Health care is a prime example. Eradicating infectious disease provided a huge return in societal benefit on a rather small investment. Now society is paying huge costs for "lifestyle" drugs and our "war on cancer", while showing results, provides nowhere near as high a return on investment as did the development of the original antibiotics.

We are even destroying the effectiveness of antibiotics by over-use. Read recently a critique of the system of medicine financing in that it rewards (by patents) research and then maximising sells over 25 years (which we all pay for through insurances and taxes). Destroying the common value by privatising the gains from it. When it comes to new antibiotics we would like to pay for new ones and keeping usage down to a minimum in order to maximise the value.

I think it is less about not being willing to accept death, and more about directing the medical resources to keep the wealthiest and most powerful alive as long as possible, while giving the largest profits to the rich and powerful and thus sustaining their power.

A vote for PES is a vote for EPP! A vote for EPP is a vote for PES! Support the coalition, vote EPP-PES in 2009!