Downward spiral

[alfsauve]

Many areas of society in the US are in a downward death spiral.  Some make take decades to near their bottom, other not so long. 
Control of the medical and pharmaceutical industry is one area of our world that may bottom out sooner than later.  The end result will be complete Federal ownership and control of those industries.   Complete control.  Evidence in how close we are?

Miss Kitty had her second hip replacement. I wasn't allowed in pre/post op last time because of Covid, but I was yesterday and what I found was... The surgeon does a pre-op check and places an "X" on the hip to be worked on and leave his initials.  This is good and insures the right surgeon is working on the right body part.  I did it to myself for my knee surgeries 40 years ago.  A red Sharpie "Do No Open" on the good knee and "X marks the spot" on the one to be operated on.  It's such a good idea that the Federal government now has rules for these markers.  They must be sterile and hypoallergenic.  I think, given all the sterilizing they do in pre-op that's a little overkill but I can appreciate the hypoallergenic thing.  But these markers, one time use markers, are now a danger to us mere citizens.  They have to be controlled.  A whole layer of bureaucracy is evidently dedicated to writing rules for controlling the manufacture and distribution of these pens.  Then another group has to write audit and enforcement procedures to make sure those rules are followed.  Meanwhile on Amazon the exact same pens, not under medical control, are available for a 1/10 of what I was charged for this one.  <sigh-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h>

[MikeBjerum]

When I was heavily involved in Emergency Services I learned the quickest way to get rich was to invent or identify a product, and convince a governmental agency is was necessary.

Can you visualize the Snake Oil sales pitch by a sharpie salesman explaining how this off the shelf product was 100% sterile and inert, and its proper use would cut a given percentage of post operative complications. Not only did he sell the pens with a new price tag, but he sold a cashflow honey home with the training program to make sure everyone knows how to use a sharpie.