but then maybe I have a comprehension problem today.

Don't mislead yourself, consider that your comprehension problems occur every day. A guy with your IQ should have a low voice too.!

I am an ex-marine, a person who formally held a position in the US Marine Corps.

I am also a former marine, which occurred in the past.

Keep on talking and maybe someday you'll say something intelligent.

I know that!

My post related to the dictionary definitions. I don't have to go along with other interpretations of what the words mean, regardless of how good they may make some feel.

I'm just saying ex and former mean the same thing.

Oh, I forgot. My ship carried marines which meant there were a lot a of brawls, some of which I couldn't avoid. I know what a marine thinks of himself and don't necessarily disagree with their self-perception. However, I feel differentiating between ex and former on a blog, because of the needs of one's self-esteem, is beyond me.

I should have anticipated the reaction and kept my mouth shut.

Have you looked into purchasing your prescriptions from Canada'

Normally, the prices are about 6 times lower. But that's indeed a gross generalization. For example, in the USA, the cost of Novolog insulin for me is about $1,300 for a three month supply. The equivalent supply from Canada, different name, is around $179; just increased from $139. I find the ratio varies with the drug, but lower prices do run across the board.

Now, even if you're entitled to Plan D of Medicare, you have to do the calculations. Normally, you pay about $3,300 of the first $5,000, because of the "donut hole." Then Plan D covers all your prescription costs and there are also many organizations/groups that assist the elderly and poor with the costs. But if you are not poor enough to qualify or if you are not going to exceed $5,000 in costs, Canada is worth considering.

I don't see nor feel that there is any difference between these two administrations.

They both support the elite establishment and the corporations. They provide monetary and other kinds of relief to these people via bailouts and sweet-heart deals, all contrived and coordinated behind the scenes.

Neither one believes in transparency. The hide their subterfuge and dealings, which often result in the abuse of the poor and the middle-class. Everything is hidden in contrast to the promises Obama made during the campaign.

Congress is completely manipulated by the lobbyists and their corporate interests. This is done by the amount of money given to each congressman/senator. There is a strong correlation to the amount of money given and their non-support of the public option in the health care debacle.

The Supreme Court is hopelessly political.

To me, the worst is the cover-up of war-crimes, especially torture. Obama is now complicit.

I didn't vote to have this kind of governance. As Frank Rich says, we were "punked."

Now don't you wish you had voted for the 2008 candidate who supported making this option legal for all Americans?

I am not aware that purchasing drugs from Canadian pharmacies was illegal.

I have lived in Costa Rica and Mexico so I am also aware of their prices. The best deal I ever made though was when I bought a year's supply of Hyzaar in Buenos Aries for 5 cents a pill when the cost in the USA was over $3.24 a pill.

I am so stupid I amaze myself sometimes.

When Bush was in office I blamed everything that went wrong on him, Cheney, and their apparatchiks. Wow, was I wrong! Absolutely nothing has changed under the new administration; it has only gotten worse.

Anybody who thinks that they can stand up for their rights in this day and age isn't being rational. Police are taught to demand strict adherence to their commands. There isn't anything even remotely sane about confronting them. Try negotiating with them and you're gonna get hurt! Possibly get killed, and there is no recourse.

That's just the way it is.

I came to realize this truth during the Iraq War protests. Crowd control is now an art. Obedience is enforced to the nth degree. No messin' with guy with the taser.

Outlandish behavior by the government and the establishment-elite and the corporations and the intelligence agencies is commonplace. Bailouts, sweet-heart deals for the elite establishment, invading other countries and killing hundreds of thousands, torture and the subsequent cover-up to give immunity to the monsters. If you're poor or middle-class you're screwed. Become rich and influential and then buy off your representatives in congress and you'll be OK.

I put all my hope into Obama and his glib rhetoric. Now I am lost and know not where to go.

For this reason many physicians of high standards only prescribe brand-name drugs.

You make some excellent points in your post. Thanks!

I have been dealing with Canadian pharmacies and to me, the risks associated with purchasing something that is not high-quality are worth it. If the insulin I buy is sub-par I will know it immediately, as with every other drug.

The prices for prescription drugs in the USA are outrageous and if anyone can't determine that Plan D of Medicare is one of the biggest screw-jobs ever committed on the American people, then they just can't comprehend getting screwed.

It's easy to say buy brand-name drugs if you're rich. It must be nice. Plus, I realize I get a some satisfaction in not putting my money in the coffer of some big pharmaceutical CEO.