Well, now you're at least circling the real issue. To start with, why are we bankrolling the world's R&D? Here's a great illustration of what I think is the r

Well, now you're at least circling the real issue. To start with, why are we bankrolling the world's R&D? Here's a great illustration of what I think is the real issue, borked incentives: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/06/01/090601fa_fact_gawande http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/06/01/090601fa_fact_... This one town in Texas, average demographics, not particularly less healthy than anywhere else, has double the average healthcare costs. Why? It's a racket -- the doctors are in league with the equipment manufacturers and just recommend that their own stuff is purchased, over prescribing a ton of artificially expensive and btw, unnecessary procedures. That's market failure. BTW -- "class warfare" isn't in my lexicon. I'm doing plenty ok. Put down the flash cards :)