Massachusetts -- a bastion of moderation

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick has proposed free vaccinations for girls aged 9-18 against HPV. The difference between his plan and Perry's is that Patrick's vaccination isn't mandatory.

Massachusetts is not usually known for being more moderate or less interested in big government than Texas is, but I think what's presented here is a fundamental difference in intent behind two good ideas. Both would vaccinate girls against a disease that causes cancer. One would guarantee a revenue stream for the pharmaceutical provider and place a financial burden on insured families with high deductibles or those that don't cover Gardasil. The other would be subsidized at a government-negotiated rate. One forces a decision on families and the other provides the vaccination as an option, and a no-cost option at that.

Again, I think it comes back to appearances. Why would Perry go so far outside of his usual moral and political comfort zone to enact the measure if it were not a sweetheart deal of some sort? I have yet to see an answer to that question. It is unfortunate that I have to ask that question about something like vaccinating people against cancer, but the question hangs out there like a black cloud over the whole thing.

Governor Patrick is a Democrat. Massachusetts is the flaming liberal enclave to which serious conservatives point when they want to scare people. So when Patrick proposes a more moderate, politically palatable plan that doesn't encroach on anyone's morals but makes options available to those that want it, that amounts to an embarrassment for Perry.