Attn: Joyce...America Needs To Change It's National Priorities?

[Guest guest]

Hi Joyce:

Thanks for your response to my post.

I would think that NIH should support this research. Considering this country's resources, what we spend as a nation for medical research is abysmal. Counting both NIH and private expenditures it's between 20 and 25 billion dollars. Four of five of our largest corporations will spend that amount for R & D. For example, Intel spends roughly 7 billion and employs 12,000 people in R & D. With our per diem expenditures in Iraq (approximately 4 billion according to the estimates I've seen), 5 or 6 days of theses expenditures would fund a whole year of medical research, public and private.

Our total health care costs for the nation is over one trillion dollars. Based on this cost, we should be allocating at least 100 billion dollars to the Medical Research Industry. We need to change our national priorities and grow a Medical Research Industry, not a Defense Industry. It will employ people for a noble cause. Increase our quality of life, increase the productivity of the nation. New found cures will reduce health care costs which is currently, a major concern of our corporations.

If America doesn't do it, I hope some other nation sees the advantages of developing a major Medical Research Industry. Maybe Japan will invest their "smoke stack" profits into an intellectual industry that requires an educated population and not lot of fossil fuel requirements. China has 1.25 billion people and there has to be a lot of bright people in a population of this size. They need employment. I've read that they have begun some research in therapeutic cloning. Maybe they'll get ahead of America in this arena, and garner many valuable patents before we do. America will have missed an important opportunity.

Who knows. Just a thought. But, when Reeves has to travel to Israel for a cure, that's pathetic. I just feel strongly that our reputation as a nation should be built on a Medical Research Industry, not a Defense Industry. We will help ourselves and millions of people in the world improve the quality and productivity of their lives. Who' knows, maybe it will even make it a more peaceful world.

What do you think, Joyce? I would like to hear what other people have to say on this subject. Maybe this is not forum for this subject. If I have offended anyone, I apologize. Hal