Kennedy sidesteps vaccine questions: ‘I don’t think people should be taking medical advice from me’
RFK Jr. clashes with lawmakers over vaccines and HHS mass layoffs
Is the secretary for health usually a medical professional?
Started compiling a list, but it posted early, and I got lazy.
List of them here, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Secretary_of_Health_and_Human_Services
Looking at the first handful, most aren't medical professionals.
You would still expect that they should be able leverage their resources to have a pre-built response to a question like that.
I don't think that is the case for most countries.
BUT the secretary of health (or whatever they are called in other countries) must be well-informed enough to be a credible source 1. for general health advice about e.g. vaccines and 2. for acute information about current medical topics like the flu or similar illnesses.
“I don’t think people should be taking medical advice from me,” Kennedy said.
Well then, the next questions should be, "what is your job title?" and "what exactly is it that you DO here?"
Strictly speaking his job is administrative - he's not an expert on health nor does he really need to be. He's a political appointee charged with advising the president and enacting the president's policies. The career bureaucrats and scientists in his employ are the experts.
It is, however, expected that he would at least understand and listen to those teams on what the correct science is and provide feedback from those teams upward to the president to ensure that the president's goals align with good public health policy.
But he's a whackjob conspiracy theorist who has no idea what he's doing.
So shut the fuck up about it, then.
For real, I'd respect the self-awareness if it wasn't preceded by years of non-stop medical misinformation.
Honestly hoping he gets ball cancer.
People gotta remember this guy has been as desperate as Trump his whole life to be accepted as a legitimate member of elite society. You factor that in, you factor in that Trump also wanted to be a crime boss like his mob affiliates from the early part of his career, the motives become more clear, the outcomes become more predictable.
Also remember, some of this is engineered by both parties to distract us from the everyday realities we are facing.
Don’t take your eye off the prize. We want a centrally planned economy, we want universal healthcare, we want federally funded infrastructure projects, and we’re gonna take that money from the wealthy.
Beware “abundance” grifters…
Also remember, some of this is engineered by both parties to distract us from the everyday realities we are facing.
Funny how one party seems to push this sort of shit way way more than another party.
Don’t take your eye off the prize. We want a centrally planned economy, we want universal healthcare, we want federally funded infrastructure projects,
I just want a functioning democracy, one with less fascists and corruption in it.
and we’re gonna take that money from the wealthy.
And how are you going to do that? Are you willing to take it by force? Because that's the only way it's going to happen. You have to take it by force.
And how are you going to do that? Are you willing to take it by force? Because that's the only way it's going to happen. You have to take it by force.
No, we'll take it by legislation and re-writing the tax code, but if they want to hold out, than yes, we'll take it by force, and that will be a LOT worse for them.
We want a centrally planned economy,
Lmao what? Is this a #JustLemmyThings meme?
That's interesting. Makes a bit of a connection to Putin and Russian current regime.
They are mostly children of party bureaucrats, with some mafia and special services seasoning added. That includes Putin himself, people painting him as ex-intelligence or his KGB past as something big miss the point, he had a minor role, he was a kid from a party family and he was sent to GDR because foreign postings were prestigious.
So they have this inferiority complex to make themselves seem real mafia and special services.
I wonder if Putin's hate for Ukraine is a result of its organized crime not treating him as anything interesting. Same with Georgia, it was once the center of the organized crime in the ex-Soviet space, and Saakashvili didn't end that as much as people think.
We want a centrally planned economy,
Oh, so you want real serfdom. Where you have a dossier passed between your employers as if you were a resource. Trade unions being state-controlled and acting in the interest of your employer. Nice.
we want universal healthcare,
Teeth being torn out without anesthetics, doctors prescribing donkey piss, people finding the rare good doctors via acquaintances and ties for important operations, because otherwise you might not survive that. Oh yes.
we want federally funded infrastructure projects,
Suppose that's fine.
and we’re gonna take that money from the wealthy.
Just remember that the most important part of ownership is deciding how the money is used, and you are giving this to non-elected bureaucrats if you want central planning.
Nah, should think a bit more.
A hint - "Soviet system" doesn't mean the USSR's system, and it can be good if designed very carefully.
We got universal healthcare in Europe and people don't pull your teeth out without anesthetics, what copium are you on, "the american self made man", "small government" or which delusional one is it?
Lol
Your description of Universal Health Care is ridiculous, and instantly destroys any credibility you might have.
Woah something I can agree with him about. Maybe we can find common ground here.
I think that's a great idea, but maybe don't be assigned in charge of health.
I mean, I already am ignoring the medical advice he gives me.
I sadly can't ignore the medical advice he is giving the country as a whole.
So when he says you shouldn't take medical advice from him, you would not listen?
/j
I do.occasionally agree with RFK
He doesn't want you to take medical advice from him, but he does want to dictate what kind of medical advice your actual doctor is legally allowed to give you.
I wouldn't take ANY advice from him.
I dunno, he's prob the go-to guy for techniques about chainsawing the head off a dead whale
I'm actually that kinda guy. It would never occur to me that chainsawing the head of a whale corpse I found on the beach would be a no-no. It's already dead! Not like I killed it. I'm also dumb enough to keep bird feathers I find. Yeah. That could be a problem given the wrong cop.
"SWEET! Giant skull! I'm hanging that shit at camp! (After the ants do their thing.)"
