TV audiences and the candidates themselves aren’t happy with the GOP presidential debate televised Oct. 28 which was strong on what are being called “gotcha’’ questions rather than ones addressing key issues of importance to most American voters.  Most of the worthwhile discussion was initiated by the candidate themselves, not the moderators.

On the future of Social Security and Medicare, several candidates agreed that Washington just plain doesn’t have the money to sustain these programs for too many more years since the government has spent the money on other budget items. We found Gov. Mike Huckabee’s comments very thought-provoking.  In a nutshell, he said instead of cutting benefits for old people and sick people, we need to concentrate on a cure for the four biggest cost-driving diseases, diabetes, heart disease, cancer and Alzheimer’s.  If we do that, he pointed out, we not only change the economy, we transform the lives of millions of hurting Americans.

One newscaster sarcastically said later that Gov. Huckabee didn’t suggest how we should accomplish that goal, and we’re sure nobody has that answer, but you begin by make it a priority. Right now, we’re concentrating on developing medications which will help patients deal with these various illnesses and diseases, and while it’s making a difference, in truth it’s also making billions of dollars for the pharmaceutical companies. Many of these medical cure-alls are far too costly for the average person. To add insult to injury, you have unscrupulous companies which take advantage (at least, that’s our opinion) when they find they have a medicine which is making a difference in treating a particular medical condition by raising the price. Wasn’t it a $5 pill that went to $5,000 overnight a few weeks ago before it was later cut back? (It didn’t come back down to its original $5 cost, folks!)  The government ends up helping meet exorbitant pharmaceutical costs through Medicare, Medicaid and other subsidy programs when patients can’t afford the treatments they need. There’s probably not a single reader who hasn’t suffered sticker shock when picking up a prescription at the pharmacy.  Many families have to choose between food, home heat or medications and sadly they often opt to skip the pills and take their chances with their health.

Governor Huckabee made reference to deadly polio which claimed the lives of thousands when he was a young man, and reminded us all what a cure did for not only the afflicted, but also for our economy. In recent years, we don’t seem to have had any breakthroughs in the prevention of the nation’s major killers and we think Governor Huckabee is right in suggesting that we perhaps need to focus more attention on research which will prevent major diseases. Can you imagine our world without diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer’s or heart disease?  We’d not only have healthier citizens, but a much more robust economy as well if we weren’t spending billions to treat them.

It makes good sense to begin now investing more money in research on the country’s major health issues rather than continuing on our present path until the government’s subsidy programs have either gone bankrupt, or we’ve severely cut back on benefits, leaving thousands of Americans  who depend upon them high and dry.