Is it OK for the federal gov't to fund cancer research, other medical research, or be involved in public health issues like disease control, or do you think all that's socialism too?
In fact, the federal gov't is far too big and involved in too many things, but there are still areas where it can be very useful without undermining freedom and privacy.
No...not really. Where's it end? Do they find every research project for every illness known to man?
"Is it OK for the federal gov't to fund cancer research, other medical research, or be involved in public health issues like disease control, or do you think all that's socialism too? "
Nope. The FDA is bunk too. Dissolve it....
Yet more reasons why I oppose government funding...look at the disproportionate funding (politics comes into play once again):
The CDC dedicates more money to AIDS/HIV than to any other disease.
Cardiovascular disease is the leading killer of men and women (See "Adult mortality, Profile of the Nation's Health" CDC fact book 2000-2001).
In 2000, 710,760 people died from a cardiovascular related disease, and 553,091 died from cancer, yet 14,270 died from AIDS.
Data from the CDC Budget Request Summary 2004
Disease Actual CDC Budget
Arthritis $13,808,000
Breast and Cervical Cancer $191,965,000
HIV/AIDS -research and domestic $787,421,000
HIV/AIDS - Global (CDC wide) $143,720,000
HIV/AIDS - (CDC wide) $931,141,000
Total HIV/AIDS $1,962,282,000
Diabetes $61,683,000
Hep C $21,930,000
Prostate Cancer $14,062,000
Skin Cancer $1,647,000