Conspiracy theorists dash hopes for cancer vaccines

When I was just in my early to mid-twenties, I remember President Nixon promising to find a cure for cancer during his term as President.  Sadly, some 56 years later that promise has yet to come to fruition, and my departed wife was a testimony to that. There have been many conspiracy theories circulated about why this hasn’t occurred. The most prominent one being that drug companies do not wish to find a cure or prevention because that would kill their ‘golden goose’ of the tremendous profits they reap from the cost of their cancer treatment drugs.  And added to that theory is the fact that some of the recent ground breaking research regarding the treatment of cancer comes mainly from foreign countries.

However, recently there had been a new ray of hope in the prevention of cancer, but it too has most likely been doomed to failure by conspiracy theorists. The COVID epidemic lead to a new way of developing vaccines.  It is known as the mRNA technology.  Basically in the past, immune responses to diseases were created in our bodies through the use of vaccines putting a weakened or inactivated germ into our bodies. The first step of this procedure involved the actual growing of the disease in the lab, which was time consuming.  However, under ideal conditions this type of vaccine triggered our body’s immune system to develop a resistance to this disease, resulting in a total prevention or a less severe case.

In contrast, mRNA vaccines use a genetic code to tell the body’s cells to produce proteins that train the immune system to produce protection.  mRNA technology allows researchers to develop vaccines quickly since labs don't have to initially grow copies of the virus. It is important to note that both procedures involve the process of injecting a foreign substance into the body.

However, since the mRNA substance was not naturally grown, but instead manufactured in a lab, the conspiracy folks have had a field day.  Without going into a lengthy debate about the safety and total lack of understanding these folks had about the mRNA technology used in the development of the COVID vaccines, one simply needs to look at the data from Israel. They vaccinated early on more people with all versions of these vaccines than any country, and carefully monitored these folks.  Additionally, these new vaccines were used world-wide. According to the World Health Organization,13.64 billion people or 67% world-wide were initially vaccinated. This is far more extensive than any use in the U.S. and  provides significantly more data regarding their safety. They were safe, but of course some did experience side effects as do some with conventionally developed vaccines, but these side effects never received the same sensationalized media coverage that the mRNA side effects did.

However, one of the greatest benefits of this emerging mRNA technology was that it could finally lead to the development of cancer preventing vaccines.  But, sadly we can forget about that dream, because the present administration has just cut all funding for mRNA vaccines research.  Half a billion dollars had already been spent on this research development at various laboratories and universities, and now that background work has been thrown out and shut down.  However, ironically, China has increased support for this technology.

So hooray for the anti-vax, conspiracy theorists that President Trump has now infiltrated into the Department of Health and Human Services, along with Louisiana congressman Bill Cassidy and other Trump political loyalists, for they have successfully insured the continual survival of cancer in the U.S.  And you would think, of all loyalists, Rep. Steve Scalise would know better. Thanks ‘For Making America Great Again.’

A Time for Worry?

Should I be concerned? Two recent media reports that were pretty much glossed over started me thinking about what might be really happening in our country.  Last week the Smithsonian Institute removed from its display about the history of American Presidents all references to Donald Trump’s impeachment proceedings that occurred in 2019 and 2021. The impeachment proceedings reporting for former presidents Bill Clinton and Andrew Jackson were left in place. To make matters worse, some of the text elsewhere in the exhibit still mentions that 3 U.S. Presidents went through impeachment proceedings, but the factual historical information detailing who they were now includes only two.

So are we now to the point of countries like China and Russian who forbid the mentioning of any historical events that run counter to the image the ruling power wishes to advocate.  China did this when it removed all references to its 2019 slaughter of pro-democratic demonstrators in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square.  All references to this incident are forbidden and lead to immediate arrest if mentioned publicly.  Additionally, in Russia, officials who opposed Joseph Stalin’s agenda were not only removed from their government positions but also from all photographs and history books.  And others just quietly disappeared entirely.

While Smithsonian Officials have denied that they received any pressure from the White House to make this change, Trump’s officials do control the funding for this institution, and in March, the US president signed an executive order to remove “improper ideology” from the Smithsonian Institution’s properties and deny funding for exhibits that “degrade shared American values.”   Whatever that means!

The other media reporting that caught my eye was the abrupt firing of the commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics after her reporting of the latest monthly job figures.  These figures indicated, contrary to what the present administration has been advocating, that the economy is back sliding, not flourishing.  This information comes from surveys returned by actual employers. The commissioner simply reports the numbers tabulated from these surveys, and contrary to what the present administration would like us to believe they are not simply pulled out of thin air. There is a factual paper trail. And often the previous month’s figures are revised due to the late submission of the employers’ surveys.  The commissioner has little control over this. So the fact that the two previous months’ job figures were revised downwards further showing continued back sliding doesn’t support the excuse that the commissioner was fired due to previous errors made because she changed the figures.   No errors were made, just 3 months of backsliding after late submissions were included.

