Part of National Day of Action against corporate greed and corruption
New York, NY – February 29 – Healthcare workers, doctors, nurses, and Occupy Wall Street activists gathered outside of Pfizer’s International Headquarters in New York City to protest the world’s largest drug company’s connection to theAmerican Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC, a right-wing, corporate-funded think tank that develops and promotes radical pro-corporate laws for state legislators to enact.Healthcare for the 99%, the working group of Occupy Wall Street that organized the demonstration at Pfizer, pointed out that ALEC promotes bills that limit drug companies’ liabilities for defective products and deceptive marketing, prohibits Americans from importing cheaper drugs from other countries, and prohibits states from negotiating lower prices for drugs, especially for programs like Medicaid.
Dr. Steve Auerbach of Physicians for a National Health Program NY Metro Chapter stated, “even though most of Pfizer’s drug research is funded by tax payer dollars, corporate control prevents equitable access to the products funded by the people.”Billionaires for Wealth Care showed up to defend Pfizer’s profit making in healthcare, saying, “We support healthcare that serves the 1%. We want healthcare for profit…not people,” and proceeded to award Pfizer with “Certificates of Excellence in Profiteering, Passing Laws for the 1%, and Pricey Medications.”
Hoisting a sign reading “I can’t afford to get sick” was Jennifer Roberts, 44, a painter who lives in Jersey City, New Jersey. “I’ve lived the bulk of my adult working life without insurance,” said Roberts. “I feel it’s very important to pursue a single payer system for this country.”
Occupy nationwide is holding actions today to raise awareness about the destructive political activities of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and the corporations, Pfizer among them, that run it.
Welcome to the real world. The world where greed governs all. It is sad to think that no doubt some of the people who protest these things now... will, in 20 years time, be among the people they protest against. Look at the hippies, many of them were accused of selling out to America just the same, chasing the all mighty dollar, and discarding everything they once held true.
ReplyDeleteStay true to your beliefs boys and girls, and remember to shame those who sell out.
Great magazine style blog. Well done.
Thanks for stopping by Brenda. But we don't think you should be so cynical -- it is true some people change there politics but the majority of the people who protested in the past have not become part of the so-called 1 per cent. (That is the problem, Canada has an acute shortage of people with wealth!) And furthermore, the mass mobilizations of the past decade against globalization, war, the Occupy movement, and now the student protests in Quebec -- this has drawn-out many older people.
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