[speaker001:] Well, Michael, what do you think about, uh, funding for AIDS research? Do you,
[speaker002:] Well, uh, uh, that's something I've thought a lot about.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] Uh, I, I work in a hospital.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] And I've worked in the hospital for fifteen years and I've taken care of a few AIDS patients.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] Uh, when they asked us did, did we want to, uh, keep it the same or, uh, spend more, spend less, I think
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] uh, I think right now what they're spending is adequate.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] Uh, my, for my personal opinion.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] Uh, because I think it's something that's going to take them a while to come up with a, uh, vaccine for. I don't think it's going to be that easy to come up with
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] or I think they already would have by now, you know.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] And, uh, so I don't know if, if spending a lot more money would really make any difference right now. I think they're doing the, is as much research as they can possibly do, you know.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] And, uh, what about you?
[speaker001:] Well, I guess I'm not too aware of how much they're spending right now [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] I'm not either.
[speaker001:] You know.
[speaker002:] I'm definitely not aware of how much.
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] Uh, that's something I've never really kept up with at all.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh, yeah.
[speaker002:] Uh, I don't,
[speaker001:] I mean, I, go ahead.
[speaker002:] I'm not sure, uh, I know, uh, I've always thought more about the disease rather than the der-, research, you know what I mean?
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] [LAUGHTER].
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] And, uh, that sort of thing. Uh, if, if we were talking about the money, uh, I'd just have to say what they're spending is probably enough, simply because I don't know that much about it.
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] You know [LAUGHTER].
[speaker001:] Yeah. I mean, I, I can see that research is needed and, you know,
[speaker002:] Oh, yeah.
[speaker001:] Definitely.
[speaker002:] I think so, I think so.
[speaker001:] I mean it's becoming a major problem.
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] But, uh.
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] I guess the area that I think more about is I would like to see them focus on, uh, preventing it, uh
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] in more,
[speaker002:] Well, that's true. That's true
[speaker001:] You know.
[speaker002:] because, uh, it's a, such an easily preventable disease.
[speaker001:] Right, and I,
[speaker002:] Uh,
[speaker001:] I feel like just saying, uh, safe sex is not the answer. It's
[speaker002:] No.
[speaker001:] it's, uh
[speaker002:] It's definitely not.
[speaker001:] abstinence in certain cases and [LAUGHTER],
[speaker002:] That's true, that's true.
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] Uh,
[speaker001:] And, knowing, you know,
[speaker002:] Myself, uh, uh, I'm just recently, or about to, get a divorce
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] and, uh, course, I'm not all ready to just run out there and start dating everybody I can or anything.
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] But, it's sort of scary to find yourself single again, you know.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] And, uh, because you never know what's going to happen [LAUGHTER]. You don't know who you're going to come across, you know.
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] Course, it's, it's not that I'm wanting to, I'm not going to want to go and have sex with everybody [LAUGHTER] I see.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] But it's something you got to think about these days.
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] A single person.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] You know, and, uh, I mean, it certainly changed my attitude about that
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] in a hurry.
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] And, uh,
[speaker001:] I think for a lot of people it has.
[speaker002:] Certainly.
[speaker001:] So,
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] So,
[speaker002:] But, uh, uh, I know that, uh, in some of these larger cities they're passing out free syringes and all of that sort of thing
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] to prevent, you know, so that, uh, the drug addicts
[speaker001:] Drug addicts.
[speaker002:] won't be
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] getting dirty needles and everything.
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] And, uh, I don't know, I don't think that's a bad idea.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] I know it, uh, sort of doesn't address the problem of drug addiction [LAUGHTER].
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] It just sort of keeps that going.
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] But, uh, I don't know, at least drug addiction can be treated whereas AIDS, so far, cannot be.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] You know, so, I don't know, that, I think that's, I'm not too a-, much against the, the passing out of the free syringes myself.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] I don't know, what do you think about that?
[speaker001:] Well, yeah, boy
[speaker002:] It, *this "it" needs separate slash mark because B.108 is an "aa" with A.107, not necesarily the original intended continuation of this utt
[speaker001:] that's a hard issue [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] It really is.
[speaker001:] It really is.
[speaker002:] It really is. They gave us a hard topic [LAUGHTER].
[speaker001:] Yeah [LAUGHTER]. I mean, I, I definitely think that it's the drug problem that needs to be addressed, but as you say, uh, people, I mean, in the meantime, well [LAUGHTER]
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] someone who's not ready to give up drugs, uh,
[speaker002:] That's true.
[speaker001:] You know.
[speaker002:] That's true.
[speaker001:] If they're perp-, perpetrating the AIDS problem, passing that on to each other, then
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] you know,
[speaker002:] You know, I guess if you consider the two problems, drug addiction and AIDS
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] AIDS would have to come first, I guess, as far as
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] something to, to do about it.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] So, so I don't know. Uh, course, there's so many things in the world where, if you solve one problem, you may be creating another [LAUGHTER], you know.
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] And, uh, so I guess you just have to take the two problems and see which is worse.
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] Which is the most important to solve at the time and,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] I don't know.
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] But, uh, but I've never looked into how much money they're spending. I have, I have no idea.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] And I know a lot of our tax money goes to that.
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] But, uh, I really have never looked into it. I have no idea.
[speaker001:] Yeah, I haven't either. I've heard, you know, uh
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] different voices
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] speaking up and saying we're not spending enough and,
[speaker002:] Right, sure.
[speaker001:] Mostly that's what I've heard, so I don't know,
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] And, yet, I know it's, uh, it sounds like big money to me [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] [LAUGHTER] Yeah
[speaker001:] But it
[speaker002:] I think it is.
[speaker001:] probably takes
[speaker002:] I think it is.
[speaker001:] a lot.
[speaker002:] Yeah, it does every,
[speaker001:] So,
[speaker002:] It seems to take more than, uh, for any little thing they do, it seems to take a lot more money that you would think it would.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] You know.
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] But, uh,
[speaker001:] Did you have any fear working in the hospital with that,
[speaker002:] That's one thing I've never really feared.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] Uh, uh, I, a lot of the, my family, you know, they fear me working like that and, under some, some of those conditions, but, uh
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] uh, I don't fear it at all.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] Uh, I work in, in the operating room a lot
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] and, uh, and, of course, when w-,