They are only words.

[Griff]

The words that hurt your President's feelings are “vulnerable,” “entitlement,” “diversity,” “transgender,” “fetus,” “evidence-based” and “science-based.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/natio...010_story.html

[BigV]

Well played!

BRAVO!

[fargon]

Like.

[Undertoad]

article paywalled did not read

[Griff]

Here is a chunk.

by Lena H. Sun and Juliet Eilperin December 15 at 6:53 PM

The Trump administration is prohibiting officials at the nation’s top public health agency from using a list of seven words or phrases — including “fetus” and “transgender” — in official documents being prepared for next year’s budget.

Policy analysts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta were told of the list of forbidden words at a meeting Thursday with senior CDC officials who oversee the budget, according to an analyst who took part in the 90-minute briefing. The forbidden words are “vulnerable,” “entitlement,” “diversity,” “transgender,” “fetus,” “evidence-based” and “science-based.”

In some instances, the analysts were given alternative phrases. Instead of “science-based” or *“evidence-based,” the suggested phrase is “CDC bases its recommendations on science in consideration with community standards and wishes,” the person said. In other cases, no replacement words were immediately offered.

The Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the CDC, “will continue to use the best scientific evidence available to improve the health of all Americans,” HHS spokesman Matt Lloyd told The Washington Post. “HHS also strongly encourages the use of outcome and evidence data in program evaluations and budget decisions.”

The question of how to address such issues as sexual orientation, gender identity and abortion rights — all of which received significant visibility under the Obama administration — has surfaced repeatedly in federal agencies since President Trump took office. Several key departments — including HHS, as well as Justice, Education, and Housing and Urban Development — have changed some federal policies and how they collect government information about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans.

[Undertoad]

good lord

[Griff]

I keep watching the DC circus trying to figure out what actually matters. This one actually might, although we've got to to credit them with the elimination of vulnerable populations, that is progress.

[Undertoad]

Best non-paywalled version of story i could find

http://ktla.com/2017/12/16/word-ban-...equest-report/

[Undertoad]

[sexobon]

They can just go back and replace the words with their definitions:

"This medication can be used to improve viability of the fetus."

becomes,

This medication can be used to improve viability of the *unborn offspring, from the embryo stage (the end of the eighth week after conception, when the major structures have formed) until birth.*

The CDC will have to get software that converts the banned words to phrases; or, the employees will take longer to spell it all out. Either way, the public can fault Trump for increasing costs.

[xoxoxoBruce]

I had no trouble with the link. I get the biggest concern is in the writing of budget proposals submitted so some schmuck in the congress or administration isn't offended and kill appropriations in spite.

[Griff]

Researchers, and citizen's for that matter, will have to use clumsy search terms to get at information. This is meant to slow peoples use of information. It makes us dumber and less effective.

[Undertoad]

NY Times story gives additional context (yet another paywall, sorry)

The Times confirmed some details of the report with several officials, although a few suggested that the proposal was not so much a ban on words but recommendations to avoid some language to ease the path toward budget approval by Republicans.
...
"They’re saying not to use it in your request for money because it will hurt you. It’s not about censoring what C.D.C. can say to the American public. It’s about a budget strategy to get funded."

How "Trumpy" are these officials, really, if the intention is to get a bigger budget for the agency to do things the administration doesn't approve of?

AT MOST it was red on red crime from the Agency looking for its budget from Congress; which makes it interesting, but not at all surprising, not really all that damning, not really even NEWS. If it had been during the O administration, the facts would have been i-fuckin-dentical because that's how the budget works, you have to get stuff past the more idiotic Repubs in Congress. But you wouldn't click on that. S'boring.

Actual news story: CDC preens its 2018 budget proposals to get them passed in Congress

Story's presented narrative: Trump administration officials are Orwellian

if you assume the Post is harshly administration, you get closer to the truth, a truth you need even if you are anti-administration.

UT's 15-year running moral: Politics makes you stupid.

[xoxoxoBruce]

The Times confirmed some details of the report with several officials, although a few suggested that the proposal was not so much a ban on words but recommendations to avoid some language to ease the path toward budget approval by Republicans.
...
"They’re saying not to use it in your request for money because it will hurt you. It’s not about censoring what C.D.C. can say to the American public. It’s about a budget strategy to get funded."

That's what I got from the original link, as I said in post 11.

[Undertoad]

As usual xoB has it sussed...


btw it wasn't paywalled for you because you hadn't clicked on enough WaPo stories yet... don't know what the limit is...