They all feel that keenly. Probably the biggest loss was not the money but an opportunity. Many experts agree that one of the most effective ways of reducing the influence of money would be to provide free TV time to candidates. The moment when such a change could have been forced on the broadcasters was during the consideration of the telecommunications bill. In other words, the main opportunity to reduce the influence of political money was overwhelmed by the influence of political money.
Drugs cost more.
And every year, brand-name companies hire lobbyists and flood politicians with contributions in an attempt to extend their patents and stave off that competition. Last spring, Searle's congressional allies slipped into a budget bill an amendment extending the patent on its anti-inflammatory drug Daypro. But that's small change compared with the biggest, weirdest drug-patent windfall of recent years. They inadvertently gave 109 drugs extended protection from generic-drug competition. After the error was detected, a group of mostly Democratic senators tried to insert the missing clause.