Why do we let them get away with such a blatantly false statement? There were NO inventions before the existence of patents? Absurd!

There are few examples where patents did good things, many examples of their destructive effect. Patent supporters point to penicillin, some claiming on the floor of Congress that penicillin is a shining example of the success of patents. But they LIE! Penicillin was NEVER patented. Manufacturing processes were, and it made it IMPOSSIBLE for anyone to effectively manufacture penicillin until the government stepped in during the world war to set up a system of FORCED LICENSING, because the drug was desperately needed for the war effort.

Things like the telephone were never widely adopted until the patents expire.

Patents are not about “promoting progress” … they are simply about monopolies for industries that provide congressmen with the huge sums of money they need for reelection.

Patents, like much in American society are simply about corruption and theft. They exist because the government cares nothing about the people or their interests, and because the government works not for the people, but for the big money interests that bribe them.

In my non-lawyer opinion, Congress does NOT have the power to grant patents and copyrights when their use would do the exact opposite. As such, any use of a patent or copyright which retards the progress of science or the useful arts cannot be allowed by Congress.

Yes, lawyers are a problem but it is these companies who hire the lawyers in order to strengthen their claims and to give themselves nice Christmas bonuses. The majority of the workforce are honest people who hate the rules set in place by insurance companies for turning away potential clients, but these rules ARE made by the cigar smoking fat cats looking to screw people every chance they get; namely the CEOs.

Most large companies and municipalities are self insured. What this means is that the company or municipality decides the coverage that will be provided, who it will cover, what the deductibles or co-payments will be and how much of the cost will be passed on to employees. The role of the insurance company is to negotiate lower payments to doctors and handle the administration. If the costs skyrocket it is because the employees utilized the service more and NOT because the insurance company is jacking rates. It bristles me when I hear about insurance companies taking the heat when a corporation has 20%+ rate increases. Why? because it is the fault of the people using or abusing the service.

Some quick background, I live in Hartford CT the “insurance capital of the world”, or so it used to be. The major health insurance companies have long since left town. Those who still have a presence employ fewer staff. These people are my neighbors. They are hard working and struggling Americans. They are not cigar smoking fat cats looking to screw people every chance they have.

The folks who are doing the screwing, though, are the lawyers who look for every opportunity to exploit the medical system to fatten their wallets. So, providers charge more to cover their malpractice insurance and who pays? We do. And we do with increasing frequency. It amazes me how people run to the doctor every time their kid gets the sniffles, a fever, cut or minor sprain. With all the information out there on medical care, it is ridiculous how few people self treat common ailments.

Where does that leave us? We are a group of profiteering, service-hungry, risk adverse gluttons of the modern medical system. We ignore the fact that our behavior is responsible for our costs. Yet at the same time we are unwilling to have our taxes raised to pay for our increasing usage. As a whole I guess that makes us a bunch of nuts. What we need is a few trips to the shrink to fix us. Is that covered?