The British tried the free market approach during the Irish famine. While people were starving, Ireland, then a British colony, was exporting grain to the highest bidder. Face it, free markets are not altruistic nor are they efficient when it come to dealing with disasters. Then as always in the free market it is every man/woman for themselves.

If we really think a pandemic is likely, or even possible, the US should nationalize the vaccine industry and put it on a war footing--a move similar to the Manhatten project. We should also abrogate patent on drugs effective agains flu and assure an adequate supply is available as quickly as possible.

We did the same in WW II when there was only a possibility that someone else would develop a nuclear weapon. Now there is a possibility that millions will die from the flu.

What's missing in this discussion is the end result of the outrageous profits of the drug industry. In Marcia Angell's New York Review of Book's article she notes that "The most startling fact about 2002 is that the combined profits for the ten drug companies in the Fortune 500 ($35.9 billion) were more than the profits for all the other 490 businesses put together ($33.7 billion."

The end result is that (duh!)drug prices to consumers have exploded. In oncology, my field, the medication paclitaxel crossed the rubicon of $1000/month in the early 90's. Now medications are marketed in the $3,000-$4,000/month and higher range--more than the median income in the U.S. Ironically many of these new medications are marginally if at all better than the older medications and approaches they are replacing. The facts are that the Big Pharma marketing machine is in the process of breaking the bank of the health care system. The process is literally killing us.

We know the real cost of the medications development are a fraction of that charged in the U.S. as these same drugs are available overseas, even in Canada at significant savings. What's going on here is the rape of America's weakest and most defenseless population, the sick and infirm.

In a review of the life expectancy of the proponents of alternate medical approaches including macrobiotics, various diets and supplements, Linus Pauling lived the longest. He died at a paltry 96 years of age.

All the others died earlier of a variety of ailments, many of which their diet was supposed to prevent.

Expecting a doubling of life expectancy from diet appears to be beyond our biological reach and is inspired hucksterism.

Control of weight, smoking cessation and exercise will allow us to live our full lives which seems to be on average about 80 years. That means some will die sooner and others live longer. That's life!

Cycledoc

General Casey led us to the current situation in Iraq. He seems above the fray and unaware that it is a disaster.

As such he is a logical candidate for the Medal of Freedom, joining such incompetents as George Tenet, Donald Rumsfeld and Tommy Franks. The latter you will recall led us into Iraq without a plan to get out. He too thought he had done a wonderful job.

I'm a medical oncologist who also had the experience of losing my first wife to cancer.

The interview on 60 minutes was so poorly done, tasteless, if you will, that CBS should immediately start looking for Katie's replacement. When juxtaposed with the cream-puff interview she did with Condi Rice, earlier in the year, Katie has shown a consistent absence of a "news" instinct; an inability to ask real policy questions; a startling inability to move to related areas when a question is answered; and frankly a tense air of incompetance. One wonders whether she is fully informed or simply under such pressure that she has lost her intellect.

I thought the Edwards were too gracious.

Good game, and you are right it was a pleasure not to be overwhelmed with visual and auditory graphics. Baseball does better with less..... he was probably out at home.

If Denver makes the series it could get interesting.....This from the National Weather Service

IN MOST YEARS... OCTOBER BRINGS THE FIRST TASTE

OF WINTER WITH THE AVERAGE DATE OF THE FIRST FREEZE ON THE 7TH AND

AVERAGE FIRST SNOW ON THE 15TH.

Perino's problem is that she is not as expert as her predecessors at spinning and lying. Ordinarily she would be interpreted as being a more honest person. In this administration however, this is a sign of incompetence. Interesting!

I'm a lifelong Democrat and find Clinton's negative strategy against Obama quite sad. It's fine to bring up political differences but going negative in this way is unethical (if a politician can have ethics) and demeaning to her own candidacy. I don't expect to have to vote for her for president.

Haught's dismissal of the new atheism can be applied to current religious leaders. Are such people as Pat Robertson, Oral Roberts and Billy Graham deep thinking icons who favorably compare with early religionists? Rather we have what to appear to be con men picking people's pockets and their minds. Is this part of the evolution of religion?

Bill's a net negative if he remains front and center in the campaign. He needs to go back to doing good deeds and allow Hillary to be the candidate.

I like Hillary and will vote for her if nominated. But I'm supporting Obama in the primaries because he's bright, thoughtful and independent.

I'm also offended by Bill's current and past behavior. His sleazy comments about Obama detract from his wife's qualifications and competence. I also get a little unsettled with him behaving as assistant president in waiting and can't forget his past behavior. He was a more than adequate president, in part because of his policy and in part because of an accident of history. Given his baggage he wasn't so good that he can front his wife's campaign.

She needs to run a campaign in which Bill is running his Foundation and she is running the campaign.