A growing measles outbreak in Gaines County, Texas—24 cases so far in a county that voted 91 percent for Donald Trump—illustrates a grim irony.

Senate Republicans plan to vote today on anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination to be the secretary of health and human services. If they seat him, it will be Republican families that suffer.

  • Skiluros@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    121·
    8 days ago

    I am surprised to see Cato institute bring this up. They are pretty much open about their support for oligarchs, authoritarianism and hatred of human rights. I wonder if this is 4D chess of sorts where they worry RFK Jr.'s lack of PR skills and relative volatility could result in some plebs starting to wonder if the whole system is a ruse that plays them for suckers.

    That’s a much bigger danger to the people who bankroll Cato than some deaths/suffering due to mass viral outbreaks.

    • Jaderick@lemmy.world
      6·
      8 days ago

      They’re silly libertarians, but even they can see the authoritarianism that’s on the rise.

      • Skiluros@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
        41·
        8 days ago

        From what’s I’ve read from Cato, I don’t think they actually believe in what they write. Some of the younger analysts (who lack life experience) maybe, and I am sure they keep a few “true believer” types to keep up appearances.

        But at the end of the day their copytext about “freedom this” and “freedom that” doesn’t pass the basic smell test. A bunch of oligarch funded think tank analysts by definition cannot know anything about freedom.

          • Skiluros@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
            21·
            8 days ago

            I would disagree, considering the nature of Cato it makes sense for them to keep up appearances. Propaganda can show nuance when needed.

            Consider russian propaganda, even they don’t openly admit to being genocidal imperialists. On the contrary you often hear narratives around how they are helping Ukrainians and if not for the CIA, Ukrainians and Russians would be enjoying life together as brotherly nations.

            I just find it difficult to take something like this seriously:

            For more than 40 years, Cato has led the charge for liberty in our nation and around the world. The Cato Institute is a public policy research organization—or think tank—that creates a presence for and promotes libertarian ideas in policy debates. Our mission is to keep the principles, ideas, and moral case for liberty alive for future generations, while moving public policy in the direction of individual liberty, limited government, free markets, and peace.

            This reads like some sort of communist propaganda or something similar (especially the bit about “for future generations”). From my perspective, this is pretty typical copytext for Americans who work on corruption enablement. Lots of pomp and tedious bullshit, but when push comes to shove, there is always algniment with oligarch goals.