Sorry if I seem a little obsessed about the flu vaccine, or lack of (considering I would never get one even it was free and brought to my house), but the story keeps getting better and better with each passing moment.

Now it has hit the political arena. Senator John Kerry, presidential hopeful, was quoted as saying, in an AP story, “If you can’t get flu vaccines to Americans, how are you going to protect them against bioterrorism? If you can’t get flu vaccines to Americans, what kind of health care program are you running?”

Well, we don’t know if the situation would be any better, had Kerry been president. But he’s not president, Bush is. And here is what Bush had to say in the same article, “I want to assure them that our government is doing everything possible to help older Americans and children get their shots despite the major manufacturing defect that caused this problem.”

Oh really?

Typical mindless and meaningless chatter. The government is still discussing vaccines from Canada, and talking about an expediated FDA approval process that will only take weeks instead of months. And the FDA still hasn’t managed to make it to Canada yet.

If the government was doing everything, they’d have had those Canadian vaccines yesterday. Or last week. Better yet, they would have figured something out before now, like giving companies some incentive to make flu vaccines so there’d be a wider choice. Or having a contingency plan in the case of an emergency. Like now.

And Mr. Bush very nicely omitted the fact that vaccines are available to all of those strapping young bucks in DC. Now why didn’t he tell that to all those nice old folks in Florida? But yes, the next phase of this phenomenal story, is that the flu vaccine is widely available in the capitol, for whoever wants it.

While many elderly Americans are standing in line for hours to try to get a vaccine, the shot is available just for the asking and free of charge, for members of Congress and staff at the U.S. Capitol.

“Thousands of legislative staffers, police officers, journalists and others who work in the U.S. Capitol complex can get a flu shot by saying they meet the high risk criteria.” The story appeared in the Washington Post, but since that will go into archives, here is a shorter version of it from Reuters. It’s nice to know that our president means what he says, and that members of congress are so concerned about the health and well being of their constituents.

So it has happened, the worst possible scenario. Americans are now crossing the border to get flu shots in Canada. The Canadians say that they are happy to oblige, as long as Americans don’t pour over by the thousands, and overwhelm their capacities.

Strange, isn’t it, how some Americans are willing to risk getting vaccinated with a substance that is not FDA approved, and where the production facilities have not been inspected by the FDA. That they’re willing to risk God-knows-what because as we known, Canadian drugs and vaccines can’t be counted on for safety.

I’m being sarcastic, of course. This was the obvious move. While the talking heads at home keep talking and conferring, and thinking about possible solutions, people are acting on their own volition. And it is a conundrum. First the government talking heads, in order to protect the high prices in the U.S., keep blabbing that drugs from Canada may be unsafe. So therefore, importing/buying drugs from Canada is not a viable solution for people who cannot afford the prices here at home, or who are just weary of being ripped off. Now that we are desperate for flu vaccine (and a situation which was caused by our very own inaction), the same talking heads know that the Canadians have some extra doses. They know that they are perfectly safe. But they just can’t swallow their pride and buy them. They have to go through the song and dance, jump through hoops, and make it seem like this is a very complex matter. Meanwhile, people at high risk will be getting the flu, and possibly end up dead.

So if you live in a border state, just head on over the border. There’s plenty of safe and effective vaccine in Canada.

Read the story: Americans Going to Canada for Flu Vaccine