I can only guess this was just too much for the present administration to bear, so as is usually the ‘persecuted soul ‘ game plan, Trump called the figures ‘fake news’ and ‘politically motivated’ just to make him look bad, and sought to remedy the situation by putting someone in there that will issue (manufacture) the "correct" positive ones that support  his claims.

In closing, should I be concerned that more and more instances of dictatorial, authoritarian tactics are being implemented by our President on our American institutions? After all, just look what has happened to my beloved "Sesame Street."

Senator Doctor Bill Cassidy will be missed

Everyone just needs to stop picking on our Senator Dr. Bill Cassidy for his support of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. as head of the Department of Health and Human Services.  It should be obvious to everyone that Cassidy’s endorsement of Kennedy was a political decision made by a politician, not a professional decision made by a knowledgeable physician.  Ever since Cassidy’s support of impeachment of President Trump, during his first term, resulting in his censorship by the Louisiana GOP, Cassidy has been on the chopping block as far as his re-election desires are concerned. 

However, Sen. Bill Cassidy was offered a ‘political golden goose’ when Kennedy was vetted by Cassidy’s Senatorial committee for appointment as Secretary of Health and Human Services.  Apparently from Cassidy’s perspective this was his chance for redemption in the eyes of the Republican Party and Trump, in particular. We learned later that if Cassidy had not given his approval, two or three other Republican committee members would have gone along with him and the Kennedy appointment would have failed.

However, the reality of this scenario was, it really didn’t matter how Bill Cassidy voted; he was already finished as a Louisiana senator. If there is one principle which President Trump does stand for, it is 'never forget or forgive.'  Cross him and you are done for!

Senator Cassidy has done more for our state than Rep. Johnson, Sens. Scalise and Kennedy combined, but he crossed Trump and that’s all that matters in today’s politics. It’s no longer about being a competent legislator serving your constituents in positive ways, but instead about unconditional, blind loyalty.

If one looks at Cassidy’s legislative track record, he has served Louisiana well, and he will be missed.  It is just a shame that he didn’t seal his legacy by protecting the health of our nation, by blocking the Kennedy, Jr.  appointment.

Budget smoke and mirrors

Am I missing something, or do President Trump and Elon Musk just think I am stupid, along with the rest of the public? With all this rhetoric about government waste and the need to decrease the out of control government spending, all of which is attributed to the Democrats, I am confused about recent budgetary developments within the Pentagon, specifically the Department of Defense, headed by Pete Hegseth.

Hegseth pushed out thousands of civilian workers, is reducing the ranks of top generals, and consolidating various commands all under the guise of saving money by eliminating what he deems as waste.  However, under Trump’s “one big and beautiful budget” the Pentagon will now receive a funding increase of $150 billion, for a grand total budget funding of over $900 billion.  Where is the savings in that plan? 

Additionally, while Elon Musk promised saving the government as much as $2 trillion, with President Trump claiming that even more than that figure would be saved by waste elimination through the DOGE program, the final figures don’t support either claim. The harsh reality is, according to Musk’s own testimony at an April Cabinet meeting, the savings would amount to $150 billion during the present fiscal year.  And that figure has just been wiped out by the proposed increased spending for the Pentagon.

And this fiscal smoke and mirrors game doesn’t just stop there, for the ‘one big and beautiful budget’ is now estimated, by the Congressional Budget Office, to increase the national debt by $3.8 trillion, peaking to $7.75 trillion by 2035.  This being the latest action from a party whose mantra has always been focused on reducing the escalated national debt caused by the Democrats.

Talk is cheap, but when it comes to tackling the runaway national debt, any actions to do so thus far has simply been composed of those peddling ‘snake oil’ to the U.S citizens.  Just how dumb do all these folks think we are, and when will we stand up and prove them wrong?

Empty Trump promise

The pledge:  “Starting on day one, we will end inflation and make America affordable again, to bring down the prices of all goods. They’ll come down fast.”

The reality:  America has become less affordable, prices for goods went up, and went up fast.  

The reason:  Trump imposed steep tariffs on consumer goods-claiming tariffs one of “the most beautiful words I ever heard.”

If President Trump had done a little historical research instead of blindly bulldozing ahead, he would have discovered that some 50 years ago President Nixon, a Republican, also imposed tariffs as a solution to our trade imbalance, and his implementation was successful.

Nixon’s primary goal was, to quote from EV Magazine, “not to protect US industries but to force key trading partners—such as Japan and West Germany—to revalue their currencies against the US dollar.  At the time, America's trade balance had shifted from surplus to deficit, raising alarms about global competitiveness. Nixon's tariffs, though temporary, had a lasting impact. They pressured major economies to abandon the fixed exchange rates under the Bretton Woods system, leading to the Smithsonian Agreement in December, 1971. The agreement allowed key currencies to appreciate against the dollar, making US exports more competitive."  Nixon's tariff plan was specific, actionable and transparent."

