Confirmation Hearings: By the Numbers
I actually learned some information I didn’t know before the Great National Debate on Vaccines … I mean on “chronic disease.”
I just finished watching more than three hours of the RFK, Jr. Confirmation Hearings in front of the Senate Finance Committee. I took notes and, probably tomorrow, I’ll post a story with my observations. However, from my notes it became apparent I could quickly post a “By the Numbers” piece.
The following figures and percentages all deal with public health and/or the hearings. I thought these were interesting and perhaps a few readers will as well.
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5 - Number of minutes each senator got to ask questions or make speeches.
7 to 9 - Minutes Chairman Crapo let speakers talk.
1 - Number of speakers who didn’t ask Kennedy any questions.
Sen. Whitehouse of Rhode Island told Kennedy, “You are just going to have to listen” and, later, “frankly, you frighten people.”
1 - Number of measles cases in Rhode Island that “frighten people.”
0 - Not counting the chairman and Democratic leader (Sen. Wyden), my estimate of the number of senators who sat through the entire hearing.
Medicare
64 million - Number of Americans on Medicare or Medicare Advantage
…. 20.6 percent of American citizens.
Medicaid
72 million - Number of Americans on Medicaid.
7 million - Number of children enrolled in the “CHIPS” Medicaid program.
79 million - Number of Americans on both programs.
… 24 percent of American population.
1.4 million - Number of births paid for by Medicaid every year.
41 percent - Percentage of babies born in America where medical costs are paid for by Medicaid.
$900 billion - Annual Medicaid expense for federal government.
60 percent - Increase in Medicaid outlays in the last four years.
Note: Until 2021, government experts claimed the annual rate of inflation was 2 to 3 percent … which means aggregate “Medicaid inflation” (15 percent every year) is about 5 to 7 times higher than (alleged) regular inflation, pre-Biden.
91,000 - Number of employees who work for the Department of HHS.
600 - Number of HHS employees Kennedy acknowledged he might soon fire.
Covid cases and deaths …
4.2 percent - America’s percentage of the global population.
16 percent - Percentage of people who allegedly “died from Covid” who lived in America.
3.88 - Average number of “chronic diseases” suffered by a typical Covid victim, per Kennedy.
Government Oversight …
70 - Number of oversight letters sent by Sen. Johnson to public health agencies that he says were “swatted out of thin air.”
15 - Number of blank pages in a recent FOIA response showing Anthony Fauci’s “response” to questions about possible myocarditis risks from vaccines.
Note: Johnson said the redacted pages used to be black, but now they are just white printer paper. “They’ve come up with a new way of redacting,” said Sen. Johnson.
7 days - Time Kennedy said it would take him to chronicle all the so-called “conspiracy theories” that have been attributed to him … “theories” that turned out to be completely true.
The rich get richer …
$70 billion - Profits of Health Insurance companies in the last year, according to Sen. Sanders.
$100 billion - Profits of Big Pharmaceutical companies in a recent year, according to Sanders.
0 - Number of vaccines or pills pushed and sold by the rich, greedy (but apparently trustworthy) Pharma companies that Sanders wants to end.
70 percent - Percentage of Big Pharma profits that come from selling drugs and vaccines in the American market. Note: America has only 4.2 percent of the global population that might use Big Pharma products.
5 to 10 - Approximate number of times Kennedy said he was pro-vaccine.
7,400+ - Percentage price mark-up of a hypertension drug, according to one of several senators who expressed concerns about PBMs (“Pharmacy Benefit Manager.”)
Note: According to Kennedy, PBMs and the number of rural hospitals that are closing were the two main concerns expressed to him in his meetings with 60 senators before the Confirmation Hearings. Apparently, whether Covid vaccines really are “safe and effective” didn’t come up.
Rural communities and states losing health care providers …
31 - Number of hospitals in the state of Wyoming.
6 - Number that are at “risk” of soon closing, per Sen. Barasso.
Bodily Autonomy …
100 percent- Percentage of women who should be allowed to make their own medical decisions about their “bodily autonomy” regarding “reproductive rights,” according to Sen. Cortez Masto.
0 percent - Percentage of Americans who should be allowed to make their own medical decisions about their “bodily autonomy” regarding Covid vaccines.
Make America Healthy Again (MAHA)
25 - Approximate number of times this phrase or acronym was used in the 3-hour hearings.
92 percent - Number of deaths attributed to “chronic disease,” according to Kennedy, apparently making the point that a relatively tiny percentage of deaths are attributed to “infectious diseases.”
20 percent - Estimated percentage of American GDP spent on healthcare.
