How NIH cuts hit per capita state-by-state. Does anyone else find it puzzling that Red and Purple states are going to be clobbered Or will T'usk just exempt Red states and punish blue states?
More on the item below: My wife is also part of a women's leadership group spanning the research, medical, and related disciplines of her university / hospital. Basically, the university brings in experts to talk about health care, education, and hospital finance trends. Yesterday, they were told that the group would be shut down indefinitely. Private and non-profit sector organizations are trying to get ahead of lawsuits and 'civiil rights' investigations.
Our magnificent golden ship, the "USS Great Experiment" has foundered now, having been deliberately run aground on the jagged reefs that were safely navigated for hundreds of years. While its voyage has often been rocky a safe and stable passage has ultimately prevailed. A once exiled and disgraced captain has now clambered back upon the helm, a cat-o-nine tails in his pudgy fist and for no particular reason orders the crew to dismantle the rigging, the sails and begin tearing apart the mighty and enduring hull as kindling for a personal bonfire of glory. There can be no salvage now. The remaining deckhands, (those not already set adrift long-ago) quake awaiting further madness to ensue. They know a time for their mutiny has passed. No longer the admired and upright champion of the waves, it lists slowly sinking on its side with its beacon dimmed, tilting ever closer to the dark water. On the horizon it appears aflame but that is only fading embers of a setting sun.
Contact your friends in purple or red states and urge them to reach out to their Senators. Some GOP Senators might be swayed if enough people speak out.
RFK Jr’s confirmation hearing to lead the Federal health agencies is coming soon. It’s not just his anti-vax stance, but he has no science background. During his hearing, he showed that he didn’t even have a basic understanding of the CDC, FDA, Medicare, or Medicaid. It was embarrassing.
Call your Senators, even Democrats! We cannot be sure that our Democratic Senators will vote against these reckless nominees. Some elected Democrats are caving already. You would be shocked if you looked at the list of “Yes” votes for many who have been confirmed. N.J. Senator Cory Booker voted to confirm Scott Bessent to lead Treasury. Bessent promptly gave Elon Musk permission to access Treasury records and payment systems. Thanks, Cory!
Google your Senators’ names to find their phone numbers. Their DC office voice mail boxes may be full, so call their local office. You probably won’t reach a human. When you leave a message, tell them you want a response, and give your phone number or email address. I’ve heard that emailing Congresspeople thru their websites is pointless. (For one thing, you’ll have to choose a category, and “Cabinet Nominees” is not among them.)
Make a separate phone call each time you contact your Congresspeople. Each constituent opinion is noted individually and tallied. Our Senators want to be re-elected, so your opinion matters.
Soon you’ll be calling to speak against Kash Patel, who would be terrifying as head of the FBI.
BTW, Democracy Forward - https://democracyforward.org/ - is largely responsible for the Trump Administration’s having rescinded the federal spending freeze. Other groups needing our support are Public Citizen - https://www.citizen.org/ - and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington - https://www.citizensforethics.org/ - These groups are suing the Trump administration virtually every day.
Join me in donating to keep these fearless advocates and lawyers working to save our democracy. Even if you’re too discouraged to read the details, pls. donate if you can afford to.
Green Empire State Building looks like King Kong threw up on it. Like a lot!
Other than that, I'm surprised Alabama has universities. And I'm looking forward to see madly smiling Stepford Wife Katie Britt defending them against the rest of MAGA. It'll be both hilarious and futile.
Welcome to the Face-Eating-Leopards-Party, Katie, please apply your BBQ sauce flavoured moisturizer now.
“By the way, people also dislike Trump’s executive order making it harder for Medicare to negotiate for lower prescription drug costs by 66 percent to 20 percent. That included 43 percent of Republicans who said they opposed it.”
Wait. So the majority of Republicans do NOT want drug costs lowered (or don’t care)!?
"Liberals believe in the rule of law. They also believe in the value of biomedical research. They believe there are important and worthwhile things that the government does. They might as well fight for their beliefs. They might even win."
