Author Topic: Man buys HIV drug supply and the price goes up through the roof  (Read 33766 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Askold

  • Definitely not hiding a dark secret.
  • Global Moderator
  • The Beast
  • *****
  • Posts: 8358
  • Gender: Male
Re: Man buys HIV drug supply and the price goes up through the roof
« Reply #135 on: November 27, 2015, 03:05:02 am »
The problem is not Shkreli per se, it's the system that allows the shit he does to be profitable. If he doesn't do it, someone else will.
He is using the same argument but if you notice that no one had done it before him (at least to the same extent) the argument isn't as strong as he wants us to believe.
No matter what happens, no matter what my last words may end up being, I want everyone to claim that they were:
"If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine."
Aww, you guys rock. :)  I feel the love... and the pitchforks and torches.  Tingly!

Art Vandelay

  • Guest
Re: Man buys HIV drug supply and the price goes up through the roof
« Reply #136 on: November 27, 2015, 06:22:18 am »
Dude is literally a bridge troll.
Really? With all the money he's gouging from sick people, you'd think he could afford an apartment.

Offline Sigmaleph

  • Ungodlike
  • Administrator
  • The Beast
  • *****
  • Posts: 3615
    • sigmaleph on tumblr
Re: Man buys HIV drug supply and the price goes up through the roof
« Reply #137 on: November 27, 2015, 10:43:36 am »
The problem is not Shkreli per se, it's the system that allows the shit he does to be profitable. If he doesn't do it, someone else will.
He is using the same argument but if you notice that no one had done it before him (at least to the same extent) the argument isn't as strong as he wants us to believe.

What exactly is the alternative, though? As far as I can tell, there are two possibilities:

1) There is a structural problem in the way drug regulation/pricing/etc. works which lets people charge absurd amounts for stuff that can be made cheaply and still make a profit, and people who are greedy enough and have the resources will abuse this structural problem. There are a number of people among pharmaceutical company CEOs that are in fact greedy and resourceful, and so pharmaceutical price gouging happens and will continue to happen until the structural problem is solved.

or,

2) There is some inherent property of Shkreli that means he is the only person who can or will do this, and if we get rid of Shkreli the problem will be solved.

and I just can't buy 2 as an explanation.

Shkreli's case was notable, but it wasn't isolated. Maybe most price-gougers limit themselves to a reasonable 500% increase rather than 5,000% like the case of daraprim, but I somehow doubt it's because they develop a conscience and say "well, we will abuse the shit out of the system, but not too much, we don't want to be evil about it". They raise prices as much as they think they can get away with, it just so happens Shkreli for some reason or another thought he could get away with more.

I don't mean this as a defence of Shkreli, obviously. He is impressively evil, he's just not uniquely evil, and getting rid of him would not solve the actual problem.
Σא

Offline Canadian Mojo

  • Don't Steal Him. We Need Him. He Makes Us Cool!
  • The Beast
  • *****
  • Posts: 1770
  • Gender: Male
  • Υπό σκιή
Re: Man buys HIV drug supply and the price goes up through the roof
« Reply #138 on: November 27, 2015, 03:29:44 pm »
I don't mean this as a defence of Shkreli, obviously. He is impressively evil, he's just not uniquely evil, and getting rid of him would not solve the actual problem.

Kill one and the rest will fall in line?



Offline niam2023

  • The Beast
  • *****
  • Posts: 4213
  • Gender: Male
  • The Forum Chad
Re: Man buys HIV drug supply and the price goes up through the roof
« Reply #139 on: November 27, 2015, 03:37:57 pm »
Martin Shkreli obviously thinks he is untouchable, that nobody can regulate, impede or otherwise hurt him.

Someone needs to whisper in his ear one way or another "Memento Mori".
Living Life, Lifting, Waiting for Summer

Offline Sigmaleph

  • Ungodlike
  • Administrator
  • The Beast
  • *****
  • Posts: 3615
    • sigmaleph on tumblr
Re: Man buys HIV drug supply and the price goes up through the roof
« Reply #140 on: November 27, 2015, 05:24:42 pm »
I don't mean this as a defence of Shkreli, obviously. He is impressively evil, he's just not uniquely evil, and getting rid of him would not solve the actual problem.

