Posted on 07/17/2012 7:33:32 PM PDT by nickcarraway
It's not Saturday night, but apparently the time is right for fighting between Elton John and Gov. Rick Scott. In his upcoming memoir, Sir Elton criticizes the unpopular pol for attempting to cut funds to Florida's AIDS Drug Assistance Program. Elton even wrote a letter to the governor, and the response he received from Scott's surgeon general was essentially, Well, if you care about Florida's AIDS patients' lives so much, why don't you come down here and perform a few charity concerts?
ADAP programs help poorer patients with HIV get access to lifesaving but exorbitantly expensive medications. Florida's ADAP program has one of the longest waiting lists in the nation, and in 2011 Scott and Republicans in the state legislature were considering changing the requirements. That would have resulted in thousands of people being cut off from those medications. The restrictions did not go into effect, but the state has been slow to provide additional funding for the program. Thousands of people still remain on the waiting list, and about half of those people live in Broward and Miami-Dade counties.
The international superstar founded the Elton John AIDS Foundation and wrote a letter to Scott urging him to avoid restrictions and better fund the program. The Miami Herald has a PDF of the letter here. John did not receive a letter back from Scott himself, but rather his then-surgeon general, Frank Farmer.
"We welcome any suggestions or ideas you have to help us do more with our existing funding,'' Farmer replied. "I once again cordially invite you to consider an ADAP fundraising concert series in Florida. I know you have a big fan base here, and we would love to welcome you to the Sunshine State."
John is no slouch in helping raise money for AIDS/HIV-related causes, but the suggestion that one pop star alone can help fund a large state's ADAP program is sort of ridiculous.
Here's Sir Elton's take on the matter, from an interview with NPR's Morning Edition today: On asking Florida not to cut funding for HIV and AIDS patients, and Florida Surgeon General Frank Farmer suggesting he play a benefit to help raise money
"[EJAF is] an AIDS organization, and whenever anybody's funding is cut -- and it's usually cut, especially in this case in Florida, [for] the people that can afford it least ... then we're going to write a letter about it. And we wrote a letter to [Florida Gov. Rick Scott] himself. ...
"It's not my job to [fund a state's AIDS program]. It's the government's priority to do that. I can't do benefit concerts for Florida, for the people with AIDS in Florida. It's their responsibility; they need to do what's right. And cutting funding for the people that [can] least afford it is criminal."
On why funding for AIDS treatment is the government's responsibility
"We can solve this AIDS problem forever if the government gives the funding. If people are encouraged to come out and say they're HIV-positive and they're given their treatments, then obviously the people who are marginalized -- like intravenous drug users, prisoners, people who are made to feel less-than -- if they're given the support of the government and they're given the funding, then it's going to help solve the spread of AIDS and HIV in America. We have to try and get rid of this shortsightedness when it comes to HIV and the stigma around it." According to Naked Politics, John included the exchange in his new memoir, Love Is the Cure.
I think Elton's definition of love was the cause in the first place.
Actually, you could solve it for free -- but you'd have to stop the perversion.
He’s a Brit, he has no business telling anyone what the the US government should or shouldn’t do.
You are exactly right. They buggered one another, and now they can just bugger off. No one should have to pay taxes to relieve sodomites of the consequences of their actions.
He has enough money to pay for it himself. Why doesn’t he pony up?
Butt they just invented a new AIDS drug so Sodomites can hook up at rest stops anytime they want!
Think the Libs and their Socialized medicine will love you when you're trying to fight off Aids? Let me help you...THEY WON'T!
It’s always someone else’s responsibility, someone else’s fault, someone else needs to pay, etc.... all progressives are like that.
I fully expect Rush to take up Elton’s cause. After all Rush has said he only deals with people who are the best at what they do. (partial sarcasm)
Is Gov Rick Scott really as unpopular as the article says?
But if he was a Mexican... well...
Reg would still be playing Ramada Inns if it wasn’t for Bernie Taupin.
Yep! That is the only speck of silver in an otherwise black cloud. It [obamacare] will get rid of the parasites that inflicted obama on us initially. It [obamacare] will eventually get rid of everyone’s money,property, and life. But what the hell, that is what the majority of those who voted on November 4, 2008 voted for.
I’m glad Rick Scott has a pair and isn’t stuffed so far up the liberal celebrity’s keister, just to get some popularity or fame, the way Obama does. Way to go Rick and keep up the good work. I’m glad he isn’t concerned with his popularity (good reason he is not popular with teacher’s unions and government programs in general) and is focused on governing the state of Florida. He is the kind of guy that should be leading this country.
"Does anyone give a Shiite?"
I noticed that slam on Scott, too. I think the goal of the Media is to plant the seed that Scott is unpopular, so wishing it might make it so.
Why should Florida beef up this program when it will only attract more people who need the service. The bottomless pit as it were...
Its part and parcel of deconstructing the "individual". The communists (or progressives as you call them) HAVE to have group/hive thought in order to maintain control. You can't have Hank Rearden's running around ergo Obama's "You own a business? You didn't build that, somebody else did".
The only thing a communist sees as responsible is the "state" taking your wealth and redistributing as it sees fit.
I think Keith Richard once observed that Dame Elton based an entire career on singing about dead blonds.Pretty accurate I'd say.
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