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'Granny' Green travels in style while fronting
 for large drug companies

On the road with 'Granny' Green,
the point senior for large drug companies

by Daniel Hines
Publisher
TodaysSeniorsNetwork.com

For the record, let's get it straight--I love little old women, particularly as I myself grow older.

The ones that I have come to appreciate the most are those who tirelessly work on behalf of their fellow seniors, acting as advocates for health care reform, lower prescription drug costs and empowering seniors.

Yes, I love little old women...but there is always an exception, and the one that most exemplifies abandoning her fellow seniors is 'Granny' Green, who is to truth about prescription drugs what Ma Barker was to raising children.

My ire was raised when I came across a story in a small southern Illinois newspaper about how 'Granny' practices 'straight talk' with seniors.  Actually, her talk is about as straight as a dog's hind leg.

'Granny' is really enjoying her retirement, getting to travel across the nation on a fantastic bus, painted with the required American flags and a promise of a better tomorrow thanks to the Seniors' Coalition, a front group that promotes the message of large pharmaceutical companies.

So I decided to see what this straight talk really is...here are some examples from her 'log'...(and for the PR guys at the Coalition, yes, I know, any publicity is good publicity, and I encourage seniors to read the tripe that 'Granny' promotes so they can find out what her message is and wonder who is behind all her misrepresentations). 

Let's get started: 'Granny's' comments are in red:

There was not a senior I spoke with who agreed that importing drugs was worth the risks of gambling with their health...(after a visit to a Southern Illinois seniors' group)...

Granny, you just have to get out more...nearly 2 million seniors ordering prescription drugs from legitimate, registered, licensed pharmacies staffed with professional pharmacists...perhaps you should drive that beautifully painted and appointed bus north to be on hand when groups such as the Alliance for Retired Americans sponsors bus trips...start a convoy.  Actually 'Granny' all those seniors whom you have somehow missed talking with have decided that not being able to have prescription drugs is an even bigger gamble to their health and lives.

But if I need to educate America one senior at a time, I’ll do it if it means that more seniors realize that they do not need to jeopardize their quality of life to get safe and affordable prescription drugs...(after the same meeting before spinning off to Kentucky)

'Granny', if you  pull that off, let me know...instead of fronting for the drug companies, you ought to let them tap into your DNA because you will live longer than anyone in recorded history...even if you start with the 2 million mentioned above...that's two million days...You could be the star of one of those drug company slick $800 million advertising campaigns, perhaps skating across the ice with Dorothy,  but instead of asking our doctors if something is good for us, we'll be instructed to ask you.

I still am amazed that elected officials are more eager to get seniors to gamble with their health and risk their quality of life by going to foreign pharmacies...(I believe this was in St. Louis...)

'Granny', you were so close to me and I didn't get an invite to hear you...of course, neither did all uninformed, uncaring Congressmen and Senators and Governors and state legislators and mayors who are working to create a truly competitive market to lower drug prices for seniors...let's see, just for example, Senator McCain, Governor Pawlenty, Senator Snowe, Senator Dorgan, Sentor  Trent Lott and Senator Kennedy (now there is a true odd couple) ,Rep. Rahm Emanuel, Rep. Gil Gutknecht, Governor Blagojevich and...well, the list would have to be more than 200 Congressmen and 40 Senators to start...do you think they're eager to gamble with seniors' health because they have some sort of a pool going on how many seniors might eventually end up with having  to choose between food and medicine, between shelter and prescription drugs...remember, 'Granny', there isn't much 'quality of life' in dying.

For these seniors, the American “Gold Standard” medical system has provided them with access to innovative and more effective prescription drugs that have allowed them greater independence and an increase in their quality of life. The legalization of importation, not only threatens the integrity of the “Gold Standard” for all Americans, but it also threatens the ability of these seniors to access tomorrow’s “next best thing” that will provide even more effective disease management – or even a cure...Based on the recent Surgeon General’s report presented to Congress, the legalization of prescription drug importation would reduce the Research and Development revenue collected by drug makers and result in severely decreasing the innovation of newer and more effective prescription drugs (after a meeting in New Orleans)

'Granny' must have partied too hard in New Orleans...perhaps she was with former Congressman Bill Tauzin, the $2 million Cajun whose payback from pharmaceutical companies was to, guess what...be named the head of the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association...remember, 'Granny', advertising expenditures are three times R&D expenditures...and even of that, a goodly share is paid by tax funds, so if I'm helping pay for it, shouldn't I have some say about the R&D that takes place...and as for innovation claims, shame on you...you know that many of the drugs are merely copycat extensions to keep us from having generics...and as far as breakthrough drugs, please identify what they are...I can't wait to see their next commercial.

First, it was groups like AARP and FamiliesUSA using MediScare tactics to frighten seniors away from participating in the Medicare prescription drug discount cards that would help seniors save an average of $1,200 over two years (after a meeting in Mobile)...

The AARP and FamiliesUSA--forget Trent Lott and Edward Kennedy--this is really a political odd couple, but they have joined together on this issue...And now I know why you didn't let me know you were in town--while you were out scaring the crap out of seniors, I was with those terrible FamiliesUSA people who are working around the clock to gain affordable health care for everyone, not just seniors, who are talking about the fact that our country is the only rich industrialized country not providing a true medical delivery system that does protect the right of American citizens to medical care, care that will enhance our quality of life and the ability of each of our citizens to fulfill their God-given potential rather than see their lives and health threatened by not having adequate medical care.  And, that, 'Granny' is a real moral value.