Bernie Checks Off Big Pharma From His “To-Do” List

Big Banks:                                                     Berned/ Not Berned

Prison Industrial Complex:                         Berned/ Not Berned

Corporate Mainstream Media:                   Berned/ Not Berned

Hilary Clinton:                                               Berned/ Not Berned

Big Pharma:                                                   Berned/ Not Berned/ TOASTY!

Bernie Sanders has made plenty of enemies among the “elite”, and now he’s set his sights on Big Pharma.

Martin Shkreli is the head of Turing Pharmaceuticals, a company that was behind a 5000%  (you read that right) price increase on a drug used by AIDS and cancer patients (seriously, now that the TPP/ TTIP is coming, expect a 5000% price increase to be the baseline).

Daraprim is a 62-year-old drug which is no longer under patent protection; upon acquiring it Turing  raised the price from  modest 13.50 to a jaw-dropping 750 dollars.

On September 28th, Shkreli stated that he would be donating 2700 dollars to Bernie’s campaign. This was the maximum individual contribution possible. He tweeted:

I appreciate @BernieSanders using my contribution as a continuation of my philanthropy.

Bernie has often stated that he would not accept this sort of contribution; his campaign is mostly supported by small-dollar donations.

At first it seemed like Bernie would keep the cash for himself; Shkreli claimed to have received a letter thanking him for the donation.

“Our political system is corrupt. Big Money controls much of what happens. Together, you and I are changing that. Thank you again for your support. Best, Bernie,” the letter goes,  the sort of automatic-copy-paste-thank-you letter you’d expect from buying a loaf of bread online.

By the 15th of October, however, things started to turn ugly; Bernie’s campaign spokesman said that he would NOT be keeping the donation; rather, the full sum would be re-donated to Whitman-Walker health clinic in Washington, DC. Ouch, I could feel the Bern from here.

After waking up one morning and realizing that he had mysteriously suffered a major 3rd-degree BERN:

Instead of having an intelligent discussion on healthcare @BernieSanders would rather hold his hands over his ears and be a demagogue…

Yeah… standing up for people who need to pay 750 bucks for a pill is being a “demagogue”. Hey, it’s ABOUT TIME someone tried to appeal to the “popular sentiment”; appealing to YOUR brand of “rationality” has only made YOU richer and us poorer!

Then he apparently wanted to ask a Bernie and Hillary a “question” (how much do I need to pay you? What’s that Hillary, just a dollar?):

Dear @BernieSanders & @HillaryClinton, I have an important question for you. Get back to me whenever, Martin Shkreli.

He then said, after he tried to schedule a meeting with Bernie, “I think it’s cheap to use one person’s action as a platform without kind of talking to that person…He’ll take my money, but he won’t engage with me for five minutes to understand this issue better.”  

What, you expected this politician, like all the others you’ve turned, to accept your bribe AND THEN offer you something in return? What does a 5 minute private meeting change, unless you intend to offer a bigger carrot or a bigger stick.

Shkreli continues:

“Right now the rule of law in the United States is that drug companies can price their products wherever they see fit, not wherever he sees fit,” Shkreli said. “If the rule changes by congressional vote, then you know, I’ll adapt to the rules.” 

Translation: “Yup. As long as I get to keep lawfully screwing people, I’m gonna. Who cares how many people die? Besides, good luck changing things, Congress is already in my pocket.”

Mainstream translation” aw, I care so much about you guys that I’m gonna hike prices just to show congress that they should legislate these things… and if they don’t, well I tried. Please, don’t die on my Persian rug”

Bernie has slammed the greed of the Big pharma, and is calling for the import of cheaper drugs from Canada.

He Tweeted:

Martin Shkreli is holding hostage the patients who rely on this lifesaving medication by charging unconscionable prices just because he can.

The greed of the pharmaceutical industry is a public health hazard to the American people.

Sources: RT

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