, 3 tweets, 1 min read
My Authors
Read all threads
Okay, Day One of this effort. Granting patent or copyright monopolies is a way that the government pays for things it wants done. Does everyone understand that or is more explanation required?
For Day Two, let's carry this one a bit further. Suppose the government decided to carry the full cost of developing new drugs. Say this is another $70b a year, in addition to current research spending. This $70b adds to the deficit and debt (1/2)
If instead of paying the money directly, the government tells big pharma to do the research with the promise of a patent monopoly, we get out of the direct expenditures, but commit the public to paying hundreds of billions more for its drugs. Consistency requires that also count.
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh.

Enjoying this thread?

Keep Current with Dean Baker

Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

Twitter may remove this content at anytime, convert it as a PDF, save and print for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video

1) Follow Thread Reader App on Twitter so you can easily mention us!

2) Go to a Twitter thread (series of Tweets by the same owner) and mention us with a keyword "unroll" @threadreaderapp unroll

You can practice here first or read more on our help page!

Follow Us on Twitter!

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just three indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3.00/month or $30.00/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Too expensive? Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal Become our Patreon

Thank you for your support!