Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
In Mexico and large parts of Central America, the enormous wealth and power of the drug cartels controls much of the country. They accomplish this by corrupting officials and representatives at the government level, which is easy since there is nearly unlimited money to buy influence. For the cartels, this is simply a cost of doing business. They prevent any uprisings by controlling the population through fear, intimidation and violence. Citizens in Mexico are for the most part helpless in the face of the power of the cartels.
As Americans, we look across the border, cluck our tongues and congratulate ourselves. At least we don't have that situation here! Here in the USA we have free elections. We don't have armed thugs on Main Street. We are free to go about our business every day with little fear of being gunned down or tortured. We have every hope that we can raise our families and they will survive and prosper over their lifetime.
Is this a fantasy? In fact , the American Health Care Industry (AHCI), our health care providers, health care insurance and pharmaceutical industry - are a nearly perfect parallel to the drug cartel industry in Central America, for the following reasons:
- Both the drug cartels and the AHCI have enormous wealth at hand, and vast potential for acquiring more, since the market is nearly unlimited.
- Both the drug cartels and the AHCI enjoy a market with nearly inflexible/inelastic demand.
- Both the drug cartels and the AHCI use their wealth to corrupt government and elected representatives. This is necessary to ensure future profitability by preventing regulation of their markets.
- Both the drug cartels and the AHCI use intimidation to keep the citizenry in line. In the case of the drug cartels it is overt; show allegiance and pay up or receive death. In the case of the AHCI, it is worse. Don't pay up and you will die penniless. Pay up and you will STILL die penniless as the AHCI is designing a system to extract every dollar that you might manage to squirrel away during your lifetime.
- Both the drug cartels and the AHCI prefer populist leaders and populist political movements. This is because populist leaders distract citizens from the real issues that affect them. These leaders tend to keep the public entertained and polarized while the drug cartels and the AHCI expand their enterprises with little interference.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Is it feasible for citizens in the USA to push back against the power of the American Health Care Industry, by electing representatives that can't be corrupted? Or is the power of the AHCI unassailable? Is this even more difficult than defeating the drug cartels in Central America?
Government, corrupted by money, is a historic reality of government dating back thousands of years. Why anyone would think that aspect of human greed will ever be abolished is truly confounding. At best, the citizenry can only live on the periphery of this unfortunate fact, yes we have our own "drug cartel,"and a legal one at that, but, it is only one of a thousand examples of business interests trumping our democracy.
Your observation on populist governments is spot on for the fact of a circus being a great distraction to the boring reality of any actual democratic participation, read the back and forth posts on CD's politics forum to see the way in which the parties have structured themselves along the lines of sports teams, and their followers very similar to the fanatical adherents of sports emotionalism. Can we push back? yes,"WE" probably could, if there wasn't NASCAR, football, monster truck rallies, and other Romanesque entertainment, but sadly, those pursuits are the favored pastime, bread (beer) and circuses, it's worked for a long long time...
Regardless, Mexicans still are less uptight, less stressed, more pro-family, pro-simplicity, and pro-community. Government be damned, but people-wise, Mexicans and Americans are very different.
Regardless, Mexicans still are less uptight, less stressed, more pro-family, pro-simplicity, and pro-community. Government be damned, but people-wise, Mexicans and Americans are very different.
No one holds the corner of the market on those values. No one group is superior to another either.
In Mexico and large parts of Central America, the enormous wealth and power of the drug cartels controls much of the country. They accomplish this by corrupting officials and representatives at the government level, which is easy since there is nearly unlimited money to buy influence. For the cartels, this is simply a cost of doing business. They prevent any uprisings by controlling the population through fear, intimidation and violence. Citizens in Mexico are for the most part helpless in the face of the power of the cartels.
As Americans, we look across the border, cluck our tongues and congratulate ourselves. At least we don't have that situation here! Here in the USA we have free elections. We don't have armed thugs on Main Street. We are free to go about our business every day with little fear of being gunned down or tortured. We have every hope that we can raise our families and they will survive and prosper over their lifetime.
Is this a fantasy? In fact , the American Health Care Industry (AHCI), our health care providers, health care insurance and pharmaceutical industry - are a nearly perfect parallel to the drug cartel industry in Central America, for the following reasons:
- Both the drug cartels and the AHCI have enormous wealth at hand, and vast potential for acquiring more, since the market is nearly unlimited.
- Both the drug cartels and the AHCI enjoy a market with nearly inflexible/inelastic demand.
- Both the drug cartels and the AHCI use their wealth to corrupt government and elected representatives. This is necessary to ensure future profitability by preventing regulation of their markets.
- Both the drug cartels and the AHCI use intimidation to keep the citizenry in line. In the case of the drug cartels it is overt; show allegiance and pay up or receive death. In the case of the AHCI, it is worse. Don't pay up and you will die penniless. Pay up and you will STILL die penniless as the AHCI is designing a system to extract every dollar that you might manage to squirrel away during your lifetime.
