Powered by Google
Home
Listings
Editors' Picks
News
Music
Movies
Food
Life
Arts + Books
Rec Room
Moonsigns
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Personals
Adult Personals
Classifieds
Adult Classifieds
- - - - - - - - - - - -
stuff@night
FNX Radio
Band Guide
MassWeb Printing
- - - - - - - - - - - -
About Us
Contact Us
Advertise With Us
Work For Us
Newsletter
RSS Feeds
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Webmaster
Archives



sponsored links
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
PassionShop.com
Sex Toys - Adult  DVDs - Sexy  Lingerie


   
  E-Mail This Article to a Friend

DRUG MONEY
Romney’s free ride: business as usual
BY DAVID S. BERNSTEIN

When Mitt Romney flew to California a few weeks ago for his coronation as Republican Governors Association chair, he and his staff hitched a free ride on a Pfizer jet, with two of the company’s lobbyists also on board. Nitpicking state Democrats found this a bit gauche — especially considering that the state legislature is currently hammering out a final version of a big health-care-reform bill — and have formally requested that the Massachusetts Ethics Commission look into it.

But it seems Romney and crew were just previewing life in the event he becomes president.

The very day that the RGA meeting started, the Washington-based Center for Public Integrity released a study showing that White House officials have taken $1.5 million in free travel from lobbyists and other groups in the past five years. The total is actually higher: Vice-President Dick Cheney would not reveal his staff’s figures, claiming they are exempt from travel-disclosure rules.

In any case, the fact that the health-care bill is in conference committee doesn’t make the timing suspicious, says one Beacon Hill lobbyist on health-care issues. "The pharmaceutical companies are always lobbying, and they always have bills of interest to them in front of the state," he says.

For example, the Senate has two bills on the table seeking to — gasp! — lower the price of prescription drugs. Senate Bill 399 would pool the state’s purchasing power to negotiate lower rates. Senate Bill 375 would require the state to provide information to consumers about purchasing drugs from Canada.

Although big pharma concentrates most of its $800 million in lobbying efforts at the national level, according to the Center for Public Integrity, pharmaceutical interests manage to spend roughly $2 million a year lobbying in Massachusetts, not including campaign donations. That makes their industry one of the top spenders on Beacon Hill. Here’s what 10 of the biggest companies spent in the first six months of 2005, according to data from the Massachusetts Secretary of State:


Issue Date: December 16 - 22, 2005
Back to the News & Features table of contents
  E-Mail This Article to a Friend
 









about the phoenix |  advertising info |  Webmaster |  work for us
Copyright © 2005 Phoenix Media/Communications Group