This is the thing. Its like the abortion debate. MY body.

Again, you're not understanding my point. I'm not arguing with patient choice, I'm against companies marketing snake oil, which is one of the specific reasons that the FDA exists. The difference between these drugs and most other phony cures is that the drugs can actually kill you. I feel the same way about tobacco - I think people should be allowed to do anything they want as long as they don't harm anyone else, but I'm totally in favor of bans on cigarette ads. The distinction is between allowing potentially unsafe behavior, versus encouraging it.

Never heard of an abacus?

Idiot, he was referring to the documentary about the asteroid that they blew up with the nuke. You know, when Daredevil makes out with Arwen.

I'm guessing the investors expect Amazon to become and stay the Walmart of the internet (or perhaps the Sears and Roebuck from catalog days) and be be able to either ramp up margins or pay them at that level for a LONG time.

IIRC, the standard deduction this year was $6900 for single payers. Pretty easy to top that via mortgage interest.

Fellow MD resident?

Looks like the rest of your comment was truncated. Let me help:

"Two gin-scented tears trickled down the sides of his nose. But it was all right, everything was all right, the struggle was finished. "

"Then candidate Bush referred to this as what? Something d-o-o economics. Anyone? Anyone?"

Yeah, I'm aware of the isobutane and isopropane blends. Problem is that the Chevy's from the '60's and early '70's use a POA valve to regulate the system. Rather than cycle the compressor, the compressor runs 100% of the time and the system is regulated by a pressure control valve (the POA). The valve is pre-set for a pressure set point based on an R-12 curve. You have to adjust the valve to match the curve of the refrigerant. Said valve is not externally adjustable. Once you're in there, it's just as easy to convert the system to R-143. For what it's worth, I've already pulled the entire front of the truck apart. Everything forward of the firewall is currently off the truck; Doing a full overhaul of brakes, suspension, steering, drivetrain and body rust remediation. So, I'm at a point of converting it anyway.

It was actually wishful thinking rather than faith. I've seen the same things you describe. I've also seen where things like this are swept under the rug forever. Then, the root cause analysis comes back and people flip shit because nothing was done about it in the past. Well, nothing other than ignore the recomendations of us morlocks...

And the next day, he finds a pink slip waiting for him.

Sure, it's a wikipedia link, but it's trivial to verify.

The underlying offense is the same. The law is written to play legalistic games.

I am a HUGE believer in individual choice. If the consumer chooses to buy or use something that isn't government approved... that is their choice. Obviously make it clear to them so they don't do it by accident... but that's about it.

I don't disagree with this, but a key issue is marketing and insurance coverage, not availability. Drugs that are legally available to consumers can't be marketed for purposes other than the conditions they were approved to treat, and companies have paid billions of dollars in fines for violating these rules. That doesn't prevent doctors from prescribing the drugs off-label, but insurance companies usually won't cover this (I know, I've tried), and because these uses can't be marketed, the revenues are vastly lower. I am 100% in favor of experimentation and consumer choice, but I don't like seeing companies push drugs with potentially debilitating side effects on people without actual evidence that they work.