Will Dubya's Views on Stem Cells Lead to His Downfall?

Latest poll taken after the death of RR.

On the whole, do you strongly support, somewhat support, somewhat oppose, or strongly oppose medical research that uses stem cells from human embryos?

34% Strongly support
26% Somewhat support
11% Somewhat oppose
16 % Strongly oppose
13% DON’T KNOW

I’m going to read you a brief description of embryonic stem cell research, and then get your reaction. Embryonic stem cells are special cells that can develop into every type of cell in the
human body. The stem cells are extracted from frozen embryos in fertility clinics, donated by couples who no longer want or need the embryo. This process destroys the embryo. These stem
cells can then reproduce on their own, creating what is called a “line” of stem cells that many researchers can work with. Scientists believe that there is a good chance that stem cells can be developed into cures or treatments for diseases such as cancer, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, juvenile diabetes, and spinal cord injuries.

Having heard this description, Do you strongly support, somewhat support, somewhat oppose, orstrongly oppose medical research that uses stem cells from human embryos?

41% Strongly support
32% Somewhat support
10% Somewhat oppose
14% Strongly oppose
4% DON’T KNOW

Would you support expanded federal support for more medical research, including stem cell research? Would you say you would . . .

43% Strongly support
31% Somewhat support
9% Somewhat oppose
13% Strongly oppose
4% DON’T KNOW

More here

http://www.resultsforamerica.org/calendar/files/RstemcellresearchTopline.pdf

 

The real issue is not stem cell research. The real issue is abortion.
To accede to stem cell research is perceived by some to be one step down the slippery slope of defining the inception of human life as something less than at conception.

It is the social 'hot button' issues that keep the religeous right aligned with the party of big business. Politics makes strange bedfellows indeed.

 

My point is not that this is not an important issue. I volunteer time each summer at a camp for children with special needs. Special Needs Camp I know the potential for kids with spinal injuries and cerebral palsy. I have been the primary care provider for a 10 year old boy with alive eyes and mind but a body that he can't control.

But there are many other life and death issues (abortion, healthcare) that did not get there own speech. This topic did not get it's own speech because the Democrat's care more -- it got it's own speech so they could say Ronald Reagan Jr. gave a speech at the Democratic convention.

 

i would consider stem cell part of healthcare

Rep. Tammy Baldwin also gave a 7 minute speech on healthcare

 

here's the text of her speech
http://www.dems2004.org/site/apps/nl/content3.asp?c=luI2LaPYG&b=125919&ct=158725

My name is Tammy Baldwin and I proudly represent the hardworking people of South Central Wisconsin in Congress. Almost six years ago, these Wisconsinites first elected me because we share a vision: affordable health care for every American! Only one candidate for President shares that vision, and that is why we must elect John Kerry!

John Kerry believes, as we do, that health care is not a privilege for some, but a right for every American. John Kerry knows that accessible health care is a cornerstone of a safe and strong nation. John Kerry will make affordable health care the priority that we need it to be! In Wisconsin and in every corner of the country, the American people are sending that message loud and clear. And we hear you!

We hear Al Beale of Monona, Wisconsin, who wrote me to say, "Where I work, our insurance premiums have doubled. The insurance and drug companies are out of control. They are taking us to the cleaners." Al, John Kerry won't sit back and watch while premiums rise four times faster than workers' wages. He's got a plan to cut down the premiums-cut out the waste and cut off the special interest groups that put corporate profits before patient care.

We hear Roy Shores of Madison, Wisconsin who stopped by my office to leave a copy of an insurance claim showing a charge of two thousand nine hundred seventy-nine dollars and fifty cents for a single injection! Talk about a shot in the arm! Roy, when John Kerry's president, he'll put a stop to the abuses, control spiraling health care costs, and pass the savings on to American families.

We hear Amy Knipschield of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin who told me that her sixty-seven year old mother has to pay three to four hundred dollars every few months for her prescription drugs. Amy, as President, John Kerry will negotiate with drug companies, not for them. He'll get us real discounts, add comprehensive prescription drug coverage to Medicare, and eliminate loopholes that keep affordable medicines off the market.