*** (21 - Over-under on how many “shares” this By-The-Numbers story generates) ***
Obesity Epidemic
70 percent - Approximate percentage of Americans considered over-weight or “obese,” according to Kennedy
3 percent - Approximate percentage of Japanese who are considered to be obese.
Diabetes Epidemic
0 - Number of pediatric patients with diabetes or pre-diabetes that American doctors used to see in a 40-year medical career, according to Kennedy
3 - Approximate number of patients with these diagnoses doctors now see every day.
Autism Epidemic
1-in-1,500 - Number of kids who used to be diagnosed somewhere on the autism spectrum.
1-in-34 - Number of kids who are now diagnosed with autism, according to Kennedy.
Bad Soil Epidemic
25 - Number of years until American farmers won’t be able to grow crops on soil that’s being contaminated, according to Kennedy.
Measles Epidemic
82 - Approximate number of alleged measles deaths in Samoa six or so years ago, all of which should be blamed on Kennedy’s anti-vax rhetoric, according to one Democrat talking point highlighted by several speakers.
‘I won’t make that pledge …”
4 - After he is no longer Secretary of HHS, number of years Mass. Sen. Warren wants Kennedy to wait before he sues another Pharma company. Note: Kennedy said he would never pledge or “agree" to not suing Big Pharma companies.
Vaccine Hesitancy Numbers …
90 percent - Percentage of Americans who got at least one of the Covid “vaccines” in the fist year of the vaccines, according to Kennedy.
23 percent - Percentage of Americans who are still getting Covid boosters.
77 percent - Percentage of Americans who now disregard CDC vaccine guidance.
8 - Number of original shots and subsequent boosters the CDC is still encouraging everyone over six months old to get, according to Kennedy.
Update: Several of my readers expressed “doubt” about the claim that “90 percent'“ of Americans got at least one Covid shot, skepticism I share. I also don’t think 23 percent of Americans are still getting Covid shots. If that’s true, approximately 75 million Americans over the age of six months are still getting Covid jabs. Egads! … “The horror.”
Miscellaneous …
(Apparently, CHD is still selling its “anti-vax” T-shirts and baby onesies, which hopefully are now registering record sales.)
1 - Number of Republican Senators who mentioned Operation Warp Speed.
30 - Approximate number of questions that Democratic Senators demanded Kennedy answer with a “Yes” or a “No.”
3 - Approximate number of questions Kennedy answered with a “Yes” or a “No.”
$26 - Price of an “anti-vax Onesie” that can be purchased from the Children’s Health Defense website, according to irate Sen. Bernie Sanders.
0 - Number of Senators who asked Kennedy a question about the embalmers’ clots.
95 to 100 percent - My accuracy rate on predictions about what would happen at this Confirmation Hearing.
UPDATE AND Corrections:
I just added a photo of Sen. Bernie Sanders "throwing his tantrum" about the baby onesies that are being sold at the CHD website. I included a link if anyone wants to buy these cute onesies and provocative T-shirts. Question: Is Sanders also against free speech on T-shirts?
Here's a Link showing the onesie products:
https://chdstore.org/category/390bc8d4-944b-ef11-a066-3cecef705787
Sanders' money quote: “Are you supportive of these onesies?”
I like the Onesie that says, "Little Resister."
***
A few corrections I've now made:
77 - Percent of Americans who now disregard CDC guidance on Covid vaccines and boosters. Not 67 percent as I first reported.
Also, two senators did sit through the entire hearing - the chairman and the ranking Democrat (Sen Wyden). I think all the other senators skee-daddled after they made their speeches and asked one or two questions.
And a third one - 64 million people on Medicare not 68 million.
30 million citizens on Medicare proper and 34 million on "Medicare Advantage."
Kennedy said Medicare Advantage is much better but more expensive.
Correction No. 4: Big Pharma had $100 billion in profits in a recent year, according to Sen. Sanders. I had a typo and said $100 million.
... You can probably tell I was rushing to finish this story before my nutritious, MAHA supper!
Thanks for the rundown.
I watched the whole show. My main take: It was appalling the number of US senators we have who are so obviously captured by the pharmaceutical industry, and to boot, some of them are plain old garden variety stupid.
Political realities-- well, I noted the Means pair in the audience. Clearly a lot of topics aren't being allowed to float up on the level of open discussion-- including, as you have said, the issue of the white clots.
I'm mainly feeling grateful that at least we have RFK willing to serve, and at least we have Senator Ron Johnson. Oh, and I also noted Megyn Kelly sitting next to RFK's wife. Amazing to think where things are now compared to 2020-2022. In sum: feeling appalled and feeling grateful.