Just like the cloud over mooch's head. He's never get any respect and everything he says with never be believed or perceived to be true. And all will double check everything he says or does anyway...Mooch/Blagojevich/Bush...what's the difference...let's just move on...

Welcome to earth Marilyn, just like "Jihad" is a word for PEACE!! Just because you say it in the name of "God" doesn't make it not HATE or not hateful. Do you even listen in Church? Maybe you should sit up front.

You guys are IDIOTS, Hawaii's Governor for the past SIX years has been a REPUBLICAN, who even spoke at the RNC!! Gov. Linda Lingle. You guys are HIGH!! She even went on the road to stump for McCain and Palin. Do you think she'd allow any document like this to be hidden in the State of Hawaii? Morons!!

I actually disagree that these credit card companies are so readily willing to negotiate with you. Case in point, when it became obvious that after losing my job in Oct 2006, I could not keep up with all my credit card bills at the APRs they were charging, I called the companies that I had timely payments on for the last six months. I informed them of my situation and requested that their 28.99% rate be lowered to a reasonable 15%-18%, one in which they would still be making money, and I would be able to keep up with payments and chip away at the principal. At the time I was simply treading water.

I was told to call back in ONE YEAR. I asked if "call back in one year" would guarantee me a better rate and what rate that would be, and they said that they couldn't guarantee me anything ahead of time. At which time I stopped paying my bill.

I could not see paying my DISCOVER Card bill for another year, without chipping away at the principal, at 28.99% interest, without any guarantee of a fee decrease after a year of on-time payments. Yes, after stopping payments for 6 months to 1 year, they were much more willing to talk, but you need to take a whack on your credit score and gamble and run up the balance before making any progress with negotiation. It's ridiculous.

These banks and mortgage companies have really caused themselves the problems they're in. They practically take the ability to pay their credit card bills away from the consumer by raising their APRs to unreasonable levels across the board. Then, they tighten credit for everyone else because nobody is paying their bills, and raise the rates for the "responsible" cardholders also.

It doesn't even stop there, they then have to lay off their employees because they're losing money. Ridiculous! And they study finance and economics? Where's the logic here?

Most have missed the point. I do agree that Wal-Mart did start a trend that offered a $4 prescription. Most pharmacies were horrified because the cost of dispensing (i.e. professionally trained and licensed labor, overhead, labels, vials, etc.) was at least $4-$5.50 plus the cost of the drug. Now they were stuck with losing money with some prescriptions, while possibly making up for it with others (the costlier ones you spoke of above: Plavix, Advair, Etc.)

However, what I believe is a travesty, is two-fold. Wal-Mart does not have the time, nor the pharmacist labor, to deliver direct care to their patients. Look over all the medications you have taken, ask about the vitamins and foods you eat, and tell you the right way to take the medications, and inform you about the side effects. You get home, and hope that the label is typed in a manner that is understandable. "Take as directed" ??

The second point that I do believe the manufacturers are simply riipping off the citizens of the United States, and also charging different prices to stores withing the states is a travesty in itself. It doesn't offer other pharmacies a level playing field to compete, and therefore, it will eventually monopolize the market. What type of service do you think you'll end up with? Also, the USA is charged way more than any other country for the drugs produced here! We sell the same drugs and ship it to Canada, Australia, Japan, China, and Africa while selling it at a price that is marketable in that country. So WE compensate unfairly for the rest of the world to get their medication. Yes, you the consumer pays $2-6 per pill while other countries may pay as little as pennies per pill. So therefore, every pill we pay for we're assisting the medical needs of the world. (As well as the Federal Goverment sending billions of dollars oversees whenever the feel a political need to). Therefore, the manufacturers are not only faulted for high prices, but unfair pricing schemes that keep prices higher at some stores in the US while others enjoy lower wholesale prices, and also unfairly charge the U.S. the highest prices, while the rest of the world enjoys the same drugs much cheeper - same quality, same company, low price.

It's complex to simply give Wal-Mart credit for $4 drugs. You know that's to draw others with insurance and even those without for the other 70% of the drugs dispensed every day that's NOT on the cheap list. They only put on the OLDER, less popular drugs on the list. They're not stupid - it's a great scheme that Marketing and Pharmacy came up with together.