Kill one and the rest will fall in line?


Yes, it's a well-known fact that killing people in the name of a political cause only ever scares the enemy into surrendering, and never leads to increased radicalization or the victim being used as a rallying symbol.

I don't think anyone here actually wants to kill Shkreli and am treating this is as a tongue-in-cheek hypothetical. I have further reasons not to kill him if you need convincing
Σא

Offline guizonde

  • anglican occitan
  • The Beast
  • *****
  • Posts: 1593
  • capslock is the devil
Re: Man buys HIV drug supply and the price goes up through the roof
« Reply #141 on: November 27, 2015, 05:38:18 pm »
I don't mean this as a defence of Shkreli, obviously. He is impressively evil, he's just not uniquely evil, and getting rid of him would not solve the actual problem.

Kill one and the rest will fall in line?


Yes, it's a well-known fact that killing people in the name of a political cause only ever scares the enemy into surrendering, and never leads to increased radicalization or the victim being used as a rallying symbol.

I don't think anyone here actually wants to kill Shkreli and am treating this is as a tongue-in-cheek hypothetical. I have further reasons not to kill him if you need convincing

ooh ooh ooh! can we blame him and give him a super duper huge fine like the scapegoat he is? like that time jerome kerviel got fined five billion euros for insider knowledge leading to france's banks collapsing on themselves? that always works, doesn't it?

(that was half tongue in cheek, half strict truth. that really happened)
@ guizonde: I think I like the way you think.
Warning: Biohazardously Awesome


0_o 0_0 ¯\(º_o)/¯

Offline niam2023

  • The Beast
  • *****
  • Posts: 4213
  • Gender: Male
  • The Forum Chad
Re: Man buys HIV drug supply and the price goes up through the roof
« Reply #142 on: November 27, 2015, 06:51:05 pm »
How about he be slapped with 5.5 billion dollars in debt. I doubt he can pay that off, and it'll get rid of him financially forever.
Living Life, Lifting, Waiting for Summer

Offline guizonde

  • anglican occitan
  • The Beast
  • *****
  • Posts: 1593
  • capslock is the devil
Re: Man buys HIV drug supply and the price goes up through the roof
« Reply #143 on: November 27, 2015, 08:30:12 pm »
How about he be slapped with 5.5 billion dollars in debt. I doubt he can pay that off, and it'll get rid of him financially forever.

the worst part about this economic system is that this is not even a certainty.

i looked it up, kerviel had to pay 4.9 billion € (and pocket change) in fines, so about 7 billion usd. i checked up on him, and he's got an english wiki page.

he got out of jail, his fine was overturned by the french supreme court, and he's been hired as a consultant in "an information systems and computer security consulting firm". i'd call karma houdini, but frankly i'd rather have him go daesh-style suicide bombing on the banking fatcats, so that he be useful once in his life, and have the banks entertain us for once.
@ guizonde: I think I like the way you think.
Warning: Biohazardously Awesome


0_o 0_0 ¯\(º_o)/¯

Offline Sigmaleph

  • Ungodlike
  • Administrator
  • The Beast
  • *****
  • Posts: 3615
    • sigmaleph on tumblr
Re: Man buys HIV drug supply and the price goes up through the roof
« Reply #144 on: November 27, 2015, 11:25:36 pm »
Promote drug regulation laws that allow them to make money? I dunno. I was not exactly serious with that comment.
Σא

Offline mellenORL

  • Pedal Pushing Puppy Peon
  • The Beast
  • *****
  • Posts: 3876
  • Gender: Female
Re: Man buys HIV drug supply and the price goes up through the roof
« Reply #145 on: December 17, 2015, 09:43:45 am »
Rise for good news, old thread! Pharma Douche has been arrested!

http://www.bloomberg.com/features/2015-martin-shkreli-securities-fraud/

Quote
Complex financial maneuvers were used to conceal the payments, Retrophin said. For example, the company accused its former CEO of fraudulently reclassifying a $900,000 equity investment that MSMB made in Retrophin as a loan. He then allegedly had Retrophin pay off that loan to settle another unrelated legal dispute.

