Joe Rogan Experience #2461 - Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
These notes were generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies.
Joe wears headphones to lock in and focus on the conversation, blocking out distractions like Jaime's chair moving.
RFK Jr. describes his job as the best he could have, feeling designed for it, with a target-rich environment to improve lives daily. The agency was a mess, focused on sick care not health care, spending $5 trillion yearly, 2-3 times per capita more than any other nation, yet having the sickest population and highest chronic disease burden globally. Best at medicine when people get sick, but more likely to get sick here.
Agency was a political patronage operation. Ending that now. Lose $100 billion yearly in Medicaid and Medicare to shocking industrialized fraud.
Cuba runs operation in Florida using PO boxes for durable medical equipment like knee braces and wheelchairs. No equipment, just patient ID numbers bought on black market, claim shipments. One hotel with 129 rooms, each a different company. Shut down, they flee to Cuba, run by Cuban government. Russia does same with hospice care in Los Angeles—more hospice there than rest of country combined, all fraudulent, pumping hundreds of millions. Somalia in Minnesota funneled money to terror groups like Boko Haram via Medicare.
Using AI to catch almost all fraud now, first time used. No prior effort at program integrity. Biden administration ended it, reduced office from hundreds to six people, ordered focus on enrollments not integrity.
States got waivers for home care and community care. Originally, Medicaid/Medicare paid for verifiable procedures like hernia operations with scars, licensed providers. States pushed paying family for home care to avoid hospitals/ERs, save money—well-intentioned but abused.
Now pay family for buying groceries, balancing checkbook, driving to medical visits. Organized crime in Minnesota designated all children as autistic (even if not), paid providers, gave family thousands, collected rest. Guardrails porous, irresistible for fraud.
Expected $3 million/year for legitimate autism care in Minneapolis (kids need after-school care). Over 3 years, rose to $400 million/year, almost all fraudulent. Accelerated under Biden.
Biden told agency to stop integrity, focus on enrolling more in Obamacare—states pay tiny fraction, get federal money, register voters. Audited states: 50% program dollars possibly fraudulent. Demand corrective action or withhold reimbursement. Red states comply; Maine, Minnesota, California, New York refuse with ridiculous plans. Florida (red state) shutting down all durable medical equipment reimbursements, run by Cuban government.
No evidence states or others profited directly beyond crime orgs, though online talk of donations to parties/NGOs unproven—can't link to motive.
$100 billion/year stolen from Medicaid/Medicare. Ideologically captured people defend it if right-wing fights it. Highlights weirdness: RFK Jr. lifelong Democrat, father hated partisanship, vote for the person not party.
Can't legally vote anywhere due to residency challenges (NY sued claiming not resident despite licenses, intent to return; said not CA resident). Grew up anti-NAFTA Democrats; Trump opposed, suddenly pro. Trump questioned vaccines (skepticism even across parties, uncle Ted Kennedy pro-medical freedom), became dogma. RFK Jr. ran against Ukraine war (Democrats anti-war), they became pro-war, invited CIA director to convention. Party agenda: hate Trump, oppose whatever he says. Sad, unsustainable.
Hundreds of billions fraud terrible for all, stealing tax money. Unite to stop criminals from other countries stealing from Medicaid—bipartisan in rational society, forget parties/presidents/accolades.
Issued warning on Tylenol (acetaminophen) after reviewing 76 studies: weak safety studies, overwhelming evidence against use in pregnancy (especially last days/perinatal period) due to high association with neurodevelopmental disease. Didn't ban—best option vs ibuprofen/aspirin. Sent letter to doctors: be careful.
Aspirin linked to Reye's syndrome (rare, serious brain swelling/liver damage in kids/teens recovering from flu/chickenpox). Rare now due to reduced kid use. Avoid salicylate-containing meds in kids/teens with flu/chickenpox/cold; use acetaminophen/ibuprofen, vaccinate, screen newborns.
Overdose shuts down liver—woman died from repeated doses during COVID.
Warning condemned by Democrats as Trump/Kennedy weird science. Viral TikTok videos of pregnant women eating Tylenol to spite Trump. Science clear: prioritize child health over party.
