Texas Governor Perry has in recent months pushed for the statewide vaccination of all Texas School Girls against a virus that is a contributor to the cause of cervical cancer. Recently Governor Perry issued an executive order directing the Texas Health and Human Services to put into practice a rule that would require the vaccinations for all schoolgirls against the virus starting September of 2008. On the surface this sounds like a reasonable and unselfish policy but as close ties between Merck Pharmaceuticals (the maker of the vaccine) and Governor Perry and his administration are flushed out, it is becoming clear that there may also be a self serving motive behind his decision. Merck was a contributor to Perry’s reelection campaign fund and close aids of the Governor’s also met with Merck lobbyists’ months before his reelection.
The associated reported that the Governor’s chief of staff had met with key aides concerning the
vaccine on Oct. 16th the same day that Merck’s political action committee made a $5000.00 to Perry’s campaign. Governor Perry said the contribution was just a small amount of $24 million and it did not influence his decision. When asked when he decided to issue the executive order to require the vaccination, Perry snapped ”I wish you all would quite splitting hairs, frankly, and get focused on are we going to be working together to find the cure for cancer. No, I can’t tell you when.” I wonder if perhaps there is a soft cushy job with an impressive title in our Governor’s future after politics.
Now Governor Perry is lobby his idea to privatize the Texas State Lottery. Even thou the state would lose billions of dollars in revenue, the Governor insists the instant injection of monies created by sale would benefit the state as a whole. If the sale does occur I ask my fellow Texans and our elected officials to scrutinize the company that Perry and his cohorts choose, because it is my suspicions that there will probably be some hidden associations between the winning company and the Governor and his administration. In Texas politics there always is.
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Comments: 8
This was a no win situation for the Governor. He might have seen it the other way, you know, do what is good and make himself rich at the same time! But really, it's one he couldn't win.
I have no doubt that he is another self serving politician after the order of his predecessor and may well have a cushy job awaiting him when he leaves office. But that may have been totally missing from his radar when he took this action!