David at The Unreligious Right had some good comments on my “The GOP’s Pharmaceutical View of the Stimulus Plan.”
I say good because, although David obviously disagrees with my views, he is very civil and perceptive in his arguments.This is quite refreshing these days when one sees so many personal attacks between people of differing political, and other, opinions.
As you may recall, if you read my post, I compared the pharmaceutical industry’s use of ridiculously extensive, exaggerated, “CYA” side-effects warnings on their prescription medicines to the ongoing GOP warnings and fear mongering over the stimulus plan
David suggests another way of looking at the ongoing debate.
In “Stimulus Medicine,” he writes:
Instead of being a doctor prescribing medicine, Obama and the Democrats are unlicensed quacks who have panicked, and are trying to give the patient a large dose of an untested drug. The drug has as much chance of making the patient worse, as it does of making him better. No one really knows. Studies on previous uses of this drug are inconclusive and controversial. Unlike the quacks, real doctors are sharply divided about the drug. The GOP is like a couple of concerned family members. One thinks the drug is too dangerous, and that it would be better to do nothing than risk using it. The other feels that the drug should be tried, but at a lower dosage.
I would say touché, except for a couple of points:
First, I disagree with the assertion that “Obama and Democrats are unlicensed quacks who…” But, this is a matter of opinion.
Second, I have a problem with the comment that “Studies on previous uses of this drug are inconclusive and controversial.” Perhaps so. But after eight years of experimenting with the GOP drug, with disastrous results—almost killing the patient—I think we have every reason to try another drug, tested or not. And this is a matter of fact.
Anyway, I appreciate David’s comments, and highly recommend our readers to read his full, interesting post—and others—here.
The author is a retired U.S. Air Force officer and a writer.