Is it appropriate to blame the flu shot problem on Bush?

I am not saying one way or the other....But it the end is to scare older voters in Florida....Is it justified?

just ask him.

But just like the Gasoline prices, he chose to go on vacation.

Government is the problem not the solution.

3 years ago on Bush's watch my doc told me to get a tetanus shot because I had just been bit by a cat. He then told me I would have to find a tetanus shot by calling around trying to locate one because of a severe shortage. Seems private industy was uninterested in vaccine production.

Me being the smart innercity urban chick that I am, I went straight to the inner city health department where they were reserving their tetanus supply for people with wounds. Asked if they took Choice Care/Humana, the answer was no, but my tetanus shot cost me 50 cents.

This problem should be laid in the lap of the Department of Health and Human Services and its secretary, Tommy Thompson. Thompson is Bush's subordinate (a member of his cabinet).

It's Bush's problem; it happened on his watch, and believe me, if the flu shot problem had affected rich people only, it never would have been allowed to become a problem.

He is incompetent - he knew about this shortage for THREE years, and now they blame trial lawyers?
Nothing is ever their fault and that kind of attitude might be expected in a surly teenager, but not a person who wants to be the most powerful leader in the world so badly that he steals the office.
Now he's in it, and doesn't want the responsibilities that come with it.

but never wants to regulate a business, so didn't' sanction them or have them fix the problem.

He has appointed only the most incompetent and corrupt to every government position.

;-) :thumbsup:

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/week_2004_10_17.php#003715

Yes because Bush could have taken the initiative before flu season to have the government make more of the flu vaccine. This is because most of the pharmacutical compaines now don't make the vaccine, since they don't make much money from it. GO figure, money over the people's health!? Anyways Bush and Tomy "walk everyday" Thomsan do deserve a lot of the blame and that is why. Now why no one has taken the initiative to find a cure to the Flu still amazes me.

She thought Kerry might be going too far by trying to tie Bush to the shortage. I explained to her Bush drug-import laws which, his entire health care agenda and his kowtowing to the Pharma industry which has made flu vaccines simply a non-starter for any FOR PROFIT drug company. Why must we go through this scare tactic every year? It is the shortage from England this year, it was something else last year. Why is a money-losing venture left to the whims of for-profit companies when the stakes are so huge for the nation? It makes no sense whatsoever.

Bush is just as much to blame for allowing all our vaccine eggs to be put in one British basket, with no backup plan in case things go wrong. Gee...do I sense a pattern here?

I think almost everything is Bush's fault, but initially I wondered how on earth it was his fault that the company who made the vaccine had problems. But it turns out that we only have two companies that make the vaccine and Bush had ample warning that something like this could happen. He puts corporate profits above the well being of the people. I guess he thought that the market should dictate the supply. But now we will have deathly seniors, immune suppressed people, pregnant woman (flu can cause early labor and premature birth in pregnant women), and babies between six months and two years. And it is Bush's fault.

Fact is, repukes outsource national health, national security, and any other damned thing that will land another buck in their pockets.
The shit's got to stop.
And anyone who believes shrub when he says "everyone who needs the vaccine will get the vaccine"...well, I've got vast stockpiles of WMD's in Iraq to sell ya.

I don't suppose any of the phony orange alerts and impending mushroom clouds scared them.

afraid. Blaming Bush isn't what scares them. Not having a flu shot is what scares them. Bush and the GOP meddling with Social Security is what scares them. Bush doesn't deserve a pass on this. Do you think if Gore were president the republicans wouldn't be using this against him? It happened on Bush's watch. It was his administration that left everyone vulnerable and hundreds possibly thousands may die because his administration failed them.

bush*: Bob, we relied upon a company out of England to provide about half of the flu vaccines for the United States citizen, and it turned out that the vaccine they were producing was contaminated. And so we took the right action and didn't allow contaminated medicine into our country. We're working with Canada to hopefully -- that they'll produce a -- help us realize the vaccine necessary to make sure our citizens have got flu vaccinations during this upcoming season.

My call to our fellow Americans is if you're healthy, if you're younger, don't get a flu shot this year. Help us prioritize those who need to get the flu shot, the elderly and the young.

The CDC, responsible for health in the United States, is setting those priorities and is allocating the flu vaccine accordingly.

I haven't gotten a flu shot, and I don't intend to because I want to make sure those who are most vulnerable get treated.

We have a problem with litigation in the United States of America. Vaccine manufacturers are worried about getting sued, and therefore they have backed off from providing this kind of vaccine.

One of the reasons I'm such a strong believer in legal reform is so that people aren't afraid of producing a product that is necessary for the health of our citizens and then end up getting sued in a court of law.

But the best thing we can do now, Bob, given the circumstances with the company in England is for those of us who are younger and healthy, don't get a flu shot.

-end snip-

Even though he get's a lot of his info wrong (The British discovered the contamination, NOT us) he lays out relativiely clearly that he did NOTHING before the problem was discovered and offers a path for others to follow to help mitigate HIS fuckup, and gives a list of things that could have helped (even though they're wrong, ie Tort Reform) and thereby admitting he hasn't tried doing even that yet. His party controls all aspects of government and he blames inaction on government, ergo, bush* is responsible.

was going to have reduced vaccines ready. Though they didn't know the entire facility would be shut down in October, the Bush Admin did nothing to start securing alternative supplies. That is poor administration.

He is Alfred E. Newman. Mad is so brilliant that it actually foresaw Alfred E. Newman a real person in the future. And yes, I am worried.

There was warning years ago about the risks associated with relying on very few providers or flu vaccines. This is something that HHS should have looked into. In addition, the problem this time around had to do with contamination in the facilities, which I believe is probably a direct result of deregulation. There is no excuse why a critical facility like this should have gotten this far along in the manufacturing process without being properly inspected. Both of these problems can be blamed on this administration.

his administration has done, from 9/11 to deficits, to invading Iraq on a pretext to losing Bin Laden, to the flu shots.

What makes you suggest that his administration might be responsible for anything.

Why do you hate our freedoms?

:-)

They got warnings about this.

They got warnings about 9/11, Bin Laden, Iraq, deficits, debt, gas prices -- you name it -- and they never heed them.

What's worse is what'd happen if we get an epidemic. Our healthcare system -- if you can even call it that -- couldn't handle it, both in terms of logistics and in terms of cost.

Explain please.

He ignored warnings about 9/11, he ignored warnings about Iraq, he ignored warnings about flu vaccine. To resurrect an old meme, he's a miserable failure.

THAT should be your question. Poor baby bu$h. Everyone should just wipe his ass and help rid him of his messes and don't question anything he does.:nopity: :eyes:

Bush must be held accountable because it is his policies that led to lack of oversight and government control over the flu vaccine. Just like with Iraq, disastrous miscalculations and gambles have put American lives in jeapardy.

They knew about it before the convention, and not being able to import from Canada hurts, when the medicare bill passed they also knew then it could be a problem.