Medical funding

Gracie Bonds Staples’ excellent May 6 column, Alzheimer’s disease is no laughing matter, points out that when President Reagan developed Alzheimer’s, it suddenly became important for there to be research to prevent or cure the disease.

Over the years, I have seen that when a politician’s family member develops a disease, they want to spend government money on research. They often introduce legislation that will appropriate the funds. Often, these elected officials are the same ones who vote against legislation to increase the budget of the National Institutes of Health and preach reducing taxes and have signed a pledge with a non-government group that they will not ever vote to increase taxes.

When they want money spent on medical research, they just take it from another budget and live up to their pledge to Grover Norquist — which, incidentally, is an insult to those who voted for the elected official.

This story was originally published May 11, 2016 at 8:12 PM with the headline "Medical funding."