillary had planned.

Gasp... but, but...I thought Hillary and the liberals always know what's best for me. I am in despair.

[cpst12]

Its about time the republican grew up and stopped blaming every bad thing on the Clintons...the Clintons were scum, no doubt, but bush has been in office for 3 years, and the republicans have controlled both houses for over 1 year now; if they had wanted to do something about this flu vaccination "problem", they could have. What did the Clintons do, that the current congress and president could not have undone if they so desired?

Blaming the Clintons is getting to be a real old story at this point....

The reason there is a "shortage" this year is soley because the media has wipped the masses into a panic about 11 deaths, when in fact 360000 deaths is about aveage each and every year.

[Mich0127]

Hmmm... the classic line "the Clintons are scum, BUT [fill in the blank]."

Back to DU, please.

[VOA]

The real tragedy of Hillary!'s vaccine boondogle?

There was no anti-Hillary vaccine available for the troops in Afghanistan and Iraq
that would simply keep her from forcing her way into contrived photo-ops with
soldiers that don't like/respect her.

Hmmm...maybe that was the aim of her vaccine plan, after all!

[TaxPayer2000]

Its about time the republican grew up and stopped blaming every bad thing on the Clintons

Did you even READ the story?

[chiller]

Hold on. There IS a shortage of vaccine, so one or both of your arguments is wrong. Either media hype attempts to create a bigger story than it is(not much doubt about this one) and /or there aren't enough vaccine makers, which is where Hillary comes in.

And Bush can't magically put people into business that had basically been forced out years ago.

Anyone who wants government to run ANYTHING, should visit their local Motor Vehicle Division to see who smooooooooth govt. runs things.

[theFIRMbss]

>there are just five vaccine makers

Once upon a time,
there were about a dozen
mainstream programs for

word processing. Now,
there's only Microsoft Word.
It's not Hillary,

it's just the nature
of modern market battles
that competition

knocks out everyone
except one or two big guns.
(Demand for "choices"

is overwhelmed by
corporate economies,
not vile politics.)

[cpst12]

>>Back to DU, please.

Quite a comeback. Whats next, look up my sign-up date and call me a commie?

[Mich0127]

Yeah, I do think so!
You should patent the "Anti-Hillary Vaccine"!
Or maybe we can make a spray, like the ones that keep your pets off of your furniture--The Keep Hitlery away spray...It will be a fog horn that speaks the truth...we all know a Clinton can't stand the truth!

[Mich0127]

Yeah..."commie"

[cpst12]

>>Yeah..."commie"

Brilliant.

[Mich0127]

She definitely did not help. Weeding out the smaller businesses is feasible over time, but when it happens in a short amount of time, that is when we look to see what happened. And in this case, Hillary happened!
You have to look to causation.

[Mich0127]

They obviously did not

[Mich0127]

Thanks :-)! I try!

[Mich0127]

Yay...good point!

[armymarinemom]