ALEC & GSK and Product Liability

It's not the biggest coincidence!

From ABC News

By PIERRE THOMAS and JACK DATE

July 2, 2012

Healthcare giant GlaxoSmithKline has agreed to an unprecedented $3 billion settlement with the U.S. government over allegations that the company advertised drugs for uses not approved by the Food and Drug Administration and then used lavish gifts to convince doctors to prescribe the drugs.

The multi-billion dollar settlement is the largest in U.S. history for alleged healthcare fraud, government officials said.

SNIP

But critics at the Taxpayers Against Fraud non-profit group said that while recovering the money was a positive step, little is being done on a personal level to combat widespread fraud from the industry's top moneymakers – including putting executives behind bars.

"The bad news is that monetary penalties are not enough to stop rampant fraud... If we want to stop fraud, we need to recover America's stolen billions and we need to make sure that key players lose their jobs, their bank accounts, and their freedom," said Patrick Burns of Taxpayers Against Fraud. "Once the pain is personal and well-timed, the change in conduct in fraudster-companies will be very rapid."

And then today – the universe put this video clip in front of my face again.

A clip from April 2011 - a North Carolina TV station about the attempts of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and GSK – to eliminate consumer protections in the state of North Carolina.

This “model” legislation was also introduced in Wisconsin on the first day that Walker was in office, in Minnesota and various other states.

Please listen to it carefully - for the multiple mentions to GSK

Especially who was allowed to speak at the next day's tort reform committee meeting!!!!

"EIGHT MINUTES of presentation on the deadliest products liability bill in America."

Thanks to GSK and ALEC.

Based on what just happened to GSK

Based on their involvement in ALEC tort reform legislation

I guess I would prefer:

"The bad news is that monetary penalties are not enough to stop rampant fraud... If we want to stop fraud, we need to recover America's stolen billions and we need to make sure that the ALEC key players lose their jobs, their bank accounts, and their freedom,"