I Wonder

I try to understand!

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Fauci

Anthony Stephen Fauci (/ˈfaʊtʃi/; born December 24, 1940) is an American physician-scientist and immunologist who serves as the director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and the chief medical advisor to the president. …

Fauci has served American public health in various capacities for more than 50 years, and has been an advisor to every U.S. president since Ronald Reagan.^[1]

^… From 1983 to 2002, Fauci was one of the world's most frequently-cited scientists across all scientific journals.^[2] In 2008, President George W. Bush awarded Fauci the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the United States, for his work on the AIDS relief program PEPFAR.

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Dr Anthony Fauci Salary: $417,608

According to a database maintained by fedsdatacenter.com, Dr. Anthony Fauci's salary in 2019 was $417,608. That actually made him the highest-paid federal employee for that year. For comparison, Donald Trump's annual salary is $400,000. The year before Fauci made $384,000. That's up from around $200,000 in the 1990s.

Will Dr. Fauci make $100 million off a future Coronavirus vaccine?

No.

How about just a few million?

No.

How about hundreds of thousands?

No.

How about $1?

No.

Dr. Fauci doesn't stand to make one cent in profit off any vaccine or remedy. This is an absolutely silly rumor that should end right now. Full stop. Period.

… You can find the full financial disclosure here.

The major takeaway from the disclosure is this: Dr. Anthony Fauci's financial investments are largely made up of bland mutual funds and money market funds that have nothing to do with the medical or vaccine industry. For example, he owns investments in the Vanguard Small Cap Index, the Schwab Government Money Fund, and the CIBC Atlas Disciplined Equity Fund.

These funds own hundreds… maybe even thousands of stocks. Fauci does not personally/directly own a single pharmaceutical or medical stock.

…When you combine his annual dividends, $400k salary and book royalties, Fauci likely earned over $1 million in 2019, and perhaps as much in recent years. A big chunk of this presumption depends on the actual amount he earned from McGraw-Hill and if this is an on-going gig or periodic. As you may have noticed, he gave a pretty wide range for his book royalty income, "$100,000 – $1 million".

Dr. Anthony Fauci Net Worth

When it's all said and done, what is Dr. Fauci's net worth? Honestly, it's very hard to say. He's definitely a multi-millionaire. If I had to peg Anthony Fauci's net worth, I would say it certainly appears to be at least in the low millions… roughly $3 million and likely less than $10 million. We would know more but unfortunately the financial disclosure does not list the value of his various investments, just the gain/loss each investment has produced and any annual dividends.

…What about the Bill Gates connection???!!!

Ahhh yes. Let's not forget about Bill gates. According to the Facebook rumor, Fauci stands to make $100 million from Bill Gates if he approves Gates' vaccine, while rejecting other potential remedies like hydroxychloroquine. Why? Because Bill Gates –  who is already the second-richest person in the world with a net worth of $120 billion – needs to trick the world into using a vaccine he funded so he can make more billions… Right.

Here are the facts:

Bill Gates, through his foundation, has pledged up to $100 million to support "the global response to the 2019 novel coronavirus." Of that $100 million, $60 million will be committed to "accelerate the discovery, development and testing of vaccines, treatments and diagnostics for 2019-nCoV" (that's the formal name of COVID-19). At no point will the Gates foundation attempt to create its own vaccine or profit off other vaccines.

Whoever ends up creating the final vaccine will not have any financial obligation to Gates or his foundation.

….There is absolutely zero truth behind the idea that Gates, his foundation or Fauci will profit at all, whatsoever from the eventual vaccine.

There you have it. Can we please all go back to sharing baby photos and sunsets on Facebook?

(https://www.celebritynetworth.com/articles/how-much-does/dr-anthony-faucis-net-worth-and-salary/)

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I am comfortable both with the likely accuracy of this, as well as it in no way disturbing me.  Dr. Fauci is “wealthy”, but not “super-wealthy”.  I am totally comfortable with this.

Dr. Fauci has been the most noted voice of the “traditional” – what I would call “rational” and “normal” views of Covid-19 including supporting our need to socially distance, wear masks, and get vaccinated.

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(What follows are some of the insights of “X”, a reasonably well educated, caring individual, whose political views differ from mine.  I’ve omitted much text, but (I don’t believe) distorted the views of the writer.)

All that does not seem to me to be "political," it seems to me "scientific." But is our science political these days? Very much so, sadly!

What if SARS-CoV-2 evolved on Earth to enable us to deal with our hyper-polluted especially urban atmosphere? Are you aware that 90% or more of folks who “caught” SARS-CoV-2 had minor symptoms and then were fine? … Here is a lot of detail for you (including scientific references) from a very insightful and well-read medical doctor, Dr. Zach Bush:

https://zachbushmd.com/what-happened-last-year-replay/

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There are defenders of Dr. Bush.