Algorithms amplify polarization, outrage, validate worldview, liberate dark impulses. Off it frees brain from constant bombardment.
Thought RFK Jr./Tulsi with Trump would unite center, but labeled MAGA, health efforts dismissed (preservatives, glyphosate, red dye) due to Trump link—tribalism, dogma, bots manipulating narratives.
Entered without expectations for resilience. Shocked by Republicans: surrounded by talented, idealistic, competent people focused on solving problems, not screwing poor/reducing rich taxes. HHS inefficient, nobody cared people getting sicker despite richest agency (budget bigger than defense, 6th biggest country). Presiding over health cliff.
77% kids can't qualify for military. Juvenile diabetes: 1 case per pediatrician career (RFK Jr. kid era) to 38% teens diabetic/pre-diabetic. Autism: 0.8/10,000 (1970 big study) to 1/31 now, 1/19 California, 1/12.5 boys.
JFK era: $0 on chronic disease. Now $4.3 trillion/year, fastest growing budget item, existential, can't sustain. Debates (single-payer, Obamacare) about who keeps money in broken sick-care system—rearranging Titanic deck chairs. Focus on making healthy to solve costs: 40 cents/federal tax dollar to healthcare, 90% chronic. Obesity: 5% kids (RFK Jr. era) to ~20%; adults 70% obese/overweight—not laziness, mass poisoning. Vested interests (food, pharma, insurance, hospitals) profit from sickness.
Insurance companies make more money when more claims occur, like Lloyd's of London preferring a thousand ships to sink rather than one, as premiums increase with higher volume. Profit comes from the friction in the system. No economic incentive exists to make people well; instead, incentives reward sickness. To fix this, align economic incentives with health outcomes: end the chronic disease epidemic by realigning perverse incentives.
Medical system pays on fee-based service: more tests, drugs, and patient contact mean more revenue for doctors. Doctors are not incentivized to make patients well. Proposal: pay doctors a flat fee at the beginning of the year; any costs from that patient for the rest of the year come out of their pocket. This incentivizes studying nutrition to prevent sickness.
Three years from now, a different healthcare model will emerge. Talking about the system raises awareness; most people think healthcare cuts are bad without understanding the broken system. Fraud examples dismissed due to partisanship, like Nick Shirley exposing fraud in Minneapolis—ignored because it's the wrong party.
Democrats care but propose more money to a broken system making people sicker. President Trump wants to fix it: most money goes to insurance companies, PBMs (pharmacy benefit managers), and middlemen milking the system. Solution: pay consumers directly, making them CEO of their own healthcare. This incentivizes prevention, holistic medicine, vitamins like vitamin D (miraculous), alternatives, and preventative care.
Make system transparent. Trump passed a transparency bill in his first term, but Biden administration refused to enforce it. Now enforcing: sent over 1,000 warning letters to hospitals; finalized regulations with huge fines for non-compliance. New website will list hospital and provider prices.
Examples: In Manhattan, 30 hospitals show baby delivery costs from $1,300 (lowest) to $22,000 (highest). In Detroit, $5,000 to $60,000 for the same service. Price chaos because industry hides information, preventing market choices.
Dr. Oz hosted RFK Jr. in Florida; former Australian Prime Minister Rudd visited. Rudd ran a commission reducing healthcare costs and improving quality via price transparency—it changed everything.
Shift money from insurance companies to the public for better choices.
Flipped the food pyramid: prioritize whole foods over grains, rice, wheat. Inherited incomprehensible Biden dietary guidelines (hundreds of pages, lobbyist-written). Old pyramid put Froot Loops at the top (not even food, but vitamin-fortified).
Assembled top nutritionists like Mark Hyman and university experts; took 11 months for evidence-based recommendations (everything cited). Knowledge gaps exist due to past regulatory malpractice; some studies never done.
Old pyramid led to 70% of kids' calories from ultra-processed food, poisoning them. Removed nutrient-dense whole milk, causing two generations of kids without brain nutrients. First country with chronic obesity and malnutrition simultaneously.
