4 ms·

I don't even think medicines should be patented. I think government should fund the R&D and then let all companies manufacture and sell it at a low price. Then

by echaozh 14y ago

I don't even think medicines should be patented. I think government should fund the R&D and then let all companies manufacture and sell it at a low price. Then it is even better than medicare. The government can sell the production method to other countries for a profit though.

ekianjo 14y ago
Yeah I am sure government is the right place to fund innovation! (See how the NASA has been productive vs SpaceX for example) - and why don't you let the government run the production of cars, as well ? Oh wait, we tried that before. That gave Skoda and the Trabant in Eastern Europe. Clear examples how professional government sponsored innovation was. No, thanks.
briandear 14y ago
That's not government's role unless you're in Soviet Russia. The free market drives more innovation that government ever has. The Lada and the Yugo are great examples of what happens when central planners try to run things. Besides, if people aren't going to profit from their hard work, what's the incentive for hard work? I don't write code everyday for the good of humanity, I do it to try and build something someone wants to buy so I can improve my lot in life. Besides, if companies don't profit, they won't do and then you have a downward economic spiral of decreasing tax revenues and ever increasing tax rates to fund the government's work which then drives even less economic activity because the incentive is reduced. The role of government is to protect life, freedom and property. As soon as the government gets involved in microeconomic transactions, the efficiency declines. Comparing the US Postal Servie and Amtrack to Southwest Airlines and FedEx illustrates this perfectly. The government should regulate markets only as much as necessary to ensure that the markets function. They shouldn't be running the markets themselves. The lack of tort reform is one of the key drivers to the insane cost of drugs and medical care. When a drug company has multi-million dollar exposure for every drug they produce, it's going to raise the cost. OB-GYN docs pay several hundred thousand dollars per year in malpractice insurance because one mistake has them on the hook for multi-million dollar punitive judgements. Government should be a referee, not a player. It should provide a safety net from complete destitution, but not serve as an insurance policy against failure. The GM bailout is a great example of what government should not be doing. When the government starts meddling in private business (i.e. pouring money into it,) it distorts the market and makes it much harder for innovative new players to enter the market. The Tucker car from the 1950s is a perfect illustration. The big three in Detroit threw around political muscle to effectively shut down a car company that built safer cars. If government had stayed out, we would have had seat belts and pop-out windshields years earlier. "I'm from the government and I'm here to help" are still the scariest words one can hear in America.
- belorn 14y ago
  About $26.4 billion, that is 28% of the total biomedical research funding in US are money from the government. Its the single largest player in medical research. In areas of core principles, cancer research, and motility effecting illness, they are 80-95% in total funding. Government is not and has never been an referee in medical research. The drug companies would never allow it. Try removing a $26.4 billion of free R&D and see lobbyist doing everything they can to stop you. Additionally, anyone caring about sick people would join in in stopping that bill. One do not simply remove $26.4 billion of medical research in the name of free market.
- ta12121 14y ago
  The US government spends an enormous amount of money on medical research, and many medical treatments would simply not exist if it weren't for such Evil Communist behavior. The market is a tool useful for some problems. It is not the alpha and the omega of society.
- babesh 14y ago
  That's not government meddling in private business. That is private business meddling in government.

by echaozh 14y ago

ekianjo 14y ago

Yeah I am sure government is the right place to fund innovation! (See how the NASA has been productive vs SpaceX for example) - and why don't you let the government run the production of cars, as well ? Oh wait, we tried that before. That gave Skoda and the Trabant in Eastern Europe. Clear examples how professional government sponsored innovation was. No, thanks.

briandear 14y ago

That's not government's role unless you're in Soviet Russia. The free market drives more innovation that government ever has. The Lada and the Yugo are great examples of what happens when central planners try to run things. Besides, if people aren't going to profit from their hard work, what's the incentive for hard work? I don't write code everyday for the good of humanity, I do it to try and build something someone wants to buy so I can improve my lot in life. Besides, if companies don't profit, they won't do and then you have a downward economic spiral of decreasing tax revenues and ever increasing tax rates to fund the government's work which then drives even less economic activity because the incentive is reduced. The role of government is to protect life, freedom and property. As soon as the government gets involved in microeconomic transactions, the efficiency declines. Comparing the US Postal Servie and Amtrack to Southwest Airlines and FedEx illustrates this perfectly. The government should regulate markets only as much as necessary to ensure that the markets function. They shouldn't be running the markets themselves. The lack of tort reform is one of the key drivers to the insane cost of drugs and medical care. When a drug company has multi-million dollar exposure for every drug they produce, it's going to raise the cost. OB-GYN docs pay several hundred thousand dollars per year in malpractice insurance because one mistake has them on the hook for multi-million dollar punitive judgements. Government should be a referee, not a player. It should provide a safety net from complete destitution, but not serve as an insurance policy against failure. The GM bailout is a great example of what government should not be doing. When the government starts meddling in private business (i.e. pouring money into it,) it distorts the market and makes it much harder for innovative new players to enter the market. The Tucker car from the 1950s is a perfect illustration. The big three in Detroit threw around political muscle to effectively shut down a car company that built safer cars. If government had stayed out, we would have had seat belts and pop-out windshields years earlier. "I'm from the government and I'm here to help" are still the scariest words one can hear in America.

belorn 14y ago
About $26.4 billion, that is 28% of the total biomedical research funding in US are money from the government. Its the single largest player in medical research. In areas of core principles, cancer research, and motility effecting illness, they are 80-95% in total funding. Government is not and has never been an referee in medical research. The drug companies would never allow it. Try removing a $26.4 billion of free R&D and see lobbyist doing everything they can to stop you. Additionally, anyone caring about sick people would join in in stopping that bill. One do not simply remove $26.4 billion of medical research in the name of free market.
ta12121 14y ago
The US government spends an enormous amount of money on medical research, and many medical treatments would simply not exist if it weren't for such Evil Communist behavior. The market is a tool useful for some problems. It is not the alpha and the omega of society.
babesh 14y ago
That's not government meddling in private business. That is private business meddling in government.