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Historically, the overwhelming majority of Americans have ignored death certificates and the topic of how they are processed, produced, and compiled for purposes of government statistics.
Article by Ryan McMaken from Mises.
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During 2020, however, death certificates rose to a level of unprecedented prominence in the United States. This was due to the fact that both state and federal government agencies began using covid death counts as a means to justify a wide variety of radical new government decrees designed to combat disease.
Given that governments were leaning so heavily on death counts as an excuse for unprecedented expansions of state power, many observers quite understandably began to question how these deaths were being counted.
It turns out that the administration of death certificates is something ripe for some serious skepticism. Even before the panic that ensued over rising reports of covid-19 deaths, the accuracy of death certificates was an ongoing concern.
In recent decades, the number of autopsies had declined, meaning that fewer and fewer death certificates are backed up by more thorough investigation. Moreover, studies have shown that nearly half of physicians in some cases “knowingly reported an inaccurate cause of death” on death certificates. Other studies have suggested that a majority of death certificates contained “multiple errors.”
The implications of this for government policy are significant, to say the least, and it calls into question the accuracy of one of the most basic building blocks underlying today’s public health technocracy. Statistics on causes of death rely heavily on aggregate death-certificate data. But if physicians admit to poor training, and to even providing misleading info on causes of death, then attempts to justify government policy with data from death certificates becomes increasingly suspect.
Yet, the media and government agencies tend to present this data as if it were unimpeachable and an ever-reliable source of health data. Just as with other types of government data, however, death certificates ought to be viewed with far more skepticism than is presently the case.
Problems with Collecting the Data
Back in April of 2020, as state and local governments were using official numbers on covid deaths to justify policy changes, public curiosity over death certificates began to rise. The importance of reporting accurate cause-of-death information was highlighted on April 7, 2020 when the Trump administration’s infectious disease advisor Deborah Birx discussed CDC recommendations on reporting deaths. Birx noted:
We’ve taken a very liberal approach to mortality …. if someone dies with COVID-19 we are counting that as a COVID-19 death.
Moreover, federal policy provided a monetary inventive to report more deaths as covid-19 deaths. According to Factcheck.org:
It is true … that the government will pay more to hospitals for COVID-19 cases in two senses: By paying an additional 20% on top of traditional Medicare rates for COVID-19 patients during the public health emergency, and by reimbursing hospitals for treating the uninsured patients with the disease (at that enhanced Medicare rate).
Both of those provisions stem from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, or CARES Act.
This doesn’t mean that doctors are putting “covid-19” as the cause of death in many cases when they know something else to be true—all while laughing an evil laugh. Rather, the effect is likely more subtle. In cases where there is ambiguity as to the cause of death, these policies provide a nudge in the direction of including covid-19 as a cause of death because it unlikely to be questioned, and it ensures health care providers receive higher levels of reimbursement.
Many different factors can go into choosing a cause of death. After all, causes of death don’t just miraculously appear on paperwork. The cause of death must be reported in the paperwork by a human being who uses his or her own judgment as to what the cause of death is. Although the cause of death often seems obvious in the popular culture—such as a bullet wound in the head in a crime drama—the cause of death is often anything by self-evident in real life.
But, federal policy has made it it very easy for medical personnel to just put “covid” on the death certificate and be done with it. Indeed, it’s unlikely that medical professionals needed more urging than this. As it turns out, the medical profession has been moving away from insisting on thorough investigations in cause-of-death information. In this 2017 article on geriatric medicine and “death certificate accuracy,” the authors report:
Death certificate inaccuracy is a well-recognized problem at both the national and international levels. Infractions range from major, such as errors in identifying cause and manner of death, to minor, such as illegibility and incompleteness. Despite such known shortcomings, we continue to use these data at a state, national, and international level to inform research projects, direct funding streams, and determine health care goals.1
As one Washington Post headline put it in 2013: “nearly one-third of all death certificates are wrong.”