New pyramid will change dietary culture. Brooke Rollins (USDA secretary) administers $45 million/day in subsidies (school lunches, WIC, SNAP, Indian Health Services). Programs now get good food per new guidelines. Military and VA changing too.
Chef Robert Irvine hired to overhaul military meals: on 5 bases now, 20 by month-end. Old food so bad soldiers bought fast food ($12-14 Big Mac meal). Irvine uses fresh, local food at $10/day vs. military's $18/day—cheaper, lines around the block, no fast food. Mark Hyman's $10/day diet: three great meals.
SNAP changes: 20 states granted waivers—no candy or soda (18% of purchases). Stopped taxpayer-funded diabetes for 63 million poorest kids (78% end up on Medicaid for diabetes). Retailers accepting SNAP must double real food stock. Working with farmers and entrepreneurs for affordable high-quality food.
Good food cheaper: $9 frozen salmon vs. $6 fresh. Americans forgot how to cook—key for family cohesion, community, daily ritual. Plan: send federal workers to teach cooking, provide implements like cutting boards.
Cheaper cuts like liver affordable in grocery stores.
20 states applied for SNAP waivers; only 2 blue states. Bernie Sanders fought for this for years, but Vermont won't apply—partisanship, hatred of Trump over children's health.
Health ties to mental health via gut-brain connection. Chris Palmer (Harvard) reduces schizophrenia symptoms 30% with keto diet. Bipolar diagnoses lost by changing diet. ADHD driven by food dyes. Prison studies: good food in one wing reduces violence 40-50%, restraints in juvenile facilities down 75%.
Prisons allocated 60 cents/day per prisoner—focus on shelf life, chemical poison. Rehabilitation neglected; this is public safety for guards too.
Mitigate polarization by getting people talking to find common ground and see humanity. Joe Rogan praised for civil conversations with disagreers, showing curiosity, changing minds.
Stop hating based on labels; listen. Algorithms amplify division. Past polarization (1960s, RFK Sr.'s run worst since Civil War) not amplified by algorithms or tweet-based communication.
People not talking face-to-face; distracted by phones. MAHA legislation: state-by-state bell-to-bell no cell phones in schools (26 states done). Loudoun County example: phones in backpacks; cafeteria of 600 kids all talking face-to-face.
Students hated it first two weeks, now love it. Parents: kids not driving distracted, eating dinner with family, real conversations. Teachers: disciplinary problems down, test scores up.
Blue states resist, seeing it as Trump tyranny. Phones addictive, reduce concentration 30%+. Should be non-partisan U.S. issue for kids' success.
Podcasts like Rogan's teach conversation; 1,000 imitators. RFK Jr.'s kids grew up with devices, couldn't concentrate on long points but now listen to 3.5-hour podcasts. Hope for this generation. Charlie Kirk example too.
Larry King had strong opinions considered terrible by some, but he talked to people he disagreed with, gave them the microphone, amplified their voice, maintained civility, and used logic, often destructively but not angrily. He taught people how to have conversations. Hope for the future is people learning to talk with those they disagree with.
Marketplace of outrage: many podcasts focus on outrage, arguments, screaming matches, putting people down, not civil discourse but trying to win, dominate, squash opponents. Exposes bad ideas but encourages viewing ideological opponents as enemies to destroy. Instead, treat them as human beings: find out why they think that way, why you think differently, seek middle ground, ask why they believe it, let them talk, express themselves, help them think. Ideas are not you; some ideas are bad if unexamined, treated as doctrine, leading to flip-flopper fears, shitty communication cycles, no common ground. Break it by talking like fellow humans about ideas with respect, like potential friends. Requires discipline; takes time to learn.
Vitriol in podcasts incomparable to television, where no conversations occur. CNN shows feature crazy ideological battles. Pro tip: can't have six people yelling for seven minutes; becomes battle of prepared sound bites or snarky quips. Stupid format.
Cheryl on The View: gaggle of hosts squawking at her, not congenial one-on-one conversation allowing expression, fun, humor. More productive one-on-one. Format limits thorough coverage, predetermined commercials interrupt even mid-point. Points like Medicaid explanation can't be fleshed out; they'd stop you for being too in the weeds.