Cottonwood resident Rick Malter, Ph.D., is a retired clinical psychologist and a nutrition counselor.   Dr. Malter – speaks very highly of Dr. Bush’s findings (https://www.verdenews.com/news/2020/jun/30/commentary-do-right-thing-put-mask-science-or-poli/)

Deepak Chopra, a physician, co-wrote a piece with Dr. Bush concerning Covid-19. (https://worldbusiness.org/rethinking-the-virus-and-the-future-by-deepak-chopra-md-and-zach-bush-md/)

Most of the other even faintly medical/scientific based writings I found appeared to be: directly a part of Dr. Bush’s business, his website(s), and/or appeared to be related to writers politically allied with a movement opposing Democrats, “the left”, and similar.

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There are also writings highly critical of Dr. Bush.

A lengthy – Medium – writing – is very careful in its words, while strongly questioning the findings of Dr. Bush, implying that he is working primarily “for profit” and that his credentials related to Covid-19 are not there.  (https://medium.com/@radiorupa/the-messy-work-of-decolonizing-c445fddf143a)

Zach Bush, MD, scores 5/5 on our Quack Scale. He represents a very real danger to the general public, and we encourage members of the public to seek alternate medical or health advice and products from reliable, trustworthy sources. Do not follow recommendations from this individual relating to your personal health or the health of others and do not be misled into purchasing his products or enrolling in his new-age courses offered as cures to your ills. (https://medika.life/zach-bush-md-on-medikas-quack-scale/)

Next up is Zach Bush. Another young, slick anti-authoritarian pundit. Zach makes a living selling nutritional supplements that are made from… well… dirt, kind of. For $50 a bottle. So you can’t doubt his credentials. Here’s his pitch, in an interview with yet another leading anti-vaxxer, Del Bigtree. The video, like many of Charles’, has over a million views….

His ignorance of epidemiology is dangerous: I worked with epidemiologists in emergency preparedness for a time after SARS, and the suggestion that the spread of viruses through global wind currents is only “a few days slower” than when they are transmitted by airplane travellers is just nonsense. …

And his suggestion that CoVid-19 is just a catalyst that accelerates deaths that would have occurred soon enough already, due to patients’ poor nutrition, unhealthy lifestyles (and hence compromised immune systems) and local air pollution, is simply not supported by the data. 

(https://howtosavetheworld.ca/2020/05/21/the-tragic-spread-of-covid-19-misinformation/)

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Dialog between “X” and myself (edited) follows:

G - Say more please!   Understand that I never took high school biology - (my son majored in Biology at Cornell) - so technical things I may be a little slow at.  I've never heard - anything of what you are speaking.   Are you implying - either that Anthony Fauci - for example - either doesn't know -what he is talking about or is deliberately deceiving the American People?   Also- simply explain what you mean - in more depth
X - I don't have any reason to trust Anthony Fauci, although I know most Americans do. …

Fauci is making millions off vaccines. And we think he can be honest about their problems?? Sorry, I don't believe that he can.

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Anthony Fauci to me is a highly respected scientist.   I have spoken with many other people about him.  All of them, except for “X”, have thought very highly of him.  During the AIDS Epidemic he was the most distinguished voice of reason.  He was an important contrast to the silence and homophobic responses of many otherwise “respectable” very well known political figures (including President Ronald Reagan).

I am shocked – to hear “X” – not a “crazy” – say what they have said to me.

Such words – feel – impossible!

I believe the words, but they do not make any sense to me!

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In communicating with “X”, I am trying to understand, and help bridge the huge divide that separates many of us in 2021.   We both are making a serious effort to listen to and respect the views of the other.

I have fairly clear views of – “conservatives” – people who voted for Donald Trump in 2020 – and similar.

I see distinct groups of people.  They include:

1.   Those I believe are “criminal” – politicians and a few very wealthy people – who cynically – manipulate other people openly supporting a non-democratic United States where “the ends justify the means” – including seeking to make Donald Trump “the President for life” or as long as he wants to be president,

2.   People who appear to be manipulated by 1. (above) and believe that Donald Trump is basically a “godlike man” – whose words are to be followed as best one can, regardless of what he says,

3.   Others – who support Donald Trump for various reasons including: believing in his economic policies, supporting his “pro-life” positions, supporting his beliefs in “free enterprise” and similar.

I do not see “X” as belonging in 1. or 2. Above.

I am struggling to see them in 3. Above without an * - added to the category.   The “*” – relates to feeling that “X” is stuck in a space I do not understand.   If I were to draw a parallel, I could imagine someone close to me being “totally woke” – except having an exception – with a total Trigger present – such as seeing all of us – positively – but Not accepting Queer or Trans People as being “real” or “acceptable” – in a clear, direct, blunt way.   I do not mean, “I’m struggling with accepting Trans Women”, but rather: “Trans Women don’t really exist” or “Trans Women are simply wrong and unacceptable”.

I am not troubled in a certain sense.   I can “live” perfectly well with “X” being the way they appear to me today.  

Hearing what I’ve just heard does make me momentarily wonder a very basic question.   Are “conservatives” – not “different” – but simply – “wrong” and people with blinders that make them ‘impossible’ in an important way? 

I’d like to believe that “we” are not  - “right” and “conservatives wrong”, but I am finding a lot of what I hear and read, as well as “X” ‘s explicity words - pushing and pulling me – in such a direction – a space that is very troubling for me.