I really do hang skulls I find on the shed door. Got a deer, a small mammal with pointy canines, a box turtle and pieces of something the raptors left (rabbit?). One time the local dogs dropped a deer skull on my tent. Coughed loudly and scared hell out of 'em.
Shit ...I'm pretty sure you could figure it out.
What people are missing from the article and headline is that he had vaccinated his children when they were little and the question was whether he would vaccinate his children if they were young today. That's the question he sidestepped. Yes, I bet he would is the reason for the sidestep. He's a con man too.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Wednesday sidestepped a question about vaccines and whether he would choose to vaccinate his children today against a number of diseases, saying, “I don’t think people should be taking medical advice from me.”
Then resign your commission, wormbreath
Remember to kick a republican in the balls.
Brain worm guy has a point there
Useful idiots; remember that.
The Heritage Foundation is the one enacting the policies. White supremacist billionaires with the idea that they know what's best because.
The smartest thing he has ever said and he doesn't even realize it
Maybe the brain worms will save us after all... I was so confused about the brainworms, and finally I read an article that said that he licked His hand after sticking it in a dead deer's mouth and got brain worms.
Not the type of guy I'd take advice on anything from... Well, that's not true. Maybe were to o score some...Nose beers.
I honestly don't know if the absurdity in your message is absurdist humor, or absurdist factual reality.
Life isn't fun when you're living in the world of an article from The Onion.
Dude sounds like he’s just some confused fishing buddy that a friend hired.
My brother in christ you are the secretary for health
While "fake it till you make it" works for personal gain, for the greatest good it's better to be incompetent and honest. No one to blame but Trump for putting him in this position.
Now if only he would remain steadfast and consistent with this sort of honesty. That's the issue with these fools, they are consistently inconsistent. It's the most aggravating form of stupidity.
Elizabeth Holmes admits she was in control of Theranos
But Ms. Holmes... did you not start this company?
"I swear to god, I was extremely incompetent. I had no clue what I did day in, day out. It's all just a blur. I'm not even sure why they hired me honestly."
“Fuck if I know what I did on my years-long coke bender”
"Not only am I a bad judge of who a good employee might be, but I'm also a bad employee. It's truly the worst situation, Your Honor."
"I was self-employed and my boss was an incompetent jerk."
"Seems to be a huge problem in self-employment. I’m self-employed, or was until my asshole boss got in a car accident in my car and somehow blamed the whole thing on me! Fucker is a procrastinator too."
"I've already punished myself with a pay cut."
"Look no reasonable person would have hired me, thus I'm clearly mentally unwell"
"I’m gonna sue my ass for what I did to me!"
“I am just a low-level CEO, I really just made the coffee.”
"As I said, I was incompetent. I should never have hired me."
She made the critical error of stealing from rich people
Alright no one's asking so I'm doing it. Are these real quotes? And ain't it a shame we're living in a time I need to ask that?
So did Martin Shkreli. (LOL, I Googled "guy who raised drug prices". First hit from Gemini. Maybe AI ain't so dumb?)
Shkreli not only bragged about it but had the nerve to be an insufferable little bitch while he was at it. With a punchable face. At least Holmes is cute.
Steal from the poor all ya like, never the rich. Reverse Robin Hood: A-OK.
Self aware wolf? That title made me laugh, and question what he's doing in that position, to administer eugenics only?
its more or less a distraction of the tariffs, and trumps own doge who is run by vought now.
But... You're the.... I.... I hate this timeline.
Is that stuff on his face removable?
I’ll give him a slight amount of credit for saying that part out loud.
Let’s face it, his pushes are likely going to be cost cuts on anything the federal government is involved in, to try to make up on tax cuts and entitlement programs for the top 10%. Which will only, long game, make working class more unhealthy, angry, and desperate.
That's a twist
Must have been the brain worm talking.
Right... so why did you take the position of Secretary of Health, again?
Exactly. That's like SecDef being like "idk, I'm really not in a position to give military advice". I say that fully aware of the irony, but it's hard to pick a non-busted example since Trump's cabinet is just completely full of "meritocracy".
Mediocrity.
Ha, if only. I wish it could be that rosy :'(
Maybe midiocracy?
We live in the dumbest timeline.
He took it because he’s a narcissist who’s convinced he’s right about everything because of his last name and his money. Sound familiar?
Trump’s entire cabinet was picked for two reasons: Loyalty To Trump and Pissing Off Anyone Who Doesn’t Kiss Trump’s Ass. RFK fills that second one.
Don't forget he went to Harris and she turned him away, and he went to Trump. Trump "allegedly" gave him the position in exchange for dropping out of the race and endorsing Trump. Which happened directly after.
People claimed at the time that would be illegal as it would fall under quid pro quo.
Edit: had to update it because the timeline was unclear which he went to first. One source reports he went to Trump first, then Harris after. Either way the result was the same. Harris didn't respond, and Trump did. Getting the endorsement
For those of us like me that can step back. This timeline is absurdly funny.
It's literally just a game to them.
I'm not sure why you'd think that. They don't give a fuck about the law.
I don't disagree but this is a lot better than him giving false 'information'
When was the last time secretary of health was a qualified doctor?
Edit:
2017
Before that, 1989
Both republican
There are full-on doctors who are conservative wack jobs though.
The job of Secretary of Health is best suited for an administrator, not a doctor.