Podcasts prove people like real conversations without production, executives; just webcam talks. Real interviews have sheet of questions or performative roles. People want connection, absent from social media, accelerating detachment.
Larry King, David Susskind, Cavett had real conversations. Larry King example: asked Jay Khaled how he gained weight; Khaled said "I ate too much. What do you want me to say?" Wild question but conversational.
Infighting from lack of face-to-face communication. Performative debates like Charlie Kirk in front of cheering crowds play to audience, not best. Humans naturally understand one-on-one conversations throughout history. Long one-on-one expands understanding, prompts rethinking approaches.
Social media gives opposite. Charlie Kirk better than blanket censorship, shutting down, cancelling.
Democratic impulse for censorship opposite historical party unafraid of debate. RFK Jr.'s uncle, father: debate in marketplace of ideas; if can't win, examine selves. Core tenet.
Bush era: FCC went after Howard Stern for criticizing Bush, huge fines for obscenity; right-wing thing, left fought for free speech.
Silencing opponents dumbest way to cut off own hand; could backfire if power shifts, right-wing corporation buys platforms, silences left. Outrageous Twitter Files showed White House involvement silencing info; Biden ordered RFK Jr. removed from Instagram 37 hours after oath, lost 1 million followers.
England: 12,000 jailed for Twitter posts last year. Got rid of trial by jury except murder, rape; now judges for social media infractions. Soviet system, Kafkaesque. Ramped up recently, much criticism of immigration, crimes. Instead of addressing, arrest complainers.
Worse with AI. Arresting for opinions, inciting outrage existential threat to critical thinking, debate. People have right to outrage; caging them nuts.
Proposed law to stop pub speech leading to arrests like social media. Third-party harassment legislation: employers (pubs) must prevent staff harassment by customers. Concerns: debates on gender identity, politics could lead to staff complaints, patrons asked to leave if deemed aggressive. Not ban on lawful polite controversial speech, but who decides?
Any conversation regulation nuts; pub owners already incentivized against staff harassment. Staff feeling unsafe from civil gender talks triggers microaggressions; people want to be offended. Slippery slope. 12,000 arrests encourage self-censorship; framers put free speech first as foundation for all rights. Government silencing opponents licenses atrocities.
Other Western nations lack constitutions protecting it. Government dictating real vs. not, no consequences for errors, silences correct speech dangerous, especially with money, businesses involved.
Pub law context: Reverses 2013 removal of third-party harassment liability; pubs liable if staff overhear harassing comments on protected characteristics (sex, race). Critics call "banter ban"; landlords police to avoid lawsuits, chilling speech. Encourages pubs to censor; loophole for fraud, activists staging conversations for lawsuits.
Surprised by Trump's support against big pharma, big insurance, big food—taboos for all administrations. Incremental under Democrats, nothing big.
MFN agreement (Most Favored Nation): US paid highest drug prices world for 40 years; 4.2% world population, 70% pharma profits/revenues from US. Pay 2-5x Europe due to their price caps.
Example: Ozempic list price $1350 US, $88 London pharmacy; same New Jersey factory. Europe sets max price, skips some cancer drugs.
Every president (Clinton, Bush, Obama, Biden) vowed MFN, none acted. Trump called daily, used tariffs threat on Europe. Leveraged Medicare/Medicaid to force lower prices without killing innovation or offshoring.
Negotiated with 16/17 pharma companies: Americans now get lowest prices world via Trump RX; if Europe lowers, US gets that or lower. Companies did well: stocks up $1.3 trillion, agreed to onshore production.
Eli Lilly building six plants including biggest API facility (active pharmaceutical ingredients; ran out in COVID, blackmail risk). Pfizer, Merck building big facilities. US center for drug production.
Tough, complex negotiations by team including Chris Clump (left billion-dollar hospital data firm). Pharma trusted him; now Americans pay least in developed world, changing experiences.
Lowers prices for everybody. Anyone uses Trump RX insured or not, buys themselves at substantially lower
Drugs are now available at lower prices. Insurance copays are lowered. First customer was a woman trying IVF for years; drug cost dropped from $4,000 to $600. One out of every three women cannot have as many children as wanted. IVF important as birth rates dropped to 1.75 this year.
