President Joe Biden, joined by Vice President Kamala Harris and Director of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Dr. Rochelle Walensky, talks with CDC staff during a briefing Friday, March 19, 2021, at the CDC headquarters in Atlanta. (Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz)
A Faceless Branch with Unchecked Power
There is plenty of bipartisan criticism over Director Rochelle Walensky’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention response emphasizing “action” and “equity.” Her diagnosis and prescription, reports the WSJ, are both wrong.
Unanswered Questions from the CDC
- the origin of the virus
- data for the populace to understand the efficacy of the vaccine
- the numbers showing the death rate among children
CDC Lost Focus on Its Central Mission
Could the U.S. have handled Covid better if the CDC didn’t exist?
The agency needs to shrink and focus on its central mission: Tracking and helping to stop disease.
Do we really need an agency with 11,000 employees? Not much of the U.S. government works well these days, continues the WSJ, which then reminds readers that the CDC once had a reputation for excellence. “Covid blew that up. Its bureaucracy, with 11,000 employees and some two dozen divisions, impeded a rapid and effective response to the virus.”
Expanding Power at the Expense of Core Mission
The CDC is no exception as it has sought to address social and environmental issues that are better left to the states or other agencies. Meantime, it has failed in its core responsibility, which is to track diseases, collect data to inform decision-making, and deploy resources to support local public-health responses.
Teachers Behind CDC Guidance?
The CDC decided last spring not to collect information on “breakthrough Covid cases lest this show declining vaccine efficacy.”
Randi Weingarten Writing Guidance
Its school reopening guidance was written in part by American Federation of Teachers chief Randi Weingarten.
Dubious Science on Eviction Moratorium
The eviction ban was first imposed under Donald Trump, but the Biden Administration repeatedly extended it based on dubious science that purported to show it reduced the virus spread.
The Supreme Court eventually ruled it illegal. The CDC’s usurpation of Congress and states continued with its illegal mask mandate on public transportation, also based on thin science.
Damage from the CDC
- Disrupting children’s education, leading to psychological problems
- Job losses, leading to psychological problems
- Disruption of critical supply lines, etc., leading to national psychological problems
- Failure to examine the demographics of the Covid deaths and focus on who was vulnerable
- Failure to identify those from at risk: the elderly and patients with comorbidity
CDC to Increase Diversity?
The agency received a 7% raise this year, but Director Walensky wants more for a new office of “equity.” What for, you ask? To increase workforce diversity and improve communications with minority groups.
As the WSJ inquires, isn’t that what the CDC’s Office of Equal Employment Opportunity and Office of the Associate Director for Communication already do?
If you’re willing to fight for Main Street America, click here to sign up for the Richardcyoung.com free weekly email.
