I think the Libertarians should get the drug companies on our side for Freedom.

I guarantee, the government will make sure they have enough for themselves and screw the rest of us. They sure like playing with our lives don't they.

I think the bird flu is the latest scare going round. There has yet to be any proof that this flu is capable of spreading through humans as many blindly fear. Chalk this up as another annual flu hysteria. All the more reason to get the government (and our taxes) out of this issue.

I am not so sure that a global pandemic wouldn't be a good thing, in the long term, considering that science has eradicated all the things that once kept the human population in some sort of check. Of course, at least we still have war left to do that.

The federal government needs to keep its tentacles out of the matter entirely, other than to fulfill its obligation to provide patent protections for new discoveries for a limited term.

The only event that would justify withdrawing patent protection is if an individual or corporation obtained a patent for the sole purpose of squelching the patented idea. But that does not apply in the circumstance of pharmaceutical companies. It is the Federal Government itself that is suffocating these companies with their draconian regulations.

The fact that the Federal Government has no constitutionally enumerated power to regulate medicine should be the end of the discussion on this. All laws and regulations, other than patents, are unconstitutional as relates to pharmaceuticals.

BPerry:

It may in the end pan out to nothing. But, the potential is there for a mutation leading to a massive pandemic. Right now it has a 70% mortality rate in the avian form. That should drop significantly if it mutates, since the mutation that would make it capable of spreading human to human would also make it less lethal. I would expect a 20% mortality rate in a mutated form. I think that the overall mortality would be similar to the 1918 strain, but adjusted for the current world population.

In any event, the government needs to keep out and let the private sector deal with this.

Because there is a good chance that this bird flu mutates, it would be absolutely retarded not to prepare ourselves for a possible major outbreak. The notion of we'll deal with if it happens is not smart. This is no different than Hurricane Katrina. It was known for days that the hurricane was coming. Measures could have been taken to be ready as the storm hit, but nothing was really started until after the storm hit. As with the bird flu, waiting till it happens will be too late. No company would be able to produce enough vaccine in time. There would be an unnecessary amount of loss of life. Preparation and prevention strategies are common sense methods to insure minimal damage to life as well as damage to infrastructure, homes, etc. It is true that you cannot prepare for everything. But when your given a real chance at prevention, it ought to be taken. Preparation and prevention also reduce the overall costs of a disaster.
Regardless at who does it, I think it definitely important to prepare for the inevitable or almost inevitable.
I am against the gov't seizing patents however.

If we'd stop using vaccines on every little flu strain that popped up, nature would keep all these super-strains haunting asia out of the picture. These things are only resilient because they've developed in highly populated, well vaccinated areas where they have the perfect opportunity to test themselves against every vaccine we can throw at them. Obviously any strain that survives the vaccine gauntlet and comes out of this dynamic is going to be hard to kill or control. Same with bacteria. We feed pigs antibiotics on feed lots to keep them from getting sick, but all it does is leave the few bacteria who are resistant to the antibiotics alive and without competition. What are we supposed to do when these things jump to humans and they're already tried and tested against every possible remedy? Not a whole lot, that's what. If we'd just be a little more libertarian-like in our vaccinations, and let nature keep these things in check, we'd very rarely see pandemics, and when we did, we'd be able to vaccinate or use antibiotics against the especially nasty ones. Drug companies got us into this mess, as well intentioned as they were. I really don't see the issue with just banning bird imports for a while and riding this out. If it does jump to people, we should just treat the symptoms and let people's immune systems deal with the rest. I know it's hard to believe, almost all of us have a little antibody system right inside of us, and it's served us well for thousands of years, all without the help of uncle sam. If we just let nature deal with it, we'll be a lot better off in the long run. I personally haven't had a flu shot in my life, and never will.

Chance: You're misinformed. Pandemic flu strains come from animal flu viruses (such as avian flu) that mutate to be spread through human-to-human contact. The flu strains we are vaccinated against yearly are descendants of past pandemic flu strains that are almost entirely unrelated to the ones now inhabiting animals such as birds, pigs, and cats. In fact, the modern-day descendant of the 1918 flu virus is one of the most mild in circulation. Vaccination is not the same as antibiotic treatment; it does not cause resistance. To think so is a grave mistake.

Nigel is correct.

Viruses are single strand RNA. Because they are only single strand, there is a great chance for mutation every time they replicate. That is why the flu of 1996 was not the same as the flu of 1995 and why 1995's vacine could not be used again in 1996.