Discussions on population decline; most unaware, think overcrowded due to highways, ignore replacement rate. US different from Japan (total crisis), China (existential crisis, population dropping dramatically), South Korea. US can offset via immigration. Birth rate dropped from 1.9 to 1.75, affects Social Security, pushed cliff ahead by one year. American women want babies, third cannot have as many as wanted.
Pushback minimal due to President Trump's leadership convening industry; many agreed to change. Industry lacked options before. US hadn't approved many; only one or two vegetable-based dyes. Marty Makary at FDA fast-tracked five or seven new ones. Industry to eliminate all dyes by end of year, replace with vegetable- and mineral-based dyes.
Convened industry to fix prior authorization: doctors prescribe (e.g., knee replacement), insurance delays months. Biggest insurers (80% of Americans) voluntarily agreed to eliminate for most procedures (now 15% remain, e.g., spinal surgeries to prevent abuse). Now at point of care, know approval before leaving doctor's office.
Top 63 tech companies (ended with 405) agreed to stop information blocking. Medical records owned by patients but often inaccessible. By end of year, every American gets records on cell phone. Saves lives (e.g., car accident in another state, allergies, blood type, history visible). Sync with food apps warning of bad choices.
Yuka app (YUCCA or Yuka; 50% French use it). Scan barcode, rates healthiness, recommends better options. Companies changing ingredients for better scores. Multiple similar apps emerging.
Preservatives exist in processed foods but amount will change. By April, federal definition of ultra-processed foods first time ever, then front-of-package labeling (green/yellow/red light evaluating ingredients). Gives info for healthy choices. Most Americans want health; make healthy choices when informed, reject poison.
Unhealthy feel that way due to poor health; healthy want to stay healthy. Overweight see mountain too big to climb.
Speaker fan of peptides, used personally for injuries. Law allows compounding pharmacies to make compounds from approved drug ingredients for patients needing custom formulations (e.g., allergies). 19 peptides widely formulated. Biden admin illegally moved to Category 2 (do not formulate) without safety signal (only safety considered, not efficacy).
Created black market (animal/research use claims); replaced legal market. Legal from FDA-inspected facilities (India/China, same as pharma). Black market substandard, unknown quality. Plan to move ~14 back to accessible; FDA announcing action in weeks for ethical suppliers.
Texas ibogaine initiative: former Gov. Rick Perry, Brian Hubbard helping veterans, opioid addicts. 48 million opioid addicted. Ibogaine long-term impact on addiction not well documented.
Psilocybin, MDMA effective for PTSD, depression (strong studies). Agency/VA anxious for rules allowing studies, therapeutic access especially for military. Working with Marty Makary, Doug Collins (VA has 21 studies: MDMA, psilocybin, ibogaine, others).
Extend to police (similar PTSD). Alternatives to lifetime SSRIs; rapid interventions rewiring brain.
Encourage clinical trials, strong therapeutic guidelines (application, followup essential; rewires brain, needs protocols to avoid failure). Baby steps to avoid harm, wild west, bad interactions, horror stories.
Controlled settings for depression/PTSD (soldiers, cops, civilians). Powerful tools; not for everyone, but deny access foolish (e.g., soldiers go to Tijuana).
Ed Clay (CPI Tijuana stem cell clinic) cured opioid addiction via ibogaine after back injury. 80% no relapse after one treatment, 90% after two. No addiction risk; terrifying 24-hour ordeal severs addiction impulse.
Family member transformed; speaker in recovery 43 years, attends daily meetings, skeptical but sees anecdotal/clinical evidence. Jay Bhattacharya (NIH), Marty Makary advancing.
Bipartisan: Rick Perry (Republican) supports for veterans, not hippie dismissal. Hunter Thompson rumor (1973) Ed Muskie addicted to ibogaine ruined career (ironic, no addiction risk; heart monitoring needed).
Tool for health/happiness, not right/left issue. Confronts reality, corrects destructive pathways.
