Mandy's Tue Blog: Time for Some Real Talk About Obesity and Covid

MICHELLE ZELLNER NEEDS TO TALK ABOUT OBESITY AND COVID And she and I spoke recently about this and the CDC. Obesity has made the covid epidemic much worse for the US, as it hits obese people much harder than fit people. It's not shaming anyone, these are the facts. From the CDC website:

Obesity Worsens Outcomes from COVID-19

Adults with excess weight are at even greater risk during the COVID-19 pandemic:

Having obesity increases the risk of severe illness from COVID-19. People who are overweight may also be at increased risk.

Having obesity may triple the risk of hospitalization due to a COVID-19 infection.

Obesity is linked to impaired immune function.2,3

Obesity decreases lung capacity and reserve and can make ventilation more difficult.4

A study of COVID-19 cases suggests that risks of hospitalization, intensive care unit admission, invasive mechanical ventilation, and death are higher with increasing BMI.5

The increased risk for hospitalization or death was particularly pronounced in those under age 65.5

More than 900,000 adult COVID-19 hospitalizations occurred in the United States between the beginning of the pandemic and November 18, 2020. Models estimate that 271,800 (30.2%) of these hospitalizations were attributed to obesity.6

Children diagnosed with obesity may suffer worse outcomes from COVID-19. In a study of COVID-19 cases in patients aged 18 years and younger, having obesity was associated with a 3.07 times higher risk of hospitalization and a 1.42 times higher risk of severe illness (intensive care unit admission, invasive mechanical ventilation, or death) when hospitalized.7

I fully believe that obesity has made covid especially hard on minorities who have a higher percentage of overweight and obese people. Also from the CDC:

Non-Hispanic Black adults had the highest prevalence of self-reported obesity (39.8%), followed by Hispanic adults (33.8%), and non-Hispanic White adults (29.9%).

6 states had an obesity prevalence of 35 percent or higher among non-Hispanic White adults.

15 states had an obesity prevalence of 35 percent or higher among Hispanic adults.

34 states and the District of Columbia (D.C.) had an obesity prevalence of 35 percent or higher among non-Hispanic Black adults.

Here is the mortality data from the CDC that shows clearly that if you are obese your chances of death go up DRAMATICALLY, especially if you are under 50.These are EXTREMELY important issues but all we hear from our leaders is "get the shot, get the shot, get the shot". Nothing about taking control of your health and losing weight and exercising to shore up your immune system. NOTHING. Why? Maybe it's because of the CDC Foundation. What? You didn't know that there was a CDC Foundation? Well what does it do? Read this.

The CDC is a federal agency housed in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The confusion stems from the fact that, in 1992, Congress mandated the creation of a non-profit foundation — the CDC Foundation— that would “not be an agency or instrumentality of the Federal Government” and whose purpose would be “to support and carry out activities for the prevention and control of diseases, disorders, injuries, and disabilities, and for promotion of public health.” As part of that goal, the foundation has an endowment and accepts charitable gifts from a variety of entities, including corporations, which are forwarded to the CDC to support specific initiatives. 

“The government has unique capacities as well as limitations. The same is true for the private and philanthropic sectors,” the CDC Foundation argues on its website. “We believe that people, groups and organizations have greater positive impact and can accomplish more collectively than individually.” Funds raised by the CDC foundation are donated to various programs and initiatives within the CDC.

The CDC Foundation is one of two ways corporations can legally provide funds to the CDC. Donations to the CDC foundation are an indirect route as, by law, “officers, employees, and members of the board of the Foundation shall not be officers or employees of the Federal Government.” Direct gifts by corporations to the CDC are also allowed under a portion of the U.S. Code that authorizes the secretary of HHS “to accept on behalf of the United States gifts made … for the benefit of the Service or for the carrying out of any of its functions.”

For both direct gifts to the CDC and gifts made via the CDC Foundation, conditional funding is allowed so long as those requirements are not, as outlined in CDC policy documents:

So just so you understand, drug companies make "gifts" to the CDC Foundation which are then funneled to the CDC. Sounds cozy, right? This relationship has been exposed previously. For instance, drug companies that make Hepatitis C tests and drugs made a donation but it came with a caveat: it had to be used to raise awareness about testing for Hep C. Hmmmm.

We shall discuss this today. FIND MICHELLE BY CLICKING HERE!

SO DID ANYONE SEE THE DUMPSTER FIRE THAT WAS THE MET GALA RED CARPET? I don't give a rat's ass about the Met Gala, but I must comment on it's utter and complete absurdity in comparison with the fall of ancient Rome. I saw this yesterday on Twitter:

Then I saw some photos from last night's Met Gala. The Met Gala is an event to raise money for the Metropolitan Museum's Costume Gallery and celebrities usually come in outrageous attire to try and outfreak each others. Let me share some of last night's looks.