Diseases such as polio, measles, etc., are double strand DNA structures and are much more resistant to mutation. The measles of 1700 would have been virtually identical to the measles of 1900 and the same vacine can be used year after year.

The avian flu would progress just the same as the 1918 flu did. It would recur every year, in a mutated form, of more or less lethality. A different vacine would need to be developed every year to combat it.

It is interesting that in certain years, the flu is more lethal than in other years, do to the mutations.

Mark: You are sadly also misinformed, or at least misspoken. Viruses are a genetic material (that means RNA or DNA) surrounded by a protein coat. All the diseases you mentioned are caused by viruses, but you are correct that DNA viruses are less prone to mutation and thus easier to eradicate, whereas RNA viruses such as flu and HIV mutate rapidly.

I mispoke, thanks for the correction.

Off topic. I hope the LP in Maryland can explain to me why they are allowing this Kevin Zeese the use of their name. He is obvious not a libertarian. He supports minimum wage and social security. He also supports the progressive tax system. In fact he stated that he supported higher taxes (for the rich of course).This person is running for US Senate in Maryland so a fair warning to all libertarians in Maryland, don't be duped. Don't let this man tarnish the Maryland LP, force him to remove it from his site. If Maryland LP has given him permission then it sounds like the Maryland LP has been hijacked by the Greens and we need to take the appropriate actions.

I spoke to someone last night and I understand there are Libertarian parties that are not working together. Each state is doing their own thing. I am not sure if this is good or bad, it can be both, but bad if such a party is being run/taken over by another group, such example above the greens. Then we got more problems in regards to the Libertarians.

http://www.votetoimpeach.org/

It seems we're more inclined to accpet someone who leans more fiscally conservative and less socially liberal, then someone who is less fiscally conservative and more socially liberal.

Not every LP member agrees 100% with the platform. I think it's hypocritical to get upset about what they accept or not. If this is the case, then we need to establish the "priority platform". These will be issues that you MUST agree with in order to be Libertarian.

Is minimum wage more important than gun control?

I meant accept not accpet. Obviously.

"Not every LP member agrees 100% with the platform. I think it's hypocritical to get upset about what they accept or not. If this is the case, then we need to establish the "priority platform". These will be issues that you MUST agree with in order to be Libertarian."

No political party, or atleast the major ones can boast a supporter base that agrees 100% with the platform. However, their platforms are quite lengthy. I think there should be a priority platform for the LP, but I think it should be a limited one. A party with no set platform is hard to vote for because people want to know what they believe in and stand for. If there is alot of inconsistencies, I find it hard to believe that the LP will ever be consistently successful in national levels of office. Voters want something consistently tangible. However, the LP is a party that gives room for a multitude of ideas and so this is why I think the priority platform should be limited to a few items. A general overall stance may be presented to the public, with the priority platform as the things we don't budge on.
Just an idea.

I believe that, in the case of an epidemic, we need to have adequate supply for the entire population and that it should be made available to the entire population at an affordable price. If we allow the private sector to determine the proper supply and the appropriate supply, we'll be left with shortages and unaffordable prices. Private sector interests revolve around minimizing expense and maximizing price. If producers don't believe the threat to be sufficient, they won't produce enough. While this makes sense, it goes against "prepare for the worst". I believe the State should step aside and allow scientists and the private sector to develop what they need to develop, while buying enough from them to cover the entire population [without freezing prices]. There's nothing wrong with buying in bulk. However, there is a lot wrong with freezing the price.

I'm a Socialist by the way. However, I fully support you guys on social freedoms =)

The Maryland LP nominated Kevin Zeese for US Senate? I can't believe it. He's a Green who worked on Ralph Nader's presidential campaign! This makes me sick.

Richard-
You should have taken economics in high school. Karl Marx theories have already been smashed.

BPerry-I am not asking for person that adheres to the LP platform 100%. This candidate has a liberal Democrat platform. The only two things this candidate has in common with us is medical marijuana and opposition to the Iraq war. If that is all it takes why not just support the 100s of Democrats in office that already supports those two issues?

I am not suprised, it obviously the Libertarian Party is not working as a unified entities. Some issues not agreed on is one thing. But to go the extreme of greens, that is a whole different story.
Something like this was brought up when I spoke to someone in the elective official status.

Ralph Nader party does not stand for freedom and less government, they want everyone looking over our shoulder. I think the LP party in Maryland needs to be looked at very carefully.

Ah, I did have economics in high school and in college......

Let's hope that they don't load the vaccines with their favorite "preservative," mercury.

Let the free market rain