Not just liberals, but also centrists and conservatives, as defined before the MAGA era. It is only the MAGA cult that hates the rule of law, science and research, and anything else that seeks "the truth wherever it lies." Above everything they hate a government of the people, by the people and for the people. Every Never-Trumper, from the Liz Cheney right to Bernie Sanders left, needs to set aside their differences, and fight this evil. But, as several writers have warned, we must not get distracted by every threat, but rather focus on the fact that most cult leaders, if not Trump himself, are very aware that there's almost no chance they can ever win another election fairly. They WILL try to steal them, and we MUST do everything in our power to stop them!
It's easy to pick on NIH "indirect costs" to universities, however those payments permit the fundamental and clinical science to get done. Pharmaceutical companies have failed in "basic" research and rely on small companies to midwife the basic research into product development and then larger companies often partner (or acquire) the small companies to test the safety and efficacy of the new treatment in humans. In addition to conducting and funding basic research, NIH also covers the costs of a number of clinical trials for drugs to be approved. for new. applications. There's opportunity to streamline such work, e.g. the mRNA vaccines for COVID-19 but it remains the core of the US's global lead in biological sciences. NIH provided $ for me to do my Ph.D. work prior to joining a nascent biotech program within a large chemical company in the early. 1980s as a "bench scientist." My career led me into program management for new therapeutics and. diagnostics in start-ups and in global companies. In my "retirement" I serve on the Institutional Review Board (where I'm the sole person who has worked in the pharmaceutical & device industries) which oversees patient safety in clinical trials, and as chaplain - yes, I went to seminary! Such. a career would never have been. possible without training supported by. NIH at a land grant university in the midwest.
Another example of the Musk rats not thinking things through. What this cut will affect is every state university, of which there are several in every state - even more when you think of large state university systems -with hundreds of thousands of graduates and supporters. Supportive alums and alumni associations. Attached to these universities are medical schools and hospitals often handling and doing research for patients with life threatening diseases. As a grad student I attended the U. of Wisconsin which has a large medical research hospital to which people from all over the state go for help and treatment. Today I received an invitation to attend a planned advocacy day in DC. There are of course some who will think there's a lot of university waste - but no one wants to see harm to the schools they attended , contribute to as alums, attend their football games, save the lives of family members. Many of these alums are in Congress, governor's offices and state legislatures.
2006 miles is a slight distance?!! My 16 y/o ScionxB with 264,000 miles on it will barely notice if I drive out to see my daughters in Cali and WA!! Yay?
Maybe if you don’t take the time to do the math you shouldn’t use a math critique. Jes sayin.
Everyone should listen to Rachel Maddow’s program tonight (2-10-25)! She gave a partial list of all the Republicans who lost their recent election bids and have now been given significant positions in the MUSK/Trump administration! In other words, we are now being governed/represented by LOSERS who we have rejected with our votes! Hour by hour MUSK/Trump are destroying the country we have known prior to 1-20-2025!!!!!
Today Trump declared that The Treasury Department has engaged in fraudulent activities. That US debt may not be as large as previously thought. Does that mean that bonds issued by the US Government are now backed by the full faith and credit of the US government or not? If not, will the US default on paying some of those bonds? When that happens, by which I mean the United States defaults on paying off its own bonds, the US dollar will fail as the foundation of international trade and currencies. Does Trump want China to be the new sheriff in town in international trade? The Chinese will look out for their own interests in this Gunfight at the OK Corral so be ready. The renminbi will reign supreme worldwide while Trump will reign here. Trump Flooding the Zone.
A good piece on how Tusk job cuts will affect red and purple states
https://ncnewsline.com/2025/02/18/repub/republicans-worry-gop-led-states-will-suffer-from-trumps-firings-of-federal-workers/?emci=f77f8f75-9ced-ef11-90cb-0022482a94f4&emdi=dce68847-f8ed-ef11-90cb-0022482a94f4&ceid=243945
How NIH cuts hit per capita state-by-state. Does anyone else find it puzzling that Red and Purple states are going to be clobbered Or will T'usk just exempt Red states and punish blue states?
