I
was under the
impression that the
United States
Congress was charged
with the
responsibility of
enacting laws and
other legislative
functions. I was not
aware that the
United States
Congress was
supposed to be
sticking its nose
into what I would
call other people’s
business.
Take for instance,
the baseball doping
scandal, sure they
had Roger Clemens
and a host of other
super athletes up on
the hill to give
their versions of
who shot John, but
is this really the
responsibility of
our Congress? I mean
some of the panel
members posed for
photos with the
baseball greats and
got autographs. This
doesn’t look like
much of an
investigation to me;
it looks more like a
photo opportunity
than anything else.
If I’m not mistaken
I think we have a
baseball
commissioner whose
job it is to see
that the game is
played fair and
square and that drug
testing is done on a
routine basis to
check for steroid
abuse. I don’t see
where this falls
under the authority
of the Congress.
Then we have
Spy-Gate or whatever
you want to call it,
the investigation
into the spying of
other professional
football teams which
was allegedly
authorized by the
coach of the New
England Patriots.
Here again Congress
gets their panties
in a wad and
convenes hearings in
another matter which
as I recall again
should be the
concern of the NFL
commissioner.
Another photo
opportunity for
members of Congress.
Last but not least,
is this ridiculous
item that just
surfaced. If you
watch the news at
night rather than
MTV you probably
have noticed that
there is a
proliferation of
advertisements for
various and sundry
medical products.
The demographics for
the news must have
determined that
those of us that
watch the news need
diapers, can’t have
sex, have false
teeth, hemorrhoids,
restless leg
syndrome and various
skin conditions too
numerous to mention.
They also advertise
a drug called
Lipitor.
The spokesman for
Lipitor for several
years now has been a
Dr. Robert Jarvik.
Dr. Jarvik is the
inventor of the
artificial heart and
started describing
the benefits of
Lipitor in 2006. The
congress is now
probing the use of
old Dr. Jarvik and
has reached a
conclusion that
forced Pfizer, the
drug’s manufacturer,
to remove Dr. Jarvik
from the ads. Their
rational was
simple….”We are
concerned that
consumers might be
misled by Pfizer’s
television ads for
Lipitor using Dr.
Jarvik. Dr. Jarvik’s
appearance in the
ads could influence
consumers into
taking medical
advice from someone
who may not be
licensed to practice
medicine in the
United States.” The
statement went on to
say that Americans
with heart disease
should consult with
their own doctors
and make medical
decisions based upon
their advice rather
than commercials.
Hello? Do you think
that Congress is
unaware that Lipitor
isn’t an over the
counter drug and
that you have to
have a prescription
from a real, let me
say it again, a real
doctor in order to
obtain any of this
medicine? I hardly
think I can stroll
into my neighborhood
pharmacy and say
something like… “I
saw Dr. Jarvik on
the tube last night;
he convinced me I
needed some Lipitor,
give me a bottle of
it, please…” You try
it and let me know
what happens.
Ok, so perhaps Dr.
Jarvik doesn’t
practice medicine
any longer. He did
at one time. He
probably doesn’t
need to practice
medicine any longer.
He is not called Dr.
Jarvik for nothing.
He did go to medical
school and he is a
doctor. Whether he
is a practicing
doctor or not is
unknown. So, his
being a spokesman
for this drug
differs from other
commercials where
some person dresses
up in a white coat
with a stethoscope
draped around their
neck and tells us
about a new drug or
treatment? This is
different? How so,
pray tell? I love
those drug
commercials where
the guy strolls
through the nurses’
station in his white
jacket and looks
very serious into
the camera and tells
you about something
or another, then at
the bottom of the
screen there is a
little line that
says … ‘These are
paid actors’.
I can recall a time
when doctors
endorsed cigarettes
on television. I
guess they were
doctors, who could
tell? My point is,
if what Dr. Javik
could be construed
as misleading, then
ok why not have the
FDA or some other
federal agency that
controls these
things do their work
and investigate
whether or not these
commercials should
continue to be on
the air? Isn’t that
one of their primary
functions?
No, I smell another
photo opportunity in
the making. We’ll
see a big room with
a panel of twenty or
so congressmen and
congresswomen
looking very serious
while asking another
series of inane
questions to people
about their
industry. Their
aides will be
standing silently
behind them poised
to run errands or
whatever at the
slightest movement
of their highnesses
hands. The tables
will be covered with
a hundred
photographers set to
snap any photo of
anyone who says
anything about
anything no matter
how stupid or
immaterial it might
be. No one smiles;
it is a rule that
you must have a
perpetual snarl on
your face. You, the
congress person have
assumed the role of
judge, jury and
executioner and
there must not be
any evidence of
levity in these so
serious proceedings.
We’ll save those
laughs for the hour
after the hearings
adjourn and then we
meet in the hall and
can get photos and
autographs. “Please
sign this for my
grandson…he’s a big
fan of yours……hahahahahah……so
good to see you
again…..smile.”
What a waste of
taxpayer time and
money…
