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All's fair in love, war and the pursuit of drug-manufacturing corporate profit, many of you may say. And, in a theoretical sense at least, I don't disagree with you at all.

But as a practical matter, what should we make of the apparent hypocrisy whereby our Federal government has right to take away your very life from underneath you by virtue of its sovereign power of eminent domain, which has been the locus of litigation for countless thousands throughout American history? Just what do we say, I pray, and with any judicious equanimity, to all of those who've lost their homes - the bubble wrap that's enveloped childhood memories, recall of family reunions and Christmases past, and all the rest that's cocooned into brick and mortar yet inlaid with the hopes, dreams, aspirations, and plain old blood-sweat-and-tears of this life - if we take a hands-off approach with regard to the pharmaceutical industry?

I for one believe that we must follow the logic here and strive to judiciously create for ourselves a level playing field, one which shatters the hypocrisy and which of course dictates that, if Uncle Sam can forcibly acquire one's property for the public good, it should equally have the eminent domain right and inviolate capacity to forcibly acquire a pharmaceutical company's drug patents - and particularly so in cases where a pandemic outbreak of any variety may manifest itself with clear and present danger to the entire U.S. population, as certified and authenticated, say, by competent officials who're able to make such a call at the Centers on Disease Control, or even possibly the World Health Organization.

Don't get me wrong. I'm all in favor of laissez-faire, free and unfettered Capitalism, non-tariff barriers to global trade, and all the rest of our red-white-and-blue flag waving, Capitalist hand-clapping-at-the-bell hoopla that argues strenuously in favor of the pursuit of optimized quarterly dividend statements. Profits for pharmaceutical companies or any other enterprises, after all, are at the fulcrum of what drives our collective propensity for progress and rigorous economic activity.

And yet ... at the end of the day, there's cause for pause. We cannot be so irresponsible in our mad dash for the almighty dollar that we blind ourselves with the proverbial penny in the eye, mindlessly ignoring the reality that stares us in the face as clear as the midnight sun, informing that there's a very fine line indeed - and one that's so critically important that it cannot possibly be ignored - between doing what's right for the common American good in the context of our either having commerce (pharmaceutical companies in this case) following the flag (our Federal government), or the other way around.

Our public policy makers, elected and appointed officials, and all others in a position to influence or direct domain over our public health should ALWAYS play the eminent domain trump card to forcibly acquire drug patents to safeguard human lives, which after all is said and done are far more important and well beyond the calculable value of any quarterly dividend or equity profit payout. Period.

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