The role of lobbyists

WASHINGTON — The debate on health care has continued for months and has obliterated -- or at best defused -- many issues vital to the presidency. These issues, literally life and death to many Americans, range from Afghanistan and Iraq, to China and Japan, to Pittsburgh and Washington.

Health care takes up a great deal of ink.

Prescott, Ark., a tiny town about 100 miles from Little Rock, had a pharmacy owned by U.S. Rep. Mike Ross, a Democrat, and his wife Holly, the pharmacist, in 2007.

That year, the Rosses sold their property, valued by the county assessor at $263,000. In the financial disclosure that the Rosses were compelled to file by Congress, the deal was valued at between $1 million and $1.67 million.

And there was a campaign contribution of $2,300 from the owner of USA Drug, Stephen L. LaFrance Sr., also -- surprise -- the purchaser, who turned up two weeks after the sale closed.

USA Drug is said to be the 15th largest drug chain in the country.

Stephen LaFrance is on record as being opposed to universal health care. Congressman Ross often speaks for the Blue Dog Democrats, a group that helped initially change the health care bill. Claiming he helped hold the bill for a couple of weeks to "make it better," our Mr. Ross explained: "We were protecting small businesses."

The next major benefit to the pharmaceutical industry was handheld through Congress by the former Republican-turned-Democrat congressman of Louisiana, Billy Tauzin, who had held many powerful committee chairmanships. He now works for PhRMA, the drug lobby's group, at a salary estimated at about $3 million.

But Billy wasn't lonely. There were at least 14 congressional aides, very well informed on the legislation, who joined PhRMA to make sure that our government continues to pay about 30 percent more for drugs than Medicaid recipients.

Among those clever lawmakers who have become lobbyists overnight are former Sens. John Breaux of Louisiana, Don Nickles of Oklahoma and a man who helped design the bill, Medicare chief Tom Scully.

Now we come to the very honorable Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, ringmaster for the health care bill. This year, she already has received at least $210,000 from industry folk. At an April breakfast she picked up five checks totaling $18,000 from assorted medical groups and another check for $10,000 from political action committees representing hospitals, etc.

September was a good month, bringing in a check for $125,000 from doctors at physician-owned hospitals, a truly interesting deal, because Ms. Pelosi usually attacks these facilities for ordering expensive and unnecessary medical tests for the sick.

When our Nancy went to Cleveland for a dinner in late October, she was accompanied by Fred Graefe, a super lobbyist for health care. In Cleveland, Fred brought five or six of his lobbying buddies, who contributed another near $100,000 for supporters of the cause he despises.

Much of the entire lobbying for and against the health care bill is orchestrated by Hoffman-La Roche from its corporate headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland. Hoffman's real work is undertaken in California by Genentech Inc., a company that employs 11,000 people on every aspect of drug research from the concept of a treatment to the launching of a product to cure.

Right! Launching any product requires friendly publicity, letters and speeches. Eight months ago, Genentech, which costs Hoffman a near $59 billion, was caught writing material for congressman and senators, both for and against health care. This material is then placed in the Congressional Record.

The texts were written by a Matthew Berzok and distributed by big law firms. It spoke well of all and evil to none. Jobs, profits, research and new technology were all praised.

The arrogant Swiss, seeking even more profit, seem to believe we Americans are too hung up on hot dogs and beer to be able to read.

Twenty-two Republicans and 20 Democrats used the Hoffman/Genentech material to support points that were all amazingly similar.

At least most of our dimwitted officials were speaking with one voice.

Let's stay well.

Dateline D.C. is written by a Washington-based British journalist and political observer.

Source:pittsburghlive.com