The Securities and Exchange Commission, which according to court documents opened an investigation into Shkreli in 2012, is expected to file a parallel civil complaint against him, according to people familiar with the matter.

And, as usual, Shkreli spouts off with a blood-thirsty, defiant weasel squeal -

Quote
“The $65 million Retrophin wants from me would not dent me. I feel great. I’m licking my chops over the suits I’m going to file against them”



Quote from: Ultimate Chatbot That Totally Passes The Turing Test
I sympathize completely. However, to use against us. Let me ask you a troll. On the one who pulled it. But here's the question: where do I think it might as well have stepped out of all people would cling to a layman.

Offline RavynousHunter

  • Master Thief
  • The Beast
  • *****
  • Posts: 8108
  • Gender: Male
  • A man of no consequence.
    • My Twitter
Re: Man buys HIV drug supply and the price goes up through the roof
« Reply #146 on: December 17, 2015, 10:05:21 am »
Okay, can we just hang him, already?  I get that we have a big problem when people are allowed to get away with this, but fucking seriously, just god damned hang him, if only to get rid of that shiteating grin he always wears.
Quote from: Bra'tac
Life for the sake of life means nothing.

Offline TheContrarian

  • Pope
  • ****
  • Posts: 453
  • Inter faeces et urinam nascimur
Re: Man buys HIV drug supply and the price goes up through the roof
« Reply #147 on: December 17, 2015, 10:59:44 am »
Okay, can we just hang him, already?  I get that we have a big problem when people are allowed to get away with this, but fucking seriously, just god damned hang him, if only to get rid of that shiteating grin he always wears.

Capital punishment doesn't work.  It's not a deterrent and it's even more expensive than alternative forms of punishment.

We should sentence him to some compassionate counselling, maybe some state-funded backrubs.  Help him get to the root of the personal issues that led him down this dark road.



"What is freedom of expression? Without the freedom to offend, it ceases to exist."

Offline guizonde

  • anglican occitan
  • The Beast
  • *****
  • Posts: 1593
  • capslock is the devil
Re: Man buys HIV drug supply and the price goes up through the roof
« Reply #148 on: December 17, 2015, 11:12:23 am »
Okay, can we just hang him, already?  I get that we have a big problem when people are allowed to get away with this, but fucking seriously, just god damned hang him, if only to get rid of that shiteating grin he always wears.

Capital punishment doesn't work.  It's not a deterrent and it's even more expensive than alternative forms of punishment.

We should sentence him to some compassionate counselling, maybe some state-funded backrubs.  Help him get to the root of the personal issues that led him down this dark road.

i've thought of a way to reimburse the funds needed to pull off horrible punishment. pay-per-view gladiatorial arenas. yeah, i grew up with unreal tournament, so what? but everytime i mention this, i get called bloodthirsty. i know some would pay to see criminals disembowelling each other with chainsaws...
@ guizonde: I think I like the way you think.
Warning: Biohazardously Awesome


0_o 0_0 ¯\(º_o)/¯

Offline RavynousHunter

  • Master Thief
  • The Beast
  • *****
  • Posts: 8108
  • Gender: Male
  • A man of no consequence.
    • My Twitter
Re: Man buys HIV drug supply and the price goes up through the roof
« Reply #149 on: December 17, 2015, 11:25:07 am »
Actually, can we just, like...freeze the muscles in his face?  Literally affix a neutral, blank look on his face?  Because, seriously, every god damned picture of him I see, he's got this fucking grin that just makes you want to tear his face off.

(click to show/hide)
Quote from: Bra'tac
Life for the sake of life means nothing.