There were some beautiful dresses and men looking dapper, but they weren't the big stars of the night. This ugly nonsense (and there was SO MUCH MORE) is what passes for high fashion these days. Now go read that quote I shared. How far gone are we? Pretty far, I'd say. OH, and good little socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez managed to score a ticket that costs $30,000 a PIECE to wear this number.

It says "Tax the Rich" on the back, which I'm sure was place there so she couldn't see all the angry glares from the hella rich people that were there. She's so brave.

IS 61% OF YOUR INCOME A FAIR SHARE? That's what top earning New Yorkers could earn if the House Democrats get their way and raise the top marginal tax rate like they want to. We all know AOC is on board. From CNBC:

The plans being proposed include a 3% surtax on taxpayers earning more than $5 million a year. The plans also call for raising the top marginal income tax rate to 39.6% from the current 37%. The plans preserve the 3.8% net investment income tax, and extend it to certain pass-through companies.

The result is a top marginal federal income tax rate of 46.4%. The marginal rate is the rate for every dollar above the tax bracket income threshold.

In New York City, the combined top marginal state and city tax rate is 14.8%. So New York City taxpayers who earn more than $5 million a year would face a combined city, state and federal marginal rate of 61.2% under the House plan.

The House plan is still a proposal and could change. Yet the combined rates for New York City would be among the highest in nearly 40 years.

Top earning Californians would face a combined marginal rate of 59.7%, while those in New Jersey would face a combined rate of 57.2%. Hawaii could face combined rates of 57.4%.

I'm guessing this would continue the exodus out of Cali and New York and almost makes me want to raise our taxes so they won't come here. Almost.

HEY, HERE IS ANOTHER ARTICLE ON MASKS NOT WORKING And I put this here knowing that the maskholes will not stop because they must be seen doing SOMETHING even if it is a stupid intervention that does not work. Read it here.

THIS IS A GREAT STORY ABOUT HOW PARENTS CAN CHANGE EDUCATION And this is about a charter school in Woodland Park, started by parents who just wanted a non-political school that focused on the classics and reading and math. Read it here and be inspired.

YOUR ROOMBA COULD LEARN TO DODGE THE CRAP I have multiple friends who have the Roomba Meets Dog Crap experience and it's NOT pretty. Now the Roomba company has added cameras and sensors to the Roomba, so that it may learn to avoid the crap. It does come with a price though and that is that the Roomba company will have detailed layouts of your home and photos of your stuff to boot. I'm not saying the Roomba company would use those nefariously but how good is their internet security?

WE'VE GOT A POLICE SHORTAGE SO LET'S DO SOMETHING TO MAKE MORE OF THEM QUIT! The LAPD has an issue. The union is suing over the Biden Administration's vaccine mandate and MANY officers are threatening to quit. Good thing crime is dropping like a rock in LA, amiright? I am wrong. I have one piece of advice for those cops and anyone else under Biden's vaccine mandate: don't quit, MAKE them fire you.

NEW STUDY SHOW DR. ATKINS WAS RIGHT Calories in-Calories out is what doctors tell you is all you need to do to lose weight. Take in fewer calories than you expend, BANG, you drop weight. This is a lie. Now a new study confirms what Dr. Atkins said in the 1970s, which is the kind of calories you eat matters a LOT. Highly processed sugary foods loaded with simple carbs are poison, full stop. Eat real food that has been minimally processed and then CI-CO works.

ARE YOU READY TO PAY WITH A PALM PRINT? Or get into a concert maybe? Amazon One is the new service installed in Amazon Markets and some Whole Foods and now Red Rocks that will allow you to pay or gain entry by simply waving your hand over a scanner. What could go wrong with this and I'm asking seriously.

TEACHERS IN NEW YORK SHOW UP TO PROTEST BIDEN'S VACCINE MANDATE and this is getting interesting, although I don't think the numbers are big enough here to go up against the union leadership. They chanted classy things like "F*CK JOE BIDEN" as they marched across the Brooklyn Bridge. Read more here.

SOCIAL MEDIA IS MAKING POLARIZATION WORSE Is anyone surprised by this? What is super irritating about this particular study is that they focus on how the events of January 6th were ginned up on social media. Not a mention that I can see of the Summer of Riots and Unrest and how social media contributes to that. Just a report warning that we need to keep those nasty righties in line or else. I don't disagree with the conclusion that social media is making us more tribal and stupid, but the aim should be to get people OFF social media, not government intervention to make sure the one side is shut down.

THIS IS THE SORT OF GARDENING I CAN GET BEHIND here's a video about "The Poison Garden" in the UK.

STUDENTS LOVE VOTING RULES Campus Reform is at it again.

I'M NOT CRYING, YOU'RE CRYING A bride flies to Florida to dance with her Grandpa when he was too ill to make the trip to her wedding. Read it here.

KETCHUP ON THE FLY THANKS TO THIS MOM'S HACK

NOW WE'RE POTTY TRAINING COWS TO FIGHT GLOBAL WARMING And this is all well and good until THE ENTIRE HERD has to go at the same time. For real though, who knew cows were this smart?