I WONDER IF THIS WAS AFTER ONE OF THOSE CHUMMY OFF-THE-RECORD SESSIONS WITH OBAMA? The New York Times endorsed a secretive trade agreement that the public can’t read. “The Obama administration is secretly negotiating a treaty that could have significant effects on domestic law. Officially, it’s a “free trade” treaty among Pacific rim countries, but a section of the draft agreement leaked in 2011 suggested that it will require signers, including the United States, to make significant changes to copyright law and enforcement measures. Strangely, the administration seems to be encouraging the public to have a debate on the treaty before they know what’s in it.”

You have to ratify it to find out what’s in it. Among other things, however, it could restrict the availability of generic medicines. Another payoff to Big Pharma?