[ExI] Why is “cost of living” such a big problem?

[Ben Zaiboc]

On 06/11/2026 21:18, John K Clark wrote:
>
>  <spike at rainier66.com> wrote:
>
>             >>> But if we defund medical research [...]
>
>         >>OH FOR DARWIN'S SAKE! You keep repeating that silly straw man argument like a parrot without even attempting to answer my fundamental questions, like why the hell are American consumers and American consumers ALONE responsible for repaying the entire research and development budget for every drug in existence regardless of what country the research or the development or the manufacturing occurred in?
>
>
>      > We aren’t.  We have the option to not buy the drugs. 
>
>
> Just like I said before, yes we always have the option of dying.


It's not just dying, though. Denying healthcare to so many people (because of the artificially high prices) has detrimental effects that go right through society. It impacts education, economics, and psychology too. It contributes to crime, and encourages (by example) corruption in other areas, as well as being morally repugnant of course.


>  And Just like I said before, you're behaving like a parrot; so I will do the same and repeat the question I asked in my previous post: does anybody around here, other than Spike himself, think that his answer to my question is convincing, logical, or even coherent?


Of course not. This is reminding me of the whole 'fundamental colour properties' argument (although admittedly, not as silly): A consistent refusal to engage with, or even acknowledge, the core issues, misrepresentation of other people's views and a stubborn repetition of something demonstrably not true.


>     > Our system is set up to compel medical research investment to come here [...]
>
>
> If you were right (and of course you are NOT) then compelling medical research to come to the US would be an extremely stupid thing to do because the end result of it would be American consumers would be poorer, would die younger and do so in greater pain. Fuck that, do medical research someplace else!  
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>      > Ours is the second worst system for supporting medical research, better only than everything else.  
>
>
> Obviously that is dead wrong. Denmark has a VASTLY superior system, as does every technological nation on the planet. 

I suspect we're wasting our time, John. Apparently adherence to an ideological principle ('Capitalism' (of any type, including the worst) is gooood!) is more important than human misery, poverty and even death.
-- 
Ben
"The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything." - Pablo Casals, via Albert Einstein