- Both the drug cartels and the AHCI prefer populist leaders and populist political movements. This is because populist leaders distract citizens from the real issues that affect them. These leaders tend to keep the public entertained and polarized while the drug cartels and the AHCI expand their enterprises with little interference.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Is it feasible for citizens in the USA to push back against the power of the American Health Care Industry, by electing representatives that can't be corrupted? Or is the power of the AHCI unassailable? Is this even more difficult than defeating the drug cartels in Central America?
Nice try comparing the two, and yes big pharma is a cartel so to speak, but until I see the CEO of Pfizer hanging a rival upside down from an A-frame ladder and liquefy him with a baseball bat, don't tell me that the two are the same. Yes I can provide a video showing this example from Mexico, which is quite tame, I might add compared to some of the barbaric videos coming out of our southern bordering neighbors.
Nice try comparing the two, and yes big pharma is a cartel so to speak, but until I see the CEO of Pfizer hanging a rival upside down from an A-frame ladder and liquefy him with a baseball bat, don't tell me that the two are the same. Yes I can provide a video showing this example from Mexico, which is quite tame, I might add compared to some of the barbaric videos coming out of our southern bordering neighbors.
Yes, but if it werent for tough US laws on drugs, none of this brutal violence would be happening! Why do you think the cartels and the DEA are such good bed fellows...drug laws benefit them both, neither want to see drugs legalized.
I wouldnt call 'big pharma' a cartel, not even remotely close, if you look back in 2012, those big pharma companies gave in pretty easy when Govt enacted tough new laws on its opiate class of drugs (drugs that were selling like hotcakes mind you). None of the pharma companies tried to fight or challenge these new laws, even though they were going to loose alot of money due to them...even the tobacco industry has managed to keep govt away from their dangerous products!! LOL
In Mexico and large parts of Central America, the enormous wealth and power of the drug cartels controls much of the country. They accomplish this by corrupting officials and representatives at the government level, which is easy since there is nearly unlimited money to buy influence. For the cartels, this is simply a cost of doing business. They prevent any uprisings by controlling the population through fear, intimidation and violence. Citizens in Mexico are for the most part helpless in the face of the power of the cartels.
As Americans, we look across the border, cluck our tongues and congratulate ourselves. At least we don't have that situation here! Here in the USA we have free elections. We don't have armed thugs on Main Street. We are free to go about our business every day with little fear of being gunned down or tortured. We have every hope that we can raise our families and they will survive and prosper over their lifetime.
Is this a fantasy? In fact , the American Health Care Industry (AHCI), our health care providers, health care insurance and pharmaceutical industry - are a nearly perfect parallel to the drug cartel industry in Central America, for the following reasons:
- Both the drug cartels and the AHCI have enormous wealth at hand, and vast potential for acquiring more, since the market is nearly unlimited.
- Both the drug cartels and the AHCI enjoy a market with nearly inflexible/inelastic demand.
- Both the drug cartels and the AHCI use their wealth to corrupt government and elected representatives. This is necessary to ensure future profitability by preventing regulation of their markets.
- Both the drug cartels and the AHCI use intimidation to keep the citizenry in line. In the case of the drug cartels it is overt; show allegiance and pay up or receive death. In the case of the AHCI, it is worse. Don't pay up and you will die penniless. Pay up and you will STILL die penniless as the AHCI is designing a system to extract every dollar that you might manage to squirrel away during your lifetime.
- Both the drug cartels and the AHCI prefer populist leaders and populist political movements. This is because populist leaders distract citizens from the real issues that affect them. These leaders tend to keep the public entertained and polarized while the drug cartels and the AHCI expand their enterprises with little interference.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Is it feasible for citizens in the USA to push back against the power of the American Health Care Industry, by electing representatives that can't be corrupted? Or is the power of the AHCI unassailable? Is this even more difficult than defeating the drug cartels in Central America?
OP -- this is pure hyperbole. Thousands of Mexicans are dying to get into the U.S. out of fear of the drug cartels. They have ruined Mexico.
We're like Mexico because a lot of Mexicans live here. If they didn't, we wouldn't be like Mexico at all. We be like we were, in most respects, like we were 30 years ago.
Nice try comparing the two, and yes big pharma is a cartel so to speak, but until I see the CEO of Pfizer hanging a rival upside down from an A-frame ladder and liquefy him with a baseball bat, don't tell me that the two are the same. Yes I can provide a video showing this example from Mexico, which is quite tame, I might add compared to some of the barbaric videos coming out of our southern bordering neighbors.
I've seen those videos too.
In both cases, the drug cartel and the AHC cartel have exactly the same objective. That is to control a market in order to extract nearly unlimited profits. In both cases, fear and intimidation are the levers. In Mexico, the fear and intimidation is direct and brutal, extending to the few that they choose to send their message. In the USA, the intimidation from the American Health Care Cartel lasts a lifetime, and extends to nearly every citizen. Only the methods are different. The leverage of a market with inflexible demand, the impact on quality of life and the gross injustice done to ordinary people are the same.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