We hear Emily Beebe of Stoughton, Wisconsin whose husband runs a small auto repair shop. They're trying to afford health care for their family--including their two young children-as well as their workers. In one year, the Beebes paid their HMO almost forty thousand dollars in premiums. She wrote, "This is more than we typically earn in one year. It is getting to the point where we will have to choose between daily necessities and health care."

Emily, John Kerry is a parent too, and when he's president, we will cover every child in America. Period! And he understands the problems of small business owners, such as the Beebes. So his plan offers help to pay for the cost of coverage to them and their workers. John Kerry wants all Americans to be able to enjoy the same great health care that Members of Congress and their families enjoy. And he'll guarantee the right to family health benefits to all our families-including domestic partners.

We live in an age of medical miracles. Perhaps the greatest of them all lies right in the heart of my district at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. It was there, in 1998, that Dr. Jamie Thomson and his team of researchers successfully established and sustained several lines of embryonic stem cells in a laboratory. Scientists believe that these stem cells may unlock treatments and cures to our most debilitating illnesses and injuries: Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, heart disease, spinal cord injuries, diabetes-an "enemies list of ailments" that we could potentially eliminate or ease.

But in order to satisfy the far-right wing of his party, our current president is holding these stem cells-and all that they promise hostage. When John Kerry is elected President, he'll waste no time in lifting the restrictions on stem cell research. He'll put our people's health over his political health and that's the kind of President we deserve.

The most sacred tenet of the Physicians Oath is "First, do no harm!" But every day, Americans are facing great harm: workers who can't afford their premiums, small business owners who can't provide benefits to their workers, seniors who can't afford their prescriptions, and families who can't see their doctor of choice. If our leaders can promise "health care for all" to Iraq, why can't we do the same here at home?

We hear you America. And we say: when we talk about health care, there's only one candidate for President who listens. One candidate who hears us! One candidate who'll make high-quality health care affordable for all! So when we talk about health care, we must also talk about--and do-all that we can to elect as the next President of the United States, John Kerry. Thank you.

 

What?

Riddle me this Trader...assume the government does nothing to fund stem cell research. The list of people who can sink that level of money into a revenueless project is very short. As a result, the level and quality of research will not be the same. All the while the federal government is spending millions to combat the diseases which could likely be rendered as relevant as smallpox via stem cell research.

I take issue with a good many things that the government spends money on. But the last time I checked, our founding documents listed promoting the public health, safety and wellfare (not wellfare as we know it today) as things the government was established to do. Sounds to me that there is a good argument that this is what government is for.

Private investors would not fund this on the scale it needs to be funded with the hope that maybe there will be a return on the investment 15 years from now. No rational investor would accept that kind of payback period. Nothing for the next 15 years.

 

This line is the foundation of your entire argument. Unfortunately for you, it is simply wrong. Revenueless? No, stem cell research is hardly revenueless, as the tens of millions of dollars that investors have poured into its cause can attest to. Refman, your defeatist attitude with regard to the ability to monetize an investment in stem cell research is the type of investment cowardice that leads to stagnation and failure. Innovation requires risk taking, not pessimism. It requires an efficient marketplace, not a bureaucracy.

And tell me Refman, why should the rate of return calculation be any different when we are using taxpayer dollars as opposed to private dollars? This logic simply argues to government's ineffiency of capital allocation! With this as a premise, federal funding is clearly not the answer. Oops, that blows your whole argument, doesn't it?

Tell me why we should force funding on a population in which many find the cause deeply objectionable on moral grounds. Is this not ignoring their right to practice their religion in good faith?

The fact of the matter is that funding for stem cell research has grown mightily under the Bush Administration. *Private* funding of course. This growth in private funding flies directly in the face of your argument.

 

Again this is simply wrong. Please see stated factual information above!

Or is it "many" now instead of "very large percentage"?

 

Oh, you're right mcmark. 100 million people isn't very 'many'. I didn't respond the first time because it was such a silly retort to my excellent post. Now run along, youngster.

 

Thank you for conceding that you didn't have an answer to the facts.