Page 212 from Dr. Angell's book on pharma ... "Senator Frist [R.Tenn.] was quoted as saying [regarding appointing Dr. Alastar Wood as FDA commissioner], 'There was a great deal of concern that he [Wood] put too much emphasis on [drug] safety.' ... When the new FDA commissioner was finally appointed, he could not be more to the industry's liking. Dr. Mark McClellan, brother of White House press secretary, Scott McClellan ... In ... his 'first international speech' in Mexico in 2003, [McClellan proposed] that the answer to the troublesome disparity in drug prices between the U.S. and other advanced countries was not to lower them here but to raise them there. ... [there is no reason the commissioner of the FDA] should even be discussing drug pricing in his official capacity since it is not within the FDA's purview. In early 2004, Dr. McClellan was moved to an even bigger job in the Bush administration - head of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services." (page 213) Americans may be feeling less alienated, but the facts show that the Administration is as unconnected from them as it could possibly be. Andy Amago -----Original Message----- From: Eternitytime1@xxxxxxx Sent: Dec 28, 2004 11:59 AM To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [lit-ideas] Less Alienated Americans HI, So, this was intriguing. I suppose with Bush having won, there are a lot of people who feel that they had a 'part' in it, maybe? (It's the only thing I can see which made a difference...) Marlena in Missouri AMERICANS FEEL LESS ALIENATED Americans report feeling less alienated than they have in the recent past, according to the latest Harris Poll's Alienation Index--a measure of responses to five key issue areas. Fewer Americans in 2004 believed: * "Most people with power try to take advantage of people like you" (53%, down sharply from 60% in 2003). * "What you think doesn't count very much anymore" (51%, down from 56%). * "The people running the country don't really care what happens to you" (44%, down from 46%). * "You're left out of things going on around you" (34%, down from 40%). * "The rich get richer and the poor get poorer" (68%, down insignificantly from 69%). The total Alienation Index is 50, down four points from 2003 and one of the lowest levels of alienation since 1973. The most-alienated segments of the U.S. population are African Americans (Alienation Index 74), Democrats (67), people with household incomes of $25,000 or less (63), and Hispanics (62). SOURCE: Harris Interactive, http://www.harrisinteractive.com/harris_poll/index .asp?PID=525 ------------------------------------------------------------------ To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off, digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html ------------------------------------------------------------------ To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off, digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html