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/02/13/upshot/nih-trump-funding-cuts.html
More on the item below: My wife is also part of a women's leadership group spanning the research, medical, and related disciplines of her university / hospital. Basically, the university brings in experts to talk about health care, education, and hospital finance trends. Yesterday, they were told that the group would be shut down indefinitely. Private and non-profit sector organizations are trying to get ahead of lawsuits and 'civiil rights' investigations.
Our magnificent golden ship, the "USS Great Experiment" has foundered now, having been deliberately run aground on the jagged reefs that were safely navigated for hundreds of years. While its voyage has often been rocky a safe and stable passage has ultimately prevailed. A once exiled and disgraced captain has now clambered back upon the helm, a cat-o-nine tails in his pudgy fist and for no particular reason orders the crew to dismantle the rigging, the sails and begin tearing apart the mighty and enduring hull as kindling for a personal bonfire of glory. There can be no salvage now. The remaining deckhands, (those not already set adrift long-ago) quake awaiting further madness to ensue. They know a time for their mutiny has passed. No longer the admired and upright champion of the waves, it lists slowly sinking on its side with its beacon dimmed, tilting ever closer to the dark water. On the horizon it appears aflame but that is only fading embers of a setting sun.
Contact your friends in purple or red states and urge them to reach out to their Senators. Some GOP Senators might be swayed if enough people speak out.
RFK Jr’s confirmation hearing to lead the Federal health agencies is coming soon. It’s not just his anti-vax stance, but he has no science background. During his hearing, he showed that he didn’t even have a basic understanding of the CDC, FDA, Medicare, or Medicaid. It was embarrassing.
Call your Senators, even Democrats! We cannot be sure that our Democratic Senators will vote against these reckless nominees. Some elected Democrats are caving already. You would be shocked if you looked at the list of “Yes” votes for many who have been confirmed. N.J. Senator Cory Booker voted to confirm Scott Bessent to lead Treasury. Bessent promptly gave Elon Musk permission to access Treasury records and payment systems. Thanks, Cory!
Google your Senators’ names to find their phone numbers. Their DC office voice mail boxes may be full, so call their local office. You probably won’t reach a human. When you leave a message, tell them you want a response, and give your phone number or email address. I’ve heard that emailing Congresspeople thru their websites is pointless. (For one thing, you’ll have to choose a category, and “Cabinet Nominees” is not among them.)
Make a separate phone call each time you contact your Congresspeople. Each constituent opinion is noted individually and tallied. Our Senators want to be re-elected, so your opinion matters.
Soon you’ll be calling to speak against Kash Patel, who would be terrifying as head of the FBI.
BTW, Democracy Forward - https://democracyforward.org/ - is largely responsible for the Trump Administration’s having rescinded the federal spending freeze. Other groups needing our support are Public Citizen - https://www.citizen.org/ - and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington - https://www.citizensforethics.org/ - These groups are suing the Trump administration virtually every day.
Join me in donating to keep these fearless advocates and lawyers working to save our democracy. Even if you’re too discouraged to read the details, pls. donate if you can afford to.
PLEASE RE-STACK THIS!
Please tell JVL i really enjoyed his live interview with Jim Acosta
Green Empire State Building looks like King Kong threw up on it. Like a lot!
Other than that, I'm surprised Alabama has universities. And I'm looking forward to see madly smiling Stepford Wife Katie Britt defending them against the rest of MAGA. It'll be both hilarious and futile.
Welcome to the Face-Eating-Leopards-Party, Katie, please apply your BBQ sauce flavoured moisturizer now.
“By the way, people also dislike Trump’s executive order making it harder for Medicare to negotiate for lower prescription drug costs by 66 percent to 20 percent. That included 43 percent of Republicans who said they opposed it.”