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This is partly due to a paucity of training. In a 2005 article for American Family Physician, Dr. Geoffrey Swain, et al, write that “physicians receive inadequate training in this important area, and their performance on this task remains less than ideal. …While the cause of death may be difficult to agree on sometimes, most problems with death certificates stem from failure to complete them correctly.”
Another reason for death certificate errors and inaccuracies is the fact that relatively few autopsies are performed anymore, and few resources are apparently dedicated to auditing cause-of-death reporting or confirming the reported causes of death. For example,
The average autopsy rate in US hospitals was ≈50% in the 1940s and 41% in 1970, just before the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Hospitals eliminated the requirement for a 20% autopsy rate. Since that time, autopsy rates have been in free fall, with estimated rates currently ≈8% overall, including forensic cases, but only 4% among in-hospital deaths.2
Some doctors, researchers and bureaucrats claim that autopsies are no longer necessary except in a few cases because medical personnel are supposedly so much better at identifying cause of death today. Many others disagree, however, and “In medicine, autopsies remain a critical weapon” in the fight to expand medical knowledge.
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For example, a meta-analysis comparing clinical diagnoses against autopsy findings states: “At least a third of death certificates are likely to be incorrect and 50% of autopsies produce findings unsuspected before death.” And, an Ohio study of infant death certificates found 56.5% of death certificates were discordant with autopsy findings.
Moreover, it appears the field of forensic pathology has become rather unpopular. According to Judy Melink, MD, forensic pathologists are getting older on average, and their total numbers are down. This has been encouraged by federal policy, and “Hospitals are no longer required to have autopsy programs to qualify for Medicare reimbursement.”
Thorough investigation of the cause of death also tends to uncover more evidence of medical errors. Thus, As Lee Goldman, MD has noted, a lack of autopsy information “represents a huge missed opportunity for understanding how to reduce deaths attributable to medical errors.” In some cases, medical personnel might even avoid autopsies for nefarious reasons. As Melink concludes, the decline in requirements for autopsies can mean that if hospital staff “find themselves motivated to bury their mistakes, they are now free to do so.”
In a field where more than 100,000 deaths per year may be due to medical errors, this is no small issue.
In some cases, there have been bureaucratic obstacles to reporting what doctors believed to be the correct conclusion. The Washington Post reports:
As to why doctors were reporting inaccurate causes of death, it actually appears to be a weirdly bureaucratic reason: Three-quarters said the system they use in New York City would not accept what they thought to be the real cause of death. So they put in something else instead.
The Politicization of Death Certificates
Prior to 2020, the issue of interpreting death certificates usually garnered attention from the general public in cases of criminal justice. As in the George Floyd case, the official cause of death became a matter of legal debate.
This might occur in some cases at the macro level as well. Police in Japan, for instance, have long been suspected of declaring suspicious deaths to be suicides, and then discouraging autopsies which might uncover homicide. As The Los Angeles Times reported in 2007:
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Police discourage autopsies that might reveal a higher homicide rate in their jurisdiction, and pressure doctors to attribute unnatural deaths to health reasons, usually heart failure, the group alleges. Odds are, it says, that people are getting away with murder in Japan, a country that officially claims one of the lowest per capita homicide rates in the world.
In any case, a situation in which there is motivation to conduct a lackluster investigation into the cause of death can be problematic, and potential problems don’t end with the stage at which death certificates are filled out. Further problems can arise when “public health” officials make decisions about how this data will be compiled, labeled, and used.
As all government data, such as employment data, crime data, or data on homeownership, this data can be used in a variety of ways to justify and craft additional government interventions in the private sector. It’s important to keep in mind that death certificate data, like any other bureaucratic metric, is subject to human errors and human choices, and ought always be regarded as just one fallible factor in political decision-making.
