"The only problem in US-Finnish relations,"

[LWolf]

according to the U.S. State Department, is the issue of generic drug substitution:

Parliament passes controversial bill on generic substitution of drugs
US appeals against measure, calling it the “only problem in Finnish-US relations”

<snip>

Parliamentary debate on the final passage of a bill expanding the substitution of name brand medications with generic copies got an extra twist on Tuesday when it came out that the United States had twice appealed to the Finnish Parliament to reject one part of the reform.
Parliament did not react to the US objections, and unanimously approved the text of the reform, even though there had been some resistance at the committee stage.
The measure changes the pricing system of generic drugs and brings new medications into the fold of those that can be exchanged for cheaper generic copies in a pharmacy.
The so-called reference price system lowers drug costs and has been enthusiastically supported in Parliament. There has been some dispute over the expansion of generic drug substitution.

I guess that's what happens when our government is of the corporations, by the corporations, and for the corporations.

[Lasher]

1. I'm counting on some change in that respect real soon.

We'll see.

[LWolf]

3. One can hope.

Obama let us know very early on that he intends to leave insurance and pharmaceutical companies "at the table" in regards to health care policy. We'll see what that means in action next year.

[Kutjara]

2. Wow! You have to be some kind of asshole...

...to find a reason for diplomatic friction with the Finns. Next, we'll be sending troops into Andorra over their refusal to pasteurize goat's cheese.

I can haz Preznint Obama now?

[tama]

4. Finns

are occupied and subjugated nation, just like native Americans - with whom Finns have much in common, sharing the same roots of Nordic shamanistic traditions. Finns, should we ever regain our lost soul, would renounce USA and all other Europeans as evil imperialists and totalitarians and sinners against Nature, and then have nothing to do with the lot.

[annabanana]

5. Are the Swedes & Norwegians also occupied territory?

In America there is an assumption (among all but the neocons) that Scandinavians are kind of living the good life. .

[Odin2005]

6. Tama is a primitivist luddite whose posts are only half-understandable, no use arguing with him.

He constantly spams posts about evil technology and it's sins against nature and whatnot BS. Best to simply ignore him.

[tama]

9. Yup

"When not comprehending, ridicule" is the age old maxim. :)

[tama]

8. Territory?

I was speaking about nations and tribes. Fenno-Ugric tribes living hereabouts were conquered and subjugated by Indo-European imperialists (Swedes and Russians taking turns) first just before the conquest of America started. Today we are mostly homogenized into "wannabe-Europeans", our traditions, Nature and language destroyed, people alcoholics and drugged by the medicinal profession.

Those few of us who are not in denial about the subjugation of our people realize that we have more in common with native Americans than the ruling European classes. The Finns that moved into America realized that too and got along better with the natives than the European conquerors.

[tama]

12. As for the assumption

At least here in Finland the food lines to Salvation Army never went away after the last Depression. On the contrary, they have been growing as neoliberalism has been destroying what little soul we had left. Now it's three hours queing and then the food parcels run out. And nobody in the elite&middle classes gives a shit.

Recently we've had two US style school massacres. Alcoholism and mental disorders of all kinds on the rise.

[rockymountaindem]

10. What?

I visited Finland last year and you didn't look subjugated and occupied to me. Can you clarify that position?

[tama]

11. See post 8 n/t

[JackRiddler]

7. Oi, must the US policy be wrong on everything - absolutely everything?!

[LWolf]

13. The Bush administration

cannot become bad history fast enough for me.