Human nature is an immutable force.
Humans do certain things – and don’t do others. They behave in certain ways – and not in others. Predicated upon the nature of the human beast.
Work without incentive – is antithetical to human nature. If a human is compensated the same for doing something and doing nothing – he will do nothing almost every time.
A farmer isn’t going to do all the work to plant, till, water, fertilize, cultivate and harvest his crops – if there ain’t a payoff at the other end of all that time, money and effort.
The crops are his work product – his property. He needs to be compensated for it.
Intellectual Property (IP) creators – are no different than farmers.
IP creators ain’t going to do all the work necessary to create IP – if there ain’t a payoff at the other end of all that time, money and effort.
The IP is his work product – his property. He needs to be compensated for it.
Which brings us to modern politics – and the pharmaceutical industry.
“Big Pharma” is a really stupid term coined by Leftists who loathe capitalism – and loathe successful capitalists most of all. Pharmaceutical companies – “Big Pharma” in Left-ese – are successful capitalists.
Thus, “Big Pharma” is a routine recipient of Leftist attacks.
What the Democrats Said about ‘Big Pharma’ – and Why It Matters:
“Practically the first words spoken at the first Democratic primary debate on Wednesday zeroed in on drug companies, as Sen. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.) fingered biopharma as a prime example of corporate excess and a culprit for an economic system skewed in favor of the wealthy.
“Democrats rushed to echo Warren’s remarks, sharply criticizing ‘Big Pharma’ for its lobbying presence in Washington, for high drug prices, and for furthering the opioid crisis. All told, nine of the 20 candidates worked drug industry jabs into their remarks.”
Never mind the fact that “Big Pharma” has saved hundreds of millions of lives – and improved tens of billions more.
Did pharmaceutical companies spend the billions of hours and trillions of dollars necessary to save and improve these lives – solely out of the goodness of their hearts?
Of course not. Because human nature.
Pharmaceutical companies save and improve lives – also because it makes them money. Because human nature.
How do they make money? By patenting the life-saving-and-improving drugs they create.
Drug Patents and Generic Pharmaceutical Drugs:
“When a pharmaceutical company first develops a new drug to be used for a disease condition, it is initially sold under a brand name by which the clinicians can prescribe the drug for use by patients.
“The drug is covered under patent protection, which means that only the pharmaceutical company that holds the patent is allowed to manufacture, market the drug and eventually make profit from it.”
Emphasis ours. Because it costs a LOT of money to develop a drug. And even with patent exclusivity – it takes a LONG time to make it all back…and then, FINALLY, turn a profit.
Which brings us to the Coronavirus freak out with which we are all currently afflicted.
We are in the midst of a mindless, national, partial, government-mandated shutdown of large swaths of our economy. We’re doing trillions of dollars of economic damage – in massive-over-reaction to a new flu that is barely perceptible to 95+% of us.
The solution – is a pharmaceutical one. We need the pharmaceutical industry to drop everything they’re doing – and deliver us an escape from our self-inflicted economic hell.
Which incepts the dark irony. Politicians are forced to stop their incessant “Big Pharma” bashing – and beg them to save us from their freak out.
Trump Asks Pharma Firms to Step Up Coronavirus Vaccine Work
Yes, most unfortunately, even Republican President Donald Trump has engaged in pharmaceutical company bashing.
Trump Surrenders to the Socialists on Drug Price Controls
And despite being incessantly abused by politicians – the pharmaceutical companies are pledging to do what they always do:
Save us from the politicians – and the virus.
Which, of course, they were already doing.
Biotech Companies Are Testing Drugs, Working on Vaccines to Combat Coronavirus
The hardcore Leftists – remain steadfastly impervious to the realities of money, math, science and human nature.
Bernie Sanders Accuses Big Pharma of Seeking to Profit off Coronavirus Pandemic
Don’t Let Big Pharma Capitalize on Coronavirus
Trump’s Attempt to Buy a Coronavirus Vaccine Shows Why Big Pharma Needs to Change:
“The president’s shameless bid highlights the need for a drugs industry that prioritizes the public interest over profit.”
Trump promising to purchase a Coronavirus vaccine from the company that drops everything else its doing to spend countless hours and TONS of money to develop it – is a “shameless bid?”
Ummm…no. It’s capitalism. With all the acknowledgments of – and acquiescences to – human nature capitalism encompasses.
And how ignorant of the world as it actually works – is asking for “a drug industry that prioritizes the public interest over profit?”
The ONLY way to serve the public interest – is to allow those serving it to make a profit.
The only way out of this government-induced Coronavirus nightmare mess – is capitalism.
“Big Pharma” develops a vaccine. Patents it. And then sells it to a waiting world.
Anything else is simply nonsense – and an incredibly damaging waste of time.
This first appeared in Red State.