An old friend was diagnosed with the first of two forms of cancer six years ago. The BC Cancer Agency provided treatments using techniques unavailable to past generations. A few days ago, his oncologist said he was cancer-free. Many have heard those relieving words because survival for all cancers has improved immensely during our lifetimes.
Progress in healthcare has increased our life expectancy. A century ago, newly born Canadians lived fewer than 60 years on average. Today, that number is above 83 years and is rising again after being stalled by COVID-19. Centenarians are Canada’s fastest-growing age group, and their numbers will be 10x higher over the next 50 years.
Undoubtedly, medical sciences are critical to extending lives and improving the quality of our existence. That ought to draw applause from everyone. It does not.
The crowd inspired by Donald Trump would rather give wealthy citizens another tax reduction than fund scientific research. The authors of Project 2025 planned to slash funding to hundreds of thousands of research projects and the Trump administration began doing that soon after taking power.
Cancer research is the top area in which the USA’s National Institute of Health grants are awarded. Also affected is research that aims to keep E. coli bacteria out of food crops. Most at risk of funding cuts are projects that Trumpers suspect may deal with underrepresented people. Those are out of step with presidential executive orders targeting diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. NPR reported:
This kind of scrutiny, along with other actions of the administration so far — freezing grants, clamping down on communications from federal agencies, taking down databases on women’s health, HIV and youth behaviors and purging some of DEI-related terms — represent to many scientists an extreme move to exert more presidential control over the kinds of science that get funded, and potentially who does it. If continued, it could represent a major departure from how science has been funded for decades.
Trump and his conservative supporters aim to hurt people who seem different from themselves. In the end, they will hurt us all.
Categories: Human Rights
in-sights.ca 
The Americans have been seduced by a grifter and as with all grifters, there is a retinue of lesser grifters selling snake oil.
In the United States today and to a lesser extent in Canada, The MAGA Conservatives are trying to make acceptable ignorance, greed, gluttony and avarice to the common people. With the Mango Mussolini, they have achieved their goal, the problem is it will not last long due to the ever present desire for change and South of the 49th, change only happens violently.
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