What a great line. I don’t like Governor Pawlenty much – he’s a typical tax-whore – but I like how he’s challenging the nonexistent federal authority on prescription drugs. From an interview with the Star Tribune:
Q How did you arrive at this particular method, funneling purchases through Canada?
A I envisioned it as an end-run around the federal government, a way to put pressure on them and the pharmaceutical industry. Many people said they would lobby Congress, use the bully pulpit, but this was one thing at a state level that we could tangibly take charge of and run with and lead on. We didn’t have to defer to the federal government. That was very appealing to me.
Q Is it then what some critics are alleging, that there is greater fealty to the pharmaceutical industry than to the public at large?
A Well, it’s at least an open question. I’m an optimist and prefer to assign the best of motives to people, but here I’m beginning to wonder. They started with a lot of different arguments and kind of, shall we say, polished them down to what became safety. And I think we even got them on that one. If safety is their argument, I repeat, where are the dead Canadians?