Chapter 15

Back on Earth...

“Meri, what do you think of this Multiverse Ambassador?” asked Janis Huff.

Janis Huff’s aide and personal assistant Merideth (Meri) Charles responded, “I’m not sure what you mean by think of him.”

Janice said, “Don’t worry about what I mean. Just tell me what your thoughts are about him.”

Meri said, “I haven’t given him much thought, Janis. He seems like a nice enough person. I know what he has said about his reasons for coming to Earth, and I know most of what people have been saying about him. However, I hear contradictory things about him, so I really don’t know what to believe.

“If he is the trader he claims to be, then I would expect him to sell Multiverse merchandise here on Earth. He says that most of what he could import is prohibited, and he can’t sell it here on Earth. I heard that he is not allowed to sell the Multiverse’s medical technology and medicines here in the US and on Earth. However, I heard he intends to sell medical equipment and medications to those countries in Africa. That makes me wonder how scrupulous he is and it makes me wonder if we can trust what he is telling us.

“I suppose you could say he is having a problem with being a trader and an Ambassador at the same time. The trader wants to do business with us, and the Ambassador is saying ‘Yes, but not that merchandise.’ Then the trader sells the merchandise the Ambassador side of him said wasn’t for sale. I suspect that there is something going on that’s not apparent to me.”

Janice said, “It sort of sounds as if you have a few doubts about the Ambassador, Meri.”

Meri said, “Maybe, but I am not sure I would call them doubts. It’s more a sense of not understanding him. I don’t understand why he does some of the things that he reportedly does. That makes me ask myself ‘Why did he do that?’ It’s not that I don’t trust him; it’s more that I don’t understand him. I suspect that he is a far more complex person than he seems to be. However, he seems honest, straightforward, and transparent at the same time. I suppose my bottom line is my instincts and what I hear are in conflict, and that confuses me.”

Janice said, “I have a similar impression of him, Meri. It seems like there is more to his actions than meet the eye. That medical equipment is a prime example. To start with, it was the media, not him, that said he wouldn’t sell the equipment here on Earth. The American Medical Association is opposed to him selling Multiverse medical equipment here in the United States, so he said ‘Okay, I won’t sell it here.’

“I think the key question, Meri, is what he meant by ‘here’. He was addressing selling merchandise in the US when he made the comment, so I think he meant in the US. The media is presenting their interpretation of his comment, which is ‘He said he wouldn’t sell it on Earth, and he is doing it anyway.’ I wouldn’t trust the media’s interpretation for they like to create controversy; controversy sells papers and airtime, and increases ratings. It would not be the first time the media has knowingly presented a false interpretation of a situation for their own betterment. I always distrust an interpretation that starts out with the phrase ‘It appears’ or some other indefinite qualifier.

“Did you know he is negotiating with several countries in Europe to sell the equipment there?”

Meri said, “No, Janis, I hadn’t heard about that.”

Janice said, “Well, he is. On the surface, it looks like he meant he would not sell the equipment here in the US. However, the trader side of him is selling the equipment in places like Africa and Europe, and he is complying with our local manufacturers by not selling it here in the US, even though the US Government has not prohibited its sale. I don’t think anyone has bothered to ask him if the Multiverse regulations allow him to sell those products here on Earth, but I suspect it is permissible to do so.

“I have no problem with him selling those products, Meri. In fact, his sales strategy seems to be a very subtle and brilliant approach on both commercial and political levels. If that’s true, Ambassador Smith is far more than just a simple trader tasked with performing a few political duties for the Multiverse.”

Meri said, “What do you mean, Janis?”

Janice said, “Well, you need to keep in mind Ambassador Smith has acknowledged that he has goals that he wants to attain. He said that he intends to foster trade between Earth and the Multiverse, and that he will work toward convincing Earth’s people to join the Multiverse. Keep those two things at in the back of your mind as his long-term goals.

