TOPIC:

Australia along with NZ is a member of an alliance with the USA called the ANZUS alliance.
The aim is that if any member is attacked one of the others will come to its rescue.It has led Australia to blindly follow the Americans into a succession of stupid,costly conflicts that have resulted in the deaths of millions of innocent people,Vietnam,Iraq,Afghanistan,Syria etc.Apart from Whitlam we have never had a leader with the guts to “Shirtfront the Americans”.
Many serious defence analysts have doubts as to whether the Americans would ever come to our aid if it weren't in their immediate interests.
Well the truth is 250000 of our citizens are under attack and in danger of being killed.
But its by a virus rather than a bullet.
The difference between a killer virus and a bullet is only semantics.
This is a quote from a post by Dr F elsewhere on the forum.I hope he doesn't mind.

"Dr Miriam Levy, the director of gastroenterology at Sydney's Liverpool Hospital, told the conference on Thursday that the recent decision by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) to refuse subsidies for a breakthrough treatment for Hepatitis C had effectively delivered a death sentence to up to 50,000 Australians who would die from the disease in the next few years".


Have the Americans rushed to our aid.Well,only at a price that will bankrupt our PBS,and only further their own greed.
So why don't we dump the ANZUS alliance.There is no danger of the chinese invading Australia.
They can simply buy it,and they are.Its up for sale-cheap.A lot less messy,and an infusion of the Confusian ethic itnto Australian culture could have some positive benefits.And Mesochem could set up a factory here.
Oh,I know,its not that simple!

Semantics in this instants my friend is important. Alas. its corporations who hold all cards. A caption came thru on facebook the other day- a GI clutching an assault rifle- it read "I fought for Capitalism not Democracy. Why would we want Mesochem here, they would have to play by our rules? Mesochem is proving to be reliable. They will have a first class world reputation at the end of this. And good on them. Insight into government holding back life saving medication should send warning bells to the rest of the population.kindly

Hi Miko3,

I feel your frustrations and anger, but believe they are misdirected here. This isn't about nationalities or even political systems and calling it for that can only be devisive. From what I'm aware both our American and Chinese hepc+ friends (some of whom are members here) are often actually in a worst situation than we Aussies and Kiwis are with regard to support and treatment.

The real issue is the greed being shown by big pharma which in some instances, yes, may have it's corporate HQ in U.S........... or Europe ............or wherever they can get the best tax deal.

Rather than your suggestion, I would like to see citizens all over the world working together to put pressure on their respective governments to tell big pharma & it's shareholders......ENOUGH!!!!

Definitely GAJ - corporate greed knows no borders.

It's not the US that's denying victims affordable treatment, their citizens and government are being held to ransom along with the rest of the world, US tax dollars went to the scientist which helped him develop sofosbuvir who then sold his discovery to gilead, What the real problem is, is that no regulatory law exists that can crush this immoral price gouging from happening, a fair price is a fair price but I think all can agree that that is far removed from this situation, it's all about money and how much they can pocket, the suffering of people is strictly minutiae to what is just blatant profiteering.