DONALD TRUMP IS THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD

To quote a 2020 book by Tedd Levy:  Donald Trump is the Worst Person in the World.  He has discombobulated the world on just about everything.  Have you looked closely, for example, on how your personal health will be affected?

• First, Trump selected Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to become your Secretary of Health and Human Services.  Through intense pressure from the White House, the Senate begrudgingly confirmed him.
• Trump likes non-threatening types who once opposed him, but now worship him.  RFK Jr qualifies for that alone, certainly not his sterling background in this field. 
• Further, Trump enjoys the company of successful people.  RFK Jr is the the son of Robert F. Kennedy, and nephew of JFK, POTUS 35.

• 
  RFK Jr has a law degree, but no medical or public health training and experience.
• Furthermore, he is a vaccine disbeliever and promoter of medical misinformation, as for example, Wi-Fi causes cancer, childhood vaccines makes them autistic and chemicals in the water makes children transgender.

• Has already stubbed his toe on HHS matters, but a lot worse is yet to come.

• 
  On January 21, Trump signed an executive order rescinding elements of Obamacare and cancelled the Biden act to lower drug costs.
• 100 million Americans will be hurt, and the poorer you are, the worse you will suffer.  In particular, people of color, the darker the more seriously, will be impacted.
• Republicans will this time succeed in repealing the Affordable Care Act, or get the Supreme Court to do this.
• The plan is to totally privatize Medicare.  Will become unaffordable for many.

If you're rich and Republican, you will do fine.  However...

• ...many MAGA supporters are not wealthy.
• On  the other hand, the average Republican voter makes $72,000/year, more than the median income of $56,000.
• If you're Hispanic and MAGA, that mass deportation crusade will become a reality check for you, your family and friends.
• Trump got 10% Black votes in 2016.  In 2024, this doubled to 20%.  Many in this group will be sorry they did, for Project 2025 lists a range of policies to limit birth control options, medical care opportunities and social welfare benefits.
• Still to come, but the average tax cut going to a white household will be twice as much as black and latino homes.

Returning to health.

The U.S. is experiencing its most severe flu season in more than a decade, Live Science previously reported. More than 19,000 people have died including 68 children, at least nine of whom had flu-associated brain complications, according to a CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report published on Feb. 27.

• 
  RFK Jr cancelled CDC's flu vaccination ad campaign.
• Also indefinitely postponed meetings to discuss this topic.
• In particular, he wants the CDC to promote the idea of "informed consent."
• That is, people should be notified of all the risks, as well as the benefits, of any medical intervention.
• Experts fear people will not get vaccinated when the federal government emphasizes "watch out" instead of "do it for your good health."
• This season has been a bad one, and only 45% this winter took the flu vaccine, which was 5% lower than the year before.
• The flu vaccine has been pretty much free of side reactions, although there might be a case or two of Guillain-Barré Syndrome PER MILLION doses.
• 
  What about measles?
• From the World Health Organization:

• Measles is a highly contagious, serious airborne disease caused by a virus that can lead to severe complications and death.
• Measles vaccination averted more than 60 million deaths between 2000 and 2023.
• Even though a safe and cost-effective vaccine is available, in 2023, there were an estimated 107 500 measles deaths globally, mostly among unvaccinated or under vaccinated children under the age of 5 years.
• The proportion of children receiving a first dose of measles vaccine was 83% in 2023, well below the 2019 level of 86%.

Further:

Measles is a highly contagious viral infection that frequently causes a severe flu-like illness accompanied by a rash. Complications occur in 3 in 10 who get measles, and young children are especially vulnerable.1 Ear infections and diarrhea are the most common, but as many as 1 in 20 will get pneumonia; about 1 in 1,000 will have brain swelling that can cause deafness and intellectual disability; and nearly 3 in 1,000 will die.2 Before the vaccine was available in 1963, nearly every child got measles by age 15.3 The disease sickened 3 million to 4 million people and led to about 500 deaths and 48,000 hospitalizations every year.3

• In 2023, the world had 10.3 million measles cases.
• Texas has confirmed 159 cases since January.  
• Certainly sounds like a piddling number.  However, because of the vaccination program, measles was declared eliminated from the U.S. in 2000.

According to recent data, the measles vaccination rate among children in the US has decreased, with the coverage for kindergarteners dropping from 95.2% in 2019-2020 to 92.7% in 2023-2024, meaning a significant portion of children are now not receiving the measles vaccine compared to previous years; this decline leaves around 280,000 kindergartners potentially at risk. 

• It has specifically been confirmed that the measles vaccine does not induce autism.

Finally, did you know that the Federal civilian workforce was at 2.3 million?  

• The military has another 2.1 million.  
• The private sector employs 135.5 million, with 62 million of them in small businesses.
• So far, Trump-Musk have fired 25,000 civilians, and 75,000 took buyouts.  That's 4.3% of the civilian workforce.

• 
  In 2020, then President Donald Trump called Americans who died in war losers and suckers.  He disparaged the intelligence of service members, and asked that wounded veterans be kept out of military parades.  These people, apparently, are not all that important to him.  He thus has told Elon Musk to significantly pare down the Department of Veterans Affairs.
• There are now nearly half million workers administering benefits to our 15.8 million veterans.  There were 19.6 million in 2013.
• More than half of veterans served in the Vietnam and Persian Gulf Wars.
• 11% are female.
• Half of our veterans were in the Army.
• This group has had homelessness and healthcare problem.
• We do honor them on November 11, Veterans Day.
• Trump wants to cut 82,000 jobs just from this department, or 17%.
• He wants to reduce the Department of Defense civilian workforce by 5-8%.  They are now 36% of the DOD, so the cut to the department will be around 2.3%.
• 
  It was announced today that Trump will indeed dismantle the Department of Education.
• It has the smallest staff of the Cabinet agencies, with 4,000 employees.
• However, the U.S. Congress has to officially act on this, and they will if Trump asks.
• In the past, this has been attempted, but got nowhere.
• Democrats are already saying that Trump wants citizens who are not educated.
• There will be nationwide protests that will peter off, for there will be other issues of greater import.
• The Education Department was created in 1979, being split from the Department of Health, Education and Welfare.  I had just started working in the U.S. Senate, and don't remember any of this.
• 
  Those let go by the Federal government will have difficulty finding another equivalent job, for funds are also being reduced to states.  
• Forbes reported that there were 172,000 job cuts for the country in February, about a third from government.  This was the highest overall level of layoffs since the financial crisis in 2009.
• The total number unemployed in January 2025 was 6.85 million, or around 4% of the working population.  
• The unemployment rate is now 4.1%, higher than that of last year at 3.9%.  The Sahm rule of thumb is that this number is getting close for spotting an incoming recession.  The Dow Jones looks to lose another 500 points today, again.

To close, do you know how our government really works?

• Say a court, even the Supreme Court, passes judgement, as for example, the recent ruling rejecting Trump's request to freeze $2 billion in foreign aid.
• If President Trump decides to ignore that order, the Supreme Court does not have any manpower or any power to enforce their judgement.
• The nation instantly becomes a dictatorship.  Trump is Commander in Chief of the military, which now has the leadership to only support him.
• Isn't that frightening???

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