“The current situation is that the AMA has come out and said that he cannot sell his equipment in the United States, even though it’s the FDA’s decision to make. Thus, his decision to sell equipment to other countries does not challenge the AMA’s position. The FDA’s failure to express a position makes it appear they support the AMA. When the people of other countries reap the benefits of the advanced technology and medicines, our citizens will want to know why we are being denied the same benefits.

“I suspect Ambassador Smith will tell us that he is only complying with the FDA and AMA’s decisions, and that he will not sell his products where they aren’t allowed to be sold. That will result in the American public putting pressure on the FDA and the American medical community. The FDA will probably respond that he never applied for permission to sell his equipment and medicines in the US. The American public will pressure the AMA into reversing their position. If you think about it, it’s probably the manufacturers of the equipment that’s currently in use and the drug manufacturers that have pressured the AMA into taking their current position.”

Meri said, “That’s a smart way to get around the AMA, Janis, but I would not say it’s subtle.”

Janice said, “Yes, you are right. That part of his strategy isn’t subtle. The subtle part is the overall effect his plan has on Earth’s people. For instance, on a commercial level, he will eventually get to sell equipment in the US and other countries, on a political level he is complying with the dictates of local authorities, and his success is just one step in achieving his long-term goals. Keep in mind that the drug manufacturers will be his most difficult battle. By winning the battle of selling medical equipment in the US, he will have the public already supporting him. That is especially true when they learn how inexpensive his medicines will be for them to buy.

“What I expect to see here in the US, is a grass-roots movement to support him in getting AMA and FDA approval to sell his equipment and drugs. He may even secretly fund that movement, which is what I would do if I were in his position.

“When he receives FDA approval, the people of Earth will view him and the Multiverse by association, as the ‘Good Guys’ who are willing to aid the people of Earth. The AMA, FDA, and those who oppose him will be looked upon as the ‘Bad Guys’ for trying to prevent us from getting good medical treatment at a reasonable cost.

“One of the things I am not sure of is the stance the Health Insurance Companies will take. My instincts tell me they will side with Ambassador Smith. From a financial point of view, the less they have to pay on claims, the more money they will earn. However, that will create a problem for them for they will not be able to justify the continuation of extremely high premiums for health insurance. My guess is they will reduce the premiums slightly, and reduce their reimbursements to doctors and pharmacies by a greater percentage. The end result will be they make more money. That’s why I think they will support Ambassador Smith.

“This impression of being the ‘Good Guy’ will help him immensely, Meri, when it comes to the real battle, which is going to be between him and the drug companies. Dan, Jake, and I were able to get an initial copy of the medications he is authorized to sell on Earth. I suspect his unofficial release of this list to key political sources is the opening salvo in his war with the drug companies. I suspect the media will get a copy also from him or from one of the politicians that support him and his people, and they will definitely publish that listing. They will contrast his prices with the current prices charged by the major drug manufacturers.

“I am accepting the claims he has made for these medications to be safe. The medicines are much cheaper than the equivalent items sold by the drug companies. You need to keep in mind that the American public has been accusing the drug manufacturing and distribution companies of price gouging for years. Assuming that he is successful in gaining FDA approval, he will be selling quality ‘prescription’ drugs for almost nothing.”

Mari asked, “Can he really do that, Janis?”

“Oh, yes, he can definitely do that, if he can prove to the FDA that the drugs are safe to use. That’s where he will have his main battle. If you are not in the know, you would be surprised at the markup the drug companies impose on the public. They will want to protect their current inflated profit margins. Some of the less costly drugs cost the drug companies less than five cents a pill to make, but by the time it gets to the consumer, the consumer pays a dollar a pill or more.

“What Ambassador Smith needs to be careful of is retribution. The drug companies will not like it if he starts selling prescription drugs at ten to twenty percent of their list price. If he creates a suitable distribution system, and can import a sufficient volume of drugs, he can put the drug companies out of business or at least force them to reduce their prices to a reasonable level.”

Meri said, “But that will only happen in the US, Janis, if he gets permission to sell his drugs here.”

