donald trump

donald trump

This is only my opinion not the representation of Saintel Daily, LLC.

According to the Washington Post, the Trump administration has prohibited the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from using seven terms in their budget documents for next year.  Before I get into what they are, can we talk about this for a moment?  Has there ever been a president in the history of the country who banned the use of words?  To clarify, these words are being banned from the CDC’s budget documents, not necessarily from being used in general.  But this does feel very controlling doesn’t it?  What will this even achieve?

Without further adieu, Trump banned the following words:

  • Vulnerable
  • Entitlement
  • Diversity
  • Transgender
  • Fetus
  • Evidence-based, and;
  • Science-based

Is your jaw on the floor or is it just mine? Are you really banning the word fetus?  I’m pulling that one out because I don’t know how you can argue the word fetus.  Now, this isn’t my belief, but there are some people out there who believe that you can’t or shouldn’t be transgendered. Can you make any kind of argument against a fetus?  A fetus is a fetus, right?  Once you’re pregnant, and the baby starts to grow, you have a child inside you, therefore you have a fetus.  I guess I don’t understand why this word is on the list.

donald trump

Which brings me to my next point.  I can see why the other words made the list, which is because Trump is kind of a bigot.  Maybe that sounds harsh, but the definition of a bigot is a person who is intolerant of those holding different opinions.  If we look at the list, that’s kind of what is happening, isn’t it?  I mean, removing the words science-based means that you don’t believe in science. Normally, I would say that you don’t have to, but you are the president.  My point is, if you don’t believe in science, that’s ok.  But you can’t force other people to believe what you do.  You also can’t say that what other people believe is untrue.  Hence, the reason for the word bigot.

The director of the CDC fired off a series of tweets over the weekend to quell the backlash from the report.  However, several sources have tried to explain that the language changes were merely “suggestions”.  Excuse me?  Suggestions? Even so, who makes these suggestions anyway?

But the CDC wasn’t the only part of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to receive this kind of list.  Another HHS agency has been banned from using those words. This makes me laugh, actually.  I sound fired up, but this one is kind of funny.  HHS was told not to use the word Obamacare.  But rather, to use the words the Affordable Care Act.  You see what’s being done here, don’t you? You might remember during the 2016 presidential campaign, Trump supporters were in favor of the Affordable Care Act, but they wanted to see Obamacare repealed.  You’re laughing, right? Especially when they’re the same thing!  Isn’t this propaganda?

donald trump

HHS officials have indicated that they will “continue to use the best scientific evidence available to improve the health of all Americans”.  Which doesn’t specifically say what they will do with these words.  A former federal official had this to say about the whole thing:

“It’s absurd and Orwellian, it’s stupid and Orwellian, but they are not saying to not use the words in reports or articles or scientific publications or anything else the CDC does. They’re saying not to use it in your request for money because it will hurt you. It’s not about censoring what CDC can say to the American public. It’s about a budget strategy to get funded.”

But doesn’t that speak to a larger issue?  Which is – the elected officials are also bigoted when it comes to these issues? Yes, there is a way to write a proposal so you get what you want. But I don’t think that’s what this is.  I think this is a censorship issue.  There is no evidence that Trump would ever want to help any of the groups associated with the banned words, so I don’t buy this at all.

I realize this article seems a bit harsh, but I think it’s easy to brush this kind of policy directive to the side.  Sometimes we take the government’s word at face value, but we need to dig deeper.  Maybe there isn’t a hidden meaning like I’m suggesting, but this administration hasn’t proven to be straight with us.  Be an informed citizen.  Use your brain – you’re smart people.

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