The first step is admitting the gov’t made a mistake, then going back and adjusting the legislative incentives and penalties to drive new (and hopefully, preferred) behaviors. That’s not to celebrate the companies who, perfectly legally, engaged in some of the most morally repugnant examples of crony capitalism in recent history – but it is more effective long term than sternly worded moral reproach and 15 days of infamy on Facebook.

The legislators responsible pander to the mob with their public shaming of a few egregious examples, all the while pretending they didn’t benefit from or help create the situation in the first place. That’s either an admission of incompetence on their part in the drafting, or a wink and a nod while lining their pockets. Either, I feel, is a valid basis to vote someone else into their chair, assuming there is some better candidate available, but at some point, I’m willing to take my chances with an unknown instead of continuing the corruption.

Because they are not primarily responsible. Your suggestion that the FDA is somehow an unwitting participant in this is outright laughable. The FDA created the regulations which makes obtaining a monopoly on an off patent drug possible in the first place.

The monopoly could not be either created or sustained without the actions of the FDA.

Also, calling the monopoly minded “Free Enterprisers” is just plain ignorant.

Indeed, an ass he is. But that is not the point. There are several instances where perverse incentives created by terrible laws bring out the worst in people. One example that always comes to mind (not trying to compare the two situations, just drawing a parallel) is the illegality of drugs. Can anyone defend drug lords who order the murder of people willy nilly? of course not. That does not change the fact that the violent drug lord would most likely not exist at all if drugs were not illegal in the first place, and that is why many people do not focus on the crimes of an individual monster, but instead on how the broken system lends itself to the worst individuals in society. So yes, Shkreli deserves all the rage coming to him. However, it is sad that most of that rage is also directed at a “broken free market system” and the “greed” of pharmaceutical companies. This wouldn’t be happening if it weren’t for some seriously questionable policies that have nothing to do with free markets.

I don’t think anyone’s out to defend Shkreli here.