Wait. So the majority of Republicans do NOT want drug costs lowered (or don’t care)!?
"Liberals believe in the rule of law. They also believe in the value of biomedical research. They believe there are important and worthwhile things that the government does. They might as well fight for their beliefs. They might even win."
Not just liberals, but also centrists and conservatives, as defined before the MAGA era. It is only the MAGA cult that hates the rule of law, science and research, and anything else that seeks "the truth wherever it lies." Above everything they hate a government of the people, by the people and for the people. Every Never-Trumper, from the Liz Cheney right to Bernie Sanders left, needs to set aside their differences, and fight this evil. But, as several writers have warned, we must not get distracted by every threat, but rather focus on the fact that most cult leaders, if not Trump himself, are very aware that there's almost no chance they can ever win another election fairly. They WILL try to steal them, and we MUST do everything in our power to stop them!
Meanwhile, Trump, Vance, Musk, and Vought line up their plan to ignore the courts: https://popular.info/p/trump-maintains-funding-freeze-at
It's easy to pick on NIH "indirect costs" to universities, however those payments permit the fundamental and clinical science to get done. Pharmaceutical companies have failed in "basic" research and rely on small companies to midwife the basic research into product development and then larger companies often partner (or acquire) the small companies to test the safety and efficacy of the new treatment in humans. In addition to conducting and funding basic research, NIH also covers the costs of a number of clinical trials for drugs to be approved. for new. applications. There's opportunity to streamline such work, e.g. the mRNA vaccines for COVID-19 but it remains the core of the US's global lead in biological sciences. NIH provided $ for me to do my Ph.D. work prior to joining a nascent biotech program within a large chemical company in the early. 1980s as a "bench scientist." My career led me into program management for new therapeutics and. diagnostics in start-ups and in global companies. In my "retirement" I serve on the Institutional Review Board (where I'm the sole person who has worked in the pharmaceutical & device industries) which oversees patient safety in clinical trials, and as chaplain - yes, I went to seminary! Such. a career would never have been. possible without training supported by. NIH at a land grant university in the midwest.
Excellent article. Couldn’t say it better.
Another example of the Musk rats not thinking things through. What this cut will affect is every state university, of which there are several in every state - even more when you think of large state university systems -with hundreds of thousands of graduates and supporters. Supportive alums and alumni associations. Attached to these universities are medical schools and hospitals often handling and doing research for patients with life threatening diseases. As a grad student I attended the U. of Wisconsin which has a large medical research hospital to which people from all over the state go for help and treatment. Today I received an invitation to attend a planned advocacy day in DC. There are of course some who will think there's a lot of university waste - but no one wants to see harm to the schools they attended , contribute to as alums, attend their football games, save the lives of family members. Many of these alums are in Congress, governor's offices and state legislatures.
2006 miles is a slight distance?!! My 16 y/o ScionxB with 264,000 miles on it will barely notice if I drive out to see my daughters in Cali and WA!! Yay?
Maybe if you don’t take the time to do the math you shouldn’t use a math critique. Jes sayin.
Everyone should listen to Rachel Maddow’s program tonight (2-10-25)! She gave a partial list of all the Republicans who lost their recent election bids and have now been given significant positions in the MUSK/Trump administration! In other words, we are now being governed/represented by LOSERS who we have rejected with our votes! Hour by hour MUSK/Trump are destroying the country we have known prior to 1-20-2025!!!!!
Today Trump declared that The Treasury Department has engaged in fraudulent activities. That US debt may not be as large as previously thought. Does that mean that bonds issued by the US Government are now backed by the full faith and credit of the US government or not? If not, will the US default on paying some of those bonds? When that happens, by which I mean the United States defaults on paying off its own bonds, the US dollar will fail as the foundation of international trade and currencies. Does Trump want China to be the new sheriff in town in international trade? The Chinese will look out for their own interests in this Gunfight at the OK Corral so be ready. The renminbi will reign supreme worldwide while Trump will reign here. Trump Flooding the Zone.