Scott Gottlieb Quotes
When some states introduced mandatory smallpox vaccinations during the epidemic of 1898-1903, Americans resisted by the thousands. The ensuing battles produced medical conventions and case law that altered the balance between government authority and medical practice, in favor of federal control.
Gottlieb, Scott. "Review of Pox: An American History by Michael Willrich." The Wall Street Journal, 12 Apr. 2011.
Note his choice of the word “control”. Some politicians believe that the purpose of most legislation is to enhance the control; that the government maintains over its citizens. However the United States Constitution was written and ratified so that the citizens could control the politicians. Neither group has prevailed totally.
The construction and operation of Federal lighthouses and Post Office facilities was accepted, but at the time there were no Federal roads or canals. Some thought that the development of these would be good for the economic development of the country. Jackson and most other politicians could not even conceive of such a thing. However, creative legislators of future generations would create a legal framework for having private, local, state and Federal roads and canals all coexisting. This quotation also dramatically illustrates the problem the Federal Courts would have later when the Constitutionality of Federal Regulations of Billboards on Federal Highways would arise. Not only had the Founding Fathers never conceived of Federal roads, but they never imagined billboards. Yet the Supreme Court had to determine the intent of the Framers regarding billboards on Federal roads.
Scott Gottlieb is an American physician and investor who served as the 23rd commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from 2017 until April 2019. He is presently a resident fellow at the conservative think tank the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), a partner at the venture capital firm New Enterprise Associates (NEA), a member of the board of directors of drug maker Pfizer, Inc, a member of the board of directors of Illumina, Inc., and a contributor to the cable financial news network CNBC. Before becoming FDA commissioner, he was a clinical assistant professor at New York University School of Medicine, the FDA deputy commissioner for medical and scientific affairs, a venture partner with New Enterprise Associates, a member of the policy board of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, a senior official at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and a member of the Federal Health Information Technology Policy Committee, which advises the United States Department of Health and Human Services on healthcare information technology. He was previously a resident fellow at AEI from 2007 to 2017 prior to joining the FDA as commissioner in May 2017.
