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Is It Safe Out There?
April 23, 2013
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will be cutting their proposed budgets by up to $270 million next year. Significant cuts are expected in bio-defense and emergency preparedness programs. Total spending for fiscal year 2013, which ends Sep 30, has not yet been determined, but they tell us that "sequestration" cuts that took effect in March. The 2014 HHS budget summary lists $1.33 billion for CDC bio-defense and emergency preparedness activities, down $48 million from the 2012 level. That includes $658 million for Public Health and Emergency Preparedness grants to the states, an $8 million reduction.
Proposed allocation for the Strategic National Stockpile of emergency medical supplies is $510 million, which is $38 million less than in 2012. And the listed amount for the CDC's core preparedness and response capability for public health emergencies is $166 million, down by $1 million from 2012. The proposed budget lists $432 million for "emerging and zoonotic infectious disease activities," which includes $40 million for a new initiative to improve the CDC's technology and response methods for disease outbreaks.
Quoting a spokesperson for CDC, "This will allow us to find a higher proportion of outbreaks," and "improve the ability to learn how they are spreading". CDC refers to this The Advanced Molecular Detection and Response to Infectious Disease Outbreaks initiative. It's being developed in response to a 2011 report from an external panel of experts, who "identified a number of critical gaps in CDC's surveillance capabilities and starkly concluded that CDC was on the path to becoming obsolete, if not irrelevant."
Some other increases in the proposal—compared with 2012—are $16 million for global public health, to $393 million, and $287 million for the Vaccines for Children (VFC) Program, to $4.29 billion. The Obama administration is proposing new spending on pandemic influenza preparedness, apparently for the first time since the 2009 pandemic. "There's a request for $109 million in no-year funding and $32 million in annual funding for 2014.
The money is intended for next-generation antivirals, rapid diagnostic assays, and accelerated development of flu vaccines, the proposal comes as the CDC is warily watching the spread of H7N9 flu cases in China.
Regardless of political ideology, One thing is certain, The preparedness goals of big government don’t seem to include everyone equally. “Global public health” just doesn’t strike me as the most important priority we Americans face. More and more I am beginning to believe that we really are on our own out here. Big brother throws billions of dollars around as though money was just another form or worthless printed paper. Hmmm…
If they spend that much cash on bureaucracy just to be classified as obsolete and irrelevant, then we are in serious trouble. Our suggestion to you is simple - Get prepared! Practice being self sufficient, with food storage, water storage etc. If there is a “pandemic” you will need to have the ability to stay isolated and at arms length from the trouble and you’ll need the right supplies to get you through. Of course we hope to be your supplier.
Thanks! And be careful out there.
