When are Big Companies Good? When are they Bad?

Abbott Labs bought Kenosha land for $34.9 million

After all the drug company bashing Doyle has done in the last 16 years, you'd have to think the Abbott Labs' honchos have thick skins, or are pretty sure he won't be around much longer.

Doyle's made "Big Pharma" a pretty regular whipping boy, after all.

Part D 'terribly cumbersome,' Wisc. Gov. (Feb 10, 2006)Medicare Part D "should have been a single benefit" with a uniform payment system, Doyle argued, but instead, drug companies and other interests all "wanted a piece of the action."

Town Hall Message: Washington Letting Wisconsin Down (Jan 16, 2006)"It's just terrible what the federal government has done. This whole program from the beginning was just a boondoggle for the drug companies and now that they've been trying to put it in place, it's a real mess," says Doyle.

"“The drug companies know that, and they have proven they're willing to go to just about any lengths to protect their inflated profits. They are willing to choke off the drug supply to an entire country to force American citizens to keep paying exorbitant prices. They've gone too far, and it is time for the Bush Administration to start protecting our consumers."- December 19, 2003

HHS Importation Task Force
Public Meeting Wednesday, April 14, 2004
Jim Doyle testimony: "“Now, I can understand that the pharmaceutical companies don't want us buying safe prescription drugs from Canada, because it cuts into profits."”The drug companies have waged an expensive, highly coordinated scare campaign to try to convince people that buying from Canada is unsafe.""U.S. drug manufacturers have threatened to blacklist Canadian pharmacies and cause shortages in Canada if they move ahead with reimportation."

Jim Doyle answers to questions:
"“I mean, the fact is, if you believe the drug companies -- and I think that given the amount of money being spent on advertising it’s little hard to believe it, but if you believe the drug companies -- we as American consumers are footing the bill for all of the research going on, essentially, in the world. And, I think what has to happen is that they have to see that there is not a safe haven for just whatever profits they want to make in the U.S.A.… what we have to do is to figure out ways to put pressure on the drug companies to start bringing their prices down.Â"

"“My guess is, by the way, that if you were to hold these hearings six months from now, you won'’t be seeing two or three Governors up here; you'’re gonna be seeing 30 or 40 governors up here. Only ones that have major drug companies in their states might you not find here."

So, my question is when are"Big Pharmaceutical" companies good and when are they evil????

If you are Jim Doyle, or on his team, I'd come up with an answer pretty quickly.