Posted on 08/28/2007 1:03:29 PM PDT by ZGuy
Republican presidential hopefuls Mike Huckabee and Sam Brownback on Tuesday suggested that as president they would increase federal spending for cancer research and focus more on preventing the disease.
"We are about to see a tsunami of cancer in America" because the graying of the Baby Boomer generation means more people are reaching ages in which the risk of cancer is higher, said Brownback, himself a skin cancer survivor. "If you have a tsunami coming, you don't just wait to count the dead bodies, you get prepared."
Said Huckabee, a former Arkansas governor and healthy-living advocate known for his dramatic 110-pound weight loss: "If we spend money on the front end preventing and researching, we'd spend a lot less of it on the back end" because there would be fewer people needing to undergo expensive treatments for the chronic disease.
"Study after study show the return on investment," he added.
The two, considered second-tier GOP contenders, appeared separately at a forum sponsored by Lance Armstrong, a seven-time Tour de France champion cyclist and a cancer survivor. All Republican presidential candidates were invited, but none of the leading contenders — including cancer survivors Rudy Giuliani and John McCain — were present.
Earlier, in Washington, Mitt Romney, a former governor who made health care reform his signature issue in Massachusetts, told breast cancer survivors that their disease "is getting less than a fair shake" when it comes to research funding and suggested that he, too, would be open to a funding boost. "There's no substitute for funding," he said at a conference of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, a 25-year-old network of breast cancer survivors.
At the Armstrong-sponsored forum in the leadoff caucus state, Brownback called for ending deaths by cancer in 10 years, and said reaching that goal may take a "substantial" increase of the current research budget. The National Cancer Institute had a $4.8 billion budget in fiscal year 2005, and nearly half of that was allocated for research project grants.
Additionally, the Kansas senator said a vaccine against a virus that causes cervical cancer should be "accessible and cheap." But he said he was hesitant for the federal government to require the vaccination as some states have done.
Huckabee, for his part, argued that the United States can afford to fight the wars in Iraq and on terrorism, as well as a war on cancer and all chronic diseases. "It's not a matter of picking and choosing which wars to fight," he said.
He also said that if he were president, he would sign a bill to outlaw smoking nationwide in public places, and said he would go further to say "no smoking in any indoor area where people have to work."
IOW, because life expectancies are growing, we need to spend tax dollars on curing diseases of the aged.
If 'they' want to ban smoking, they need to outlaw tobacco!
What a maroon! This is exactly the sort of nanny state candidate we don't need. Conservative? Like Carrie Nation, maybe! No thanks!
RINO nannyist bullsh•t!
We are actually winning the war on cancer. But we aren’t doing it with miracle weapons. It is a slow steady progression. We are going to see a wave [not a tsunami] of increased deaths as baby boomers age, and it’s going to be from all causes. More old people means more deaths.
This guy would be a food nazi also.
He also said that if he were president, he would sign a bill to outlaw smoking nationwide in public places, and said he would go further to say “no smoking in any indoor area where people have to work.”
How liberal of you Mike.
Anti-smoking legislation is nothing more than big-government control
First its cigarettes...then it will be Big Macs...
Huckabee could be a more effective health advocate thru the bully pulpit than thru socialist legislation
“Huckabee, for his part, argued that the United States can afford to fight the wars in Iraq and on terrorism, as well as a war on cancer and all chronic diseases. “It’s not a matter of picking and choosing which wars to fight,” he said.
He also said that if he were president, he would sign a bill to outlaw smoking nationwide in public places, and said he would go further to say “no smoking in any indoor area where people have to work.””
PING!
Meanwhile, we're often one or two antibiotics away from losing the battle against infectious disease. If that goes to zero, cancer will cease to be much of a problem.
Buh-bye, Huck: We hardly knew ye'.
Great. Huckabee is running as Supernanny.
Huckabee, you stupid frickin idiot.
snip
At the Armstrong-sponsored forum in the leadoff caucus state, Brownback called for ending deaths by cancer in 10 years, and said reaching that goal may take a "substantial" increase of the current research budget.
snip
Huckabee, for his part, argued that the United States can afford to fight the wars in Iraq and on terrorism, as well as a war on cancer and all chronic diseases. "It's not a matter of picking and choosing which wars to fight," he said. He also said that if he were president, he would sign a bill to outlaw smoking nationwide in public places, and said he would go further to say "no smoking in any indoor area where people have to work."
And this guy is supposed to be some great conservative? What a joke!
Mitt for socialized health care (when he isn’t flip flopping and campaigning for spending more money on cancer research), Fred was a co-sponsor of McCain Feingold and was a lobbyist for Aristide, and Rudy.....well....no need to comment. A pretty pathetic set of choices.
Then he turns around and shows his Pander Bear true colors.
nanny state PING
The more I hear from Huckabee the less I like him. We’d hardly be worse off if Bloomberg were the nominee, I think.
Huckabee is said to be at the top of the list of potential running mates for Giuliani or Romney. This does not give me a good feeling.
Bump. Goodbye.
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