I think we are getting all tied up in the benefits or not of the vaccine. The important issue here is that Perry was all too willing to put government in control and also the perception, if not outright ties, to crony capitalism. I think his willingness to put government over the people is serious and the influence of Merck is telling.
Perry says he only got $5000 but it was really $6000, not a big difference, but it has come out that he has received much, much more from Merck throughout his carreer and the ties of people in his administration lead to other sticky issues. It appears more dirt will be coming on that whole deal.
The important issue here is that Perry was all too willing to put government in control...
Agreed. OTOH, Perry has been gov in Texas for almost eleven years...plenty long enough for a few mistakes to have been made along the way. And he has said that the EO was a mistake. I'm willing to accept that. Which is not to say that I necessarily think that requiring HPV immunization is a bad thing.
...also the perception, if not outright ties, to crony capitalism. I think his willingness to put government over the people is serious and the influence of Merck is telling.
On this point, I'll refer to the idea of 'six degrees of separation'...that any one person on Earth is only six steps away from any other person on Earth. In any 'community', such as the political community, I would imagine that any one person is something like two degrees away (on average) from any other person in that community. Put any one of them under the microscope and its going to get ugly. Or can be made out to look ugly. For example, Sarah Palin, by way of her association with McCain. In my mind, only 'Crony Politicism' can explain her endorsement of John McCain in the Senate race in 2010. I shudder to think that Political Idealism was the reason.
Ronald Reagan was the last presidential contender that I was wildly enthusiastic about starting with his speech at the 1976 GOP presidential convention. And I liked Pete DuPont when he was running but that went nowhere. Haven't followed him since so I might have changed my mind about him subsequently. Anyway, I'm trying to convey my lack of enthusiasm about the current field but, of those in contention, I do lean Perry. As I'm sure you've divined. I look at the Big Picture in terms of nat'l security and economic issues in weighing candidates. Their positions on social issues barely register a blip on my radar.
Nice chatting with you. Gotta' run because my 'to do before winter' list is a mile long & I'm in Wisconsin! (Oh, need to add that I spent most of my life in Oklahoma...a very solid Red State!! Doing' my part to turn WI into at least a maroon state.)