“No, you missed the subtlety of the point I made earlier, Meri. Ambassador Smith will start by selling his drugs in the poorer countries. The citizens of the countries where he does not sell his drugs will want their medications at the lower price. Those governments will be pressured into approving his selling his medications in their countries. In the countries that allow the sale of Ambassador Smith’s drugs, he will sell the drugs directly to their citizens. It will be the same situation as the US citizens who currently buy drugs from Canada and other countries at lower prices and Ambassador Smith’s prices will be even lower than the current Canadian prices.

“What will eventually happen is Ambassador Smith will import medications from the Multiverse that will cure diseases that we can treat but not cure with our current medications. You may not know it, Meri, but one of his people was diagnosed with a deadly form of cancer, and the Multiverse doctor cured it in two or three days with a simple injection. When the American public learns that he has drugs that can cure diseases like cancer, they will start a grass-roots movement to force the FDA to approve any and all of the medications that he imports. The real subtlety in his first clash is the trust and goodwill he will gain by introducing advanced medical equipment into the US.

“The bottom line, Meri, is his company will eventually receive permission to sell his equipment and drugs in the US, and he will become a major competitor of the US medical equipment and drug manufacturers. These companies will then claim that he has an unfair advantage over US companies and have their pet Congressmen introduce legislation for higher import duties, or they will do something else that will keep the price of his equipment and drugs high in the US. He in turn will circumvent the drug companies’ legislation by only selling his drugs overseas. That will result in a backlash at the equipment and drug companies and Congress. Eventually the drug companies will go out of business or reduce their prices, and the people in the US will get to buy advanced equipment and drugs at a reasonable price.

“Of course, one of the equipment and drug companies’ alternatives is to have him killed. But, that’s only a short-term solution for the Multiverse will replace him and their traders will import the equipment and medications. Unfortunately, some of the medical equipment and drug company executives are not into looking at the long-term effects. They will most likely act on their view of the short-term situation.”

Meri said, “Well, Janis, I for one would like to see prices come down on drugs, and other things. I know the drug manufacturers say they are not collaborating to keep the prices up, and they say they need the higher prices to recover their development costs. The way I see it, they recover their costs in far less time than they claim, so most of their government-approved high prices is ‘gouging the public’ for profit.

“What they say about not collaborating may be true. However, just because they don’t make formal agreements amongst themselves, doesn’t mean it’s not a conspiracy. One company raises its prices and their competitors match the prices instead of staying at or setting a lower price. I call that a conspiracy of silence. There are a lot of companies that do that type of thing. I think it’s criminal, even if we can’t prove they are conspiring with each other to take that action.”

Janis said, “Mari, are you saying that you approve of Ambassador Smith’s approach to breaking the American boycott on his products?”

Meri said, “I hadn’t looked at it that way, Janis, but, yes. I have no problem with lower prices.

“What I would like to know, Janis, is how low the prices would go if the drug manufactures stopped gouging us and just accepted a reasonable profit. The current companies’ not competing with each other is causing us problems. Having only one supplier with no competition in the marketplace can also cause us a lot of problems. We need a balance. If Ambassador Smith can create a balanced, competitive market, then yes, I will support his efforts.

“In fact, I wouldn’t object to him becoming a sole source of equipment and drugs, as long as he charges reasonable prices. Do you see a problem with that, Janis?”

Janis said, “No, that would be acceptable to me. However, Meri, will he continue to sell his merchandise at low prices?”

Meanwhile in the Multiverse...

One or two of my Earth guests were up early the next morning, and made it down to the restaurant in time for breakfast. Most of us slept in until almost lunchtime. Thanks to Sereine’s thoughtfulness, Ken and Bashira got their first experience with the wonders of ‘Feel Good’ pills. Judging from everyone’s comments, ‘Feel Good’ pills will be one of my first imports. No one enjoys a major hangover, so the limitation of not drinking for the rest of the day was a small price compared to avoiding the pain and nausea typical of a major hangover.