One year in; President empowered from start, no prior agreement. Initially wanted health czar, then HHS for 82,000 employees, biggest budget. Appointed all sub-agency heads (unprecedented): Marty Makary (FDA), Jay Bhattacharya, Dr. Oz (CMS). Prominent transition role, full support.
Accomplished more in one year than any HHS secretary in four years due to team and President.
HHS is 20% of the economy, a huge agency involved in everything with a lot to do, but progress is moving fast—better than hoped. If offered this situation on the first day in office, RFK Jr. would take it. Approaching the mountain one thing at a time, fixing something every day with the smartest people: daily morning meetings with Oz, Jay, Chris Clom, Marty—congenial team like family, vacation together. In former times, HHS secretaries were at odds with departments under Biden and previous Trump administration due to alpha personalities, differing ideas, power struggles, and resistance to interference. Now collegial.
Recent ruling on glyphosate from EO directing domestic production of ingredients for glyphosate and elemental phosphorus. RFK Jr. spent 40 years fighting pesticides, part of trial team winning three cases against Monsanto (now Bayer), securing $11 billion settlement. Pesticides are poison designed to kill all life, not good in food—not happy with EO mildly. Understands president's view: over 60 years, federal policies, subsidies, farm management addicted farmers to pesticides, especially glyphosate—foundational to food system. 97% corn, 98% soy produced with glyphosate; can't produce without it currently, though organic exists (3%). Banning overnight would destroy American food system—entire system based on poison. Farmers hate it: chemical-resistant weeds, high input costs, export bans (Europe rejects most US crops).
99% glyphosate from China—extreme national security vulnerability; Pentagon warns China could cut off US food supply. President responding, but all agree must transition off glyphosate. Europe uses less, not Roundup Ready system like US. Destroys soil microbiome, prevents water infiltration, causes runoff—unsustainable. Example: Will Harris at White Oak Pastures showed clear line in river from neighbor's runoff. Transition hard, took Harris 20 years, not applicable everywhere, but understood problem. President supported federal preemption in Supreme Court lawsuit (lower court), blocking state lawsuits if federal label says safe—gives immunity, removes incentive for safer product. Company paid $11B, signing another $7.6B for 65,000 cases, threatening exit without relief. Temporary fix: HHS studying glyphosate impacts, president committed $1B to regenerative farming and reducing chemicals.
Met farmers using tractor-pulled laser attachment—cheapest weed control for vegetables (lettuce, celery). Identifies weed species, explodes them from root with laser—no negative effect on food, 30% productivity increase, shortens onion growing season by 3 weeks, pays back in 9 months. South Texas onion producer (8,000 acres) saved from $1,500/acre (glyphosate + labor) to $300/acre. Now on drones. Exciting technologies for fast transition; president wants to accelerate offramps without bankrupting company or allowing foreign interference, giving farmers path off poison without crashing food system.
Harder for bugs/row crops (corn/soy at $50/acre vs. vegetables $1,500); economic now for organic corn—farmer loves machine zapping bugs. Need to scale for row crops, bring in Silicon Valley entrepreneurs/billionaires. No safe level known—studying now. Associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (weak for litigation), non-Hodgkins lymphoma (strongest evidence). Disrupts gut biome (stomach microbiome like plants, glyphosate targets plants not animal tissue). May contribute to celiac disease/gluten allergies—coincided with Roundup Ready corn introduction. Controversial desiccant use on non-Roundup Ready wheat since ~2003: dries before harvest, prevents fungus/mold—first direct food spraying, exploded celiac/gluten issues ~2003 (signals under study at HHS, overdue by 30 years). Anecdotes: people eat bread/spaghetti in Italy/Spain/France fine, sick in US; RFK Jr.'s son chronic eczema from bread/spaghetti as kid, cleared eating daily in Bologna; feels different eating Italian flour at Gaitanos restaurant (Las Vegas/Henderson)—tastes/feels different, no post-meal misery. Something wrong with US food; politicization dumb.