The key words in this description being “specific”, “actionable”, and “transparent.”  Trump has placed tariffs on almost all countries, the specificity varying from country to country.  The timetable for the length of the tariffs is unspecified. The transparency is questionable in that from one day to the next they are randomly reduced by executive order according to the push back from leading corporations and manufactures in the U.S.  And their action of implementation is one of brinkmanship, like someone involved in a poker game; betting on who will fold first.  This style has led to severe disruption in global trade, creating significant supply chain upheavals, as companies adjust to higher costs, which will be passed down to the consumer.

One might conclude from all this that President Trump and his advisors don’t have a clue as to what they are doing. I certainly hope that isn’t the case, but so far things are leaning in that direction.

So while many may think I am just picking on our President because he is dealing with illegal immigrants in our country and government waste, which by the way, according to Musk's own figures published on his social media  platform 'X' totals about $160 billion in savings rather than the $2 trillion Musk initially claimed he would find, I am more focused upon how my retirement check is impacted.  To me both pale in comparison to the cost of living issue.  And I admit that I want immediate gratification because I am advanced in age, on a fixed income, and desperately need some financial relief now.  

Additionally, I don’t have the patience to rely on some pie in the sky promise from Trump Republicans that this will all work out in two years or so, and that for now we need "to buy less dolls for our children."  There is simply no plan B if this doesn’t occur, and we all know how politicians lie.  My beef with President Trump is simple; just deliver on your campaign promise “on day one” regarding my cost of living.

Americans don't want the jobs Trump wants to bring back

In doing some research on a future commentary about the US economy, I came across some statistics that once again indicate the wide disconnect between the MAGA agenda and societal reality.  They centered on the battle cry of what our esteem president leader espouses, namely, “bringing back jobs to American factories.”  On the surface who would argue with such a noble idea?  In fact, in a recent poll, conducted by Cato Institute, some 80% of the respondents felt that the U.S. might benefit from this.

However, among this same group only 25% felt they would be better off working a factory job.   And only a slim 36% responded that they would be interested in pursuing such employment.

According to Fortune Magazine there are more than half a million factory jobs available.  However, while President Trump and his supporters seek to increase American factory jobs, in reality, facts indicate that there is presently no workforce interested in seeking such employment, with the exception of immigrants.  Over twenty-three percent of immigrants presently work these jobs.  And from this poll’s results, it is obvious that the Republican battle cry that immigrants are stealing factory jobs from native-born American workers is, to coin one of their favorite slogans, “fake news.” Good old Americans simply don’t want these jobs.

However, further complicating this issue, is the fact that 66% feel that the biggest boost to the American economy lies with international trade as opposed to increasing the number of factory jobs, and retaliatory tariffs hinder this. 

I am presently 80 years old, only two years older than President Donald Trump, and I am willing to admit that I have no business serving as president because I am ‘out of touch’ with our current society.  And while I might like to have a time machine so that I could go back to earlier times that I better understood, and thus give me a greater sense of security, I realize that this is just not possible. And it’s past the time for President Donald Trump and his supporters to realize that all the executive orders in the world (over 200 and counting) will also never be able to do this, for as the famous Bob Dylan song title so aptly puts it “The Times They Are A- Changin’.”

Sometimes reality is very scary because it breeds insecurity, and many attempt to regain their security by denying its existence and returning to the past.  And therein lays the present problem.

The Hypocrisy of our Esteemed Governor

Apparently Governor Landry talks out of both sides of his mouth in a hypocritical fashion. When his recent push for amendment changes, particularly Amendment two, failed he was very upset.  He attributed the loss to national outsiders such as political activist, George Soros, and liberals who had spent money on media advertisements and used strong arm tactics to influence voters. He emphatically stated that national groups had no business messing with our local politics and wanted it to cease. While this theory sounded good in the press, the amendments' failures were not due to outsiders' interference.  

However, now that a national outside group known as Club For Growth has started a media campaign and is using strong arm tactics to push his LA Gator Scholarship Program, our esteemed governor’s lips are sealed.  These outsiders are planning to run media ads encouraging voters to call their state representatives and tell them to support the governor’s requested funding for this initiative. Ads will air in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Shreveport, and Lake Charles.  This national organization will be spending some big bucks in Louisiana.

For review, the governor’s LA Gator Scholarship Program is basically a private school bailout endeavor using taxpayers’ money to fund tuition and school supplies for parents who send their children to private schools.  Additionally, it funds home schooling expenses like computers and tutoring.  By last count 40 thousand have applied, and Governor Landry wants $93.5 million this year to fund it.  Guess you public teachers and paraprofessionals can kiss that permanent raise goodbye.

Furthermore, it is predicted by many that within 5 years, as more and more apply, this program will bankrupt the state.  And what is odd is that this program being pushed by Landry, who prides himself as a conservative Republican, runs counter to his party’s mantra of fiscal accountability and budget restraint.

And let’s not even talk about strong arm techniques as it relates to these outsiders’ push for this program.  Last year the president of Club for Growth issued the following warning for any legislator bucking their agendas, “Make no mistake-if you call yourself a Republican and oppose school freedom, you should expect to lose your next primary.” 

Well, there you have it, Governor Landry’s blind eye and silence to outsider interference in our state politics when it advocates for his agenda.  Hypocrisy?  Judge for yourself.