Koch’s whore and Goldman’s slave [Reader Post]

At The Beast “Murphy” posted the transcript of the juvenile punking of Governor Scott Walker and closed with this:

So there you have it, kids. Government isn’t for the people. It’s for the people with money. You want to be heard? Too fucking bad. You want to collectively bargain? You can’t afford a seat at the table. You may have built that table. But it’s not yours.

Will the FDA Listen to Cancer Patients? [Reader Post]

It’s not often that citizens are able to get the government to listen, but in the case of breast cancer patients, we can only hope. That’s because of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has proposed to deny breast cancer patients access to the late-stage cancer drug Avastin. Safety of the drug is not the issue. The FDA is proposing to allow access to the drugs if someone has the ability to pay for it but those who rely on insurance and Medicare to cover the costs would be out of luck. The FDA action would allow Medicare and private insurers to wipe the books clean on breast cancer patients who rely on the drug. It’s becoming clear that cost was the major driver of the decision and if the decision is allowed to stand, will have huge impact on the future of health care in the United States.

Sunday Funnies

“Economists say that with all this unrest, gas prices could rise to $5 a gallon. The good news is that instead of this money going to ruthless America-hating dictators, it will go to ruthless America-hating democracies.” –Jay Leno

“The king of Saudi Arabia announced that he is giving his people $37 billion in subsidies and payments. It’s not a stimulus package, it’s a ‘don’t overthrow me’ package.” –Jay Leno