Make Yourself Heard

Cleanup on aisle 6 .... and 7 and 8 and all of them

Make Yourself Heard:

Everyone hopefully has figured out by now, that Donald Trump’s cabinet picks and myriad of Executive Orders are all part and parcel of his plans and vision for the US. He sees the United States as a previous and once again future powerhouse; for individual rights and freedoms and especially economic prosperity. He views the country as having sclerosed under the burden of the regulatory state which breeds corruption and waste. He sees clearly how virtually every sector has degenerated to largely concern itself with government obedience rather than productivity and satisfying the consumer’s needs. And when looking for monetary opportunity, the government now controls roughly 40% of our commerce either directly or indirectly; so why not just move operations to DC?!

Disruption is the new administration’s byword. Every cabinet pick is an outsider and a disrupter in some fashion. Each has had to buy into DJT’s vision of a resurgent America. This is what America First has meant, and not just some slogan for marketing purposes. This president actually knows how stultifying regulations have become as he comes from a business background and not a legal or political one. His first four years in DC were an even larger sobering education. Many are leary of his sudden courting of Silicon Valley tycoons who heretofore were censoring him and helping his political opponents. But remember that when asked about retaliation, he said that his revenge would be his success at changing the country for the better. Rather than destroying some of our strongest companies because of past sins, he is giving them an opportunity to succeed even more; as long as they play by the rules and treat the average citizen fairly.

Here is what we know so far. The last administration ruled by fear. They would arrest political opponents. The IRS would gain obedience through selective audits and fines. They would punish those who had incorrect thinking (that started with Lois Lerner long ago, under Obama). They hired about 88,000 new auditors to assist them in doing just that. The old regime would create confusion about regulation that stifled innovation. In fact, these tactics are the cause of many industries offshoring. Our tax system and regulatory burdens had become so onerous, that innovation was stifled. On purpose to punish us for our past sins as the left likes to march out constantly? Perhaps. Either way, Trump has vowed to cut ten regulations for every one implemented. He has vowed to make the US the world’s best place to do business.

Somewhat overlooked is his commitment to having cryptocurrencies be an American enterprise. He has also committed to have the US be the center of innovation for AI. Both of these areas are going to thrive and grow enormously regardless. The only question is whether or not the US will cede these areas of technology to foreign (and sometimes malign) interests or whether we will develop them and gain some control over the direction that they develop. Well, we have our answer. If developed elsewhere, there is every reason to believe that these technologies would be used for control and blocking freedoms. Under the Trump administration, there is great hope and there is promise that these will be regulated in such a way as to guarantee that they serve our liberty and not our enslavement. The US is still the world’s last best hope (once again) for the freedoms we used to enjoy … and hopefully again enjoy.

Recall that under Biden, Tren de Aragua (the Venezuelan prison gang spreading across the country and notably reported taking over apartment complexes in Colorado and elsewhere) was called a minor problem and was ignored. In fact it seemed that the Biden administration was in cahoots with them, so much did they dismiss them as an issue. In less than a week, the gang in Aurora Colorado has been broken up by Trump’s team and is being deported. Cleanup on aisle six. Over 350,000 illegally imported children are missing, as in - our agencies let them loose without tracking to whom or for what purpose. The US has now become the world’s leader in child and sex trafficking thanks to the policies of the left. It’s almost as if they are making money off of these operations, and time will tell, but my money is on discovering many corrupt politicians being in business with the cartels. I’m sure we will learn many sordid details over time.

Elsewhere on the economic front, Trump delivered an amazing dressing down of the WEF in Davos, reiterating his plans to make America great again. He invited others to join in moving towards economic and personal freedom. He even chided the head of Bank of America, to his face, for his de-banking of conservatives for no good reason. At Davos, Trump had at least one ally - Javier Milei of Argentina (the DJT of Argentina, he has been called). His talk to the glitterati of Davos was nothing short of a tour de force promotion of liberty and free markets along with a stern rebuke of the current trends. It is a must watch:

This brings me to the healthcare arena. This week on Wednesday begins the grilling of Robert F Kennedy, Jr who is seeking the HHS directorship spot. Many thought that Pete Hegseth’s nomination would be the toughest. And indeed it was hard. As per the usual template, those opposing his nomination went back decades to find some sexual complaint or another that never ended in criminal charges because there never was any ‘there there.’ The left knows that ‘sexual sins’ bother many on the right and so they go to that playbook over and over again. Peccadillos become rapes and childhood missteps become moral flaws beyond the pale. But I think after Clarence Thomas, Roy Moore, Brett Kavanaugh and others, perhaps the tactic is wearing thin. Proven charges of child molestation or rape are one thing. He said, she said charges that only appear after decades, miraculously just in time for a confirmation process are quite another. In Hegseth’s case, the real reason for opposition is more than likely due to his disruptive promises that could affect large stakeholders in the military industrial complex.

So too with Kennedy. With an insider’s name (Kennedy) he is nevertheless the ultimate outsider, a defector, as it were. His career has been litigating against establishment big businesses including, notably, healthcare companies. So forces will be arrayed against him for sure. And I foresee those on the left and right aligning to a degree, to keep him out of a position of influence. First, just as I have in the past noted how much of our society from major media to medical journals to medical organizations to universities are heavily subsidized by pharma, so too are many of our politicians … of all stripes (9 of the 20 top $ recipients from pharma in 2024 are Republicans - equal opportunity). But in addition, people are having trouble with his stance on abortion. Those on the right are unhappy with his past support for ‘abortion rights’ and on the left with his associating with a President who is open about his support for pro-life groups. I suspect that his views on abortion will make no difference policy-wise. He will keep a low profile on the topic. His life has been dedicated to reforming our healthcare system and holding big business accountable. The price of admission to the HHS is to focus on what he knows best.

The most important thing about Kennedy is his willingness to open the books on our regulatory state and find out where the skeletons are buried. My hope is that along with Jay Bhattacharya and Marty Makary, they will be able to bring honesty and integrity back to our medical sciences. That would be a huge win in an era where our life expectancy is falling for the very first time and in an era where chronic disease has become the rule rather than the exception.

To that end, I encourage each of you to contact your senator, whether R or D and let them know how much having Kennedy sail through the process means to you. That is the best way to get this thing done. The following link is easy to use. Pick a state; pick a senator; link to a message page and write your words of encouragement. Took me 5 minutes to write to both my senators.

https://www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm

Let’s get Kennedy confirmed and begin the cleanup on aisle 6 and 7 and 8…..

In health,

DocofLastResort