They won. The litter has been changed. Fancy crystals are out, clumping clay back in. Of course, Eponine has to pay a price for her victory. Now she gets to have her paw wiped after each run to the litter box. I can’t believe that she’s been holding it in for almost 24 hours.

Cosette has also emerged from hiding. Ah, that sweet aroma of clumping clay litter. Doesn’t she look smug!

Uh, how many bureaucrats does it take to screw in a light bulb? How many bureaucrats does it take to do add up 2+2=4? Well, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration just doesn’t get it. Or they don’t want to. So the outcome is that Americans all over the country are just ignoring them.

Drugs.

Cheaper drugs.

The kind you get from Canada. At a fraction of the price that they are sold here. A handful of local governments and nearly 2 million U.S. consumers are openly defying federal law, and buying drugs from Canada. And now the Montgomery County (Maryland) Council, deep in the heart of FDA country, voted yesterday to begin buying medications in Canada.

Here’s the link from the Washington Post about it: Council in FDA’s Home County Votes to Defy Law and Buy From Canada

As this article states, the FDA cites safety as its main concern. Of course, one only has to look around and notice that Canadians are not dying in droves from tainted unsafe drugs. Canada is a first world country, with standards equal to, if not better than, our own. And Canadians have a longer lifespan. So hmm, where are all the dead Canadians?

And in many cases, drugs sold in Canada are produced in the United States under the supervision of the FDA and then sold at lower prices in Canada. Unlike the U.S., government regulations restrict price gouging of essential medicines. But the FDA officials say they cannot guarantee the safety of substances one they have left the tightly regulated U.S. pharmaceutical industry.

It seems that they just don’t get it. People are going to buy Canadian drugs because they are cheaper. In fact, they will buy drugs over the Internet, head down to Tijuana to purchase drugs over the counter at a tiny fraction of their cost here, and so on. Until health insurance universally pays for all drugs, and at an affordable price, until Medicare/Medicaid pays for all drugs in and out of the hospital, and until uninsured and underinsured Americans can purchase the drugs they need at a reasonable price, this practice is going to continue. With or without the blessing of the FDA.

So instead of screaming and kicking, maybe the FDA should be taking a look into the price gouging that is rampant in our country, take a look at all the ploys that drug companies are using to extend the life of their patents (thus keeping the cheaper generics off the market), put an end to the behind-the-scenes-deals that big Pharma makes with generic companies to keep the prices of generics high–and then maybe buying drugs overseas will no longer be an issue.

Images: Courtesy of creatingonline.com

The little Nish is fine, no worse off for her traumatic experience yesterday. However, she is still screaming at the litter box, and I can’t tell if she’s used it or not. The pee-pee evaporates immediately, so there’s no tell-tale signs. And no sign of the stuff which comes out of the other end.

Cosette is less skittish, but still acting weird. I don’t think she’s used the new litter either. All of this commotion over one simple ingrown nail. And all because the Nish is a spitfire, and absolutely refuses to sit still and allow her nails to be clipped.

Today seems like a good day to take my laptop out to a cafe, and not return home until things are back to normal. How can two tiny little furfaces wield so much power in a household??????