Must Be the Money

The Obama administration has decided to invest $433 million in Siga Technologies’ new ST-246 smallpox vaccine. On the surface, this appears to be a worthwhile investment since smallpox is a terrible and contagious disease. But a more in-depth look by the Los Angeles Times has revealed a likely ulterior motive that has little to do with curing smallpox. First of all, smallpox has virtually been eliminated here in the U.S., but just to be safe, the country has already stockpiled the original vaccine in case a smallpox outbreak did occur. There is actually enough of the medicine to inoculate the entire U.S. population and quickly treat people exposed to the virus. Second, the new ST-246 vaccine has not even been tested on humans, meaning there is no evidence that this vaccine is even effective. Therefore, the Obama administration is investing $433 million in a drug that is not needed and not tested. This is sounding awfully familiar to the Solyndra deal, and thereby reeks of a scandal.

With further investigation Mr. Obama’s motives become apparent. Siga Technologies’ controlling shareholder is a billionaire by the name of Ronald O. Perelman. Perelman is known for being one of the world’s wealthiest men and a loyal donor to the Democratic Party. Furthermore, back in June 2010, Siga named Andy Stern (former head of the SEIU) to its board. “We spent a fortune to elect Barack Obama -- $60.7 million to be exact -- and we're proud of it." boasted Andy Stern in the Las Vegas Sun. The funding not only helped to bring about Obama’s electoral success, but also landed Stern a prominent seat at the table of every major policy discussion at the White House, including economic and healthcare reform.

Surprisingly, the deal gets even worse. White House officials shamelessly pulled out all the stops to make this deal possible. This process included overriding bureaucrats who advised against the deal and Siga’s outrageously high bid, replacing government negotiators, and blocking companies from submitting competing bids.

Last but not least, Siga is bound to making a killing from its dealings with the White House. As reported by the Los Angeles Times, the contract calls for Siga to deliver 1.7 million doses of the drug for the nation’s biodefense stockpile. The price of approximately $255 per dose is well above what the government’s specialists had earlier said was reasonable, according to internal documents and interviews.

Since when did it become okay for the Fed to invest hard-working taxpayer dollars in “green” automobiles and unnecessary biodefense? Is it not obvious that such investments quickly lead to the corrupt practice of bribing billionaires and union leaders for donations and campaign support? The U.S. has strict laws against such practices, yet the Obama administration continues on with its unscrupulous fundraising efforts, not to mention the scandals that have yet to be uncovered. If only the mainstream media and its viewers would scrutinize the current president of the United States as much as they scrutinize those who are running for the GOP nomination.