Monocrop agriculture (98% glyphosate-dependent)—how transition while viable? Met 100+ farmers developing food guidelines; farmers hardworking/good, want healthy food, hate inputs killing them—lose money 7/10 years, no young people entering. President prioritizes saving farms, accelerating offramps, huge investments in regenerative agriculture (e.g., Will Harris, Brook Rollins). Possible all-regenerative no-pesticide country in decade/two via technology: robotic farming, drone swarms/lasers for weeds/insects. Industrial fertilizer harder (needs nutrients), reduce dramatically/eliminate (Harris showed), but slower than pesticides/herbicides; pathway hoped for, but far off (after RFK Jr.'s 3 years).
Acting as if 3 years to do everything, may stay longer if asked. Works constantly when home, president never stops (up till 11-12pm, calls 2am). Incredible energy despite food/drink: fast food on road (trusts it), locally sourced incredible food at White House/Mar-a-Lago, drinks Diet Coke (Dana White: 20 years, never seen water). Aspartame saga: FDA's David Kennedy (Stanford, integrity like David Kessler) banned it; Donald Rumsfeld (owned Searle) overruled.
Encouraging progress given convictions (e.g., Fauci book); amazed at achievements despite struggles. Time of change. First HHS head giving hope for meaningful health changes—doing it.
Worked closely with Cesar Chavez last 10 years of his life on pesticides (dangers to workers) and immigration—wanted border shut to leverage wages/conditions (illegal influx hurt). Democratic Party historically against immigration (Republicans/Chamber of Commerce wanted cheap labor); now switched (Chamber with Democrats post-Trump wall). Costs on healthcare (diminishing for Americans), housing, jobs. Need legal workers/immigrants. Trump enforcing promises: deport bad people—70% arrested have criminal records (Democrats cite only 14% violent convictions; many arrested/unconvicted, jumped bail/warrants); 30% gang members (targeted via law enforcement tips). Obama deported most in history, 76 shot (half killed) under Biden—no headlines; now Trump does it, Democrats/media call dictator despite fulfilling promises.
Democrats are telling protesters to interfere with law enforcement, which is unusual for protests. Normally, if opposing US drug policy or the war on drugs, people wouldn't interfere with arresting drug dealers. With thousands interfering, interactions with armed law enforcement end badly. Nobody is happy with events, especially in Minnesota, amplified by press and Trump derangement syndrome creating public outrage. As a dad, wouldn't send kids to interfere with law enforcement; there are other protest ways. Now pulling out of Minnesota to avoid crowd interactions in other states. Many arrested have criminal records (70%).
First time in history border wide open for four years, at least 10 million people (possibly 20 million) entered all at once. Disturbs people: violent interactions and non-organic protests that are organized and paid for, providing signs, instructions, signal chats. People online admit being paid to protest. Insane that organizing and paying mobs to make noise is legal—like color revolutions. Happened where hundreds of millions in fraud exposed, shifting narrative to ICE violence. Distrust of masked officers (doxxed, families threatened, everything filmed by instigators). Without organized protests, interactions might not occur. ICE targets specific bad people but also shows up at places like Home Depot grabbing people to check status. Many duped into coming, thinking welcomed, now seeking jobs and facing arrest/deportation. They broke the law, but blame should go to allowing at least 10 million in over four years.
RFK Jr. visited Tucson border multiple times during presidential campaign. Sheer numbers like Boston Marathon start; cartels ran it, advertising worldwide. Border Patrol demoralized, instructed not to arrest: fingerprint criminals and turn back, otherwise bus or plane anywhere in country. Legitimate immigrants face long, difficult process for citizenship or green cards.
Sanctuary cities/states don't notify ICE when illegal immigrants arrested for crimes; release them instead. Used to be standard cooperation. Now, because of Trump, local law enforcement sides with criminals over president. During State of the Union, Trump asked to stand if law enforcement should protect Americans over illegal immigrants—not a single Democrat stood. Shows ideological capture; reasonable people would stand.
Disturbs people seeing masked people grabbing/arresting, some American citizens. Chart shows more American citizens arrested under Obama than Trump, but never heard about it. Obama, Hillary, Bill spoke like Republicans on immigration back then. Democratic Party always against open borders; Bernie said open borders is Republican idea for cheap labor.
Thank you for hard work; exciting to have RFK Jr. pushing meaningful change on good path. Thank you for conversation and all conversations.
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