More crony capitalism, this time on the federal level
It was recently revealed that the Department of Health and Human Services has entered into a contract with a New York based corporation called Siga Technologies. You the taxpayer, will pay Siga $443 million, and, in return, Siga will supply “an experimental remedy for a threat that may not exist”. And, were that not enough, Siga was the only company allowed to bid on this contract.
Under the contract, Siga will provide 1.7 million doses of an anti-viral pill known as ST-246 for “only” $255 per dose. The pill is supossed to treat small pox. Of course, the federal government already has $1 billion supply of small pox vacine which cost the federal government a whopping $3 per dose.
Here is how this arrangement happened.
When Siga complained that contracting specialists at the Department of Health and Human Services were resisting the company’s financial demands, senior officials replaced the government’s lead negotiator for the deal, interviews and documents show.
When Siga was in danger of losing its grip on the contract a year ago, the officials blocked other firms from competing. [emphasis supplied]
And, were that not enough,
The price of approximately $255 per dose is well above what the government’s specialists had earlier said was reasonable, according to internal documents and interviews. [emphasis supplied]
But the worst part is we don’t even know if this drug will work. Small pox was eradicated world wide in 1978, so, there is no one on whom to test the drug, and, even if it is tested on animals, scientists cannot say that the drug will have the same effect on humans.
I almost forgot…Siga’s largest shareholder is none other than Ronald O. Perleman, a long time Democratic Party donor.
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It is important we have this small pox medicine available to deal with the illnesses caused by the small pox infected blankets given to the OWS squatters by Wall Street fat cats, the GOP and Fox News.
LOL!
1- Tim, you crack me up.
2- If only!? ?
Whatever happened to “the appearance of impropriety”?? Or at least some subtlety in corruption?
?They don’t care anymore-its;IN YOUR FACE!
These people, the Regime, have no shame. They know that NO ONE (who matters) will call them out. It is “IN YOUR FACE”!
yeah, the transparency of this administration? <as stated in original campaigning statements >is astounding. Free money to friends. easier than getting rich by getting elected to Congress and doing legal insider trading huh? The entire system is broke. Few in government that are actually interested in our country. It’s all about “me” getting more money for “me”.
Don’t ‘progressives’ always fund expensive solutions to nonexistent or created crises while benefiting donors?? It’s time for real change.
Where is the outrage from the “lamestream media” and the “drive-by media”?
This is really business as usual for them. “Ho hum, no story there.” If there is no reaction from them, there must be a whole lot more of this going on than we (will ever) learn about.
Maybe the Regime was trying to make nice with former Lybian despot Gaddafi before his demise because he had a small pox bio-weapon?
A billion here and a billion there, won’t that add up to real money someday?
Maybe the media is really government controlled!
Follow the money!