- 1.Emily Carter, MD; Christina Holt, MD, MSc; and Amy Haskins, PhD, “Research Review: Death Certificate Accuracy — Why It Matters and How to Achieve It” in Today’s Geriatric Medicine, Vol. 10 No. 5 P. 26
- 2.Lee Goldman, “Autopsy 2018:Still Necessary, Even if Occasionally Not Sufficient” in Circulation, June 19/26, 2018;137:2686–2688.
‘The Purge’ by Big Tech targets conservatives, including us
Just when we thought the Covid-19 lockdowns were ending and our ability to stay afloat was improving, censorship reared its ugly head.
For the last few months, NOQ Report, Conservative Playbook, and the American Conservative Movement have appealed to our readers for assistance in staying afloat through Covid-19 lockdowns. The downturn in the economy has limited our ability to generate proper ad revenue just as our traffic was skyrocketing. We had our first sustained stretch of three months with over a million visitors in November, December, and January, but February saw a dip.
It wasn’t just the shortened month. We expected that. We also expected the continuation of dropping traffic from “woke” Big Tech companies like Google, Facebook, and Twitter, but it has actually been much worse than anticipated. Our Twitter account was banned. Both of our YouTube accounts were banned. Facebook “fact-checks” everything we post. Spotify canceled us. Medium canceled us. Apple canceled us. Why? Because we believe in the truth prevailing, and that means we will continue to discuss “taboo” topics.
The 2020 presidential election was stolen. You can’t say that on Big Tech platforms without risking cancellation, but we’d rather get cancelled for telling the truth rather than staying around to repeat mainstream media’s lies. They have been covering it up since before the election and they’ve convinced the vast majority of conservative news outlets that they will be harmed if they continue to discuss voter fraud. We refuse to back down. The truth is the truth.
The lies associated with Covid-19 are only slightly more prevalent than the suppression of valid scientific information that runs counter to the prescribed narrative. We should be allowed to ask questions about the vaccines, for example, as there is ample evidence for concern. One does not have to be an “anti-vaxxer” in order to want answers about vaccines that are still considered experimental and that have a track record in a short period of time of having side-effects, including death. One of our stories about the Johnson & Johnson “vaccine” causing blood clots was “fact-checked” and removed one day before the government hit the brakes on it. These questions and news items are not allowed on Big Tech which is just another reason we are getting canceled.
There are more topics that they refuse to allow. In turn, we refuse to stop discussing them. This is why we desperately need your help. The best way NOQ, CP, and ACM readers can help is to donate. Our Giving Fuel page makes it easy to donate one-time or monthly. Alternatively, you can donate through PayPal as well. We are pacing to be short by about $3700 per month in order to maintain operations.
The second way to help is to become a partner. We’ve strongly considered seeking angel investors in the past but because we were paying the bills, it didn’t seem necessary. Now, we’re struggling to pay the bills. We had 5,657,724 sessions on our website from November, 2020, through February, 2021. Our intention is to elevate that to higher levels this year by focusing on a strategy that relies on free speech rather than being beholden to progressive Big Tech companies.
During that four-month stretch, Twitter and Facebook accounted for about 20% of our traffic. We are actively working on operating as if that traffic is zero, replacing it with platforms that operate more freely such as Gab, Parler, and others. While we were never as dependent on Big Tech as most conservative sites, we’d like to be completely free from them. That doesn’t mean we will block them, but we refuse to be beholden to companies that absolutely despise us simply because of our political ideology.
We’re heading in the right direction and we believe we’re ready talk to patriotic investors who want to not only “get in on the action” but more importantly who want to help America hear the truth. Interested investors should contact me directly with the contact button above.
As the world spirals towards radical progressivism, the need for truthful journalism has never been greater. But in these times, we need as many conservative media voices as possible. Please help keep NOQ Report going.
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Five Things New “Preppers” Forget When Getting Ready for Bad Times Ahead
The preparedness community is growing faster than it has in decades. Even during peak times such as Y2K, the economic downturn of 2008, and Covid, the vast majority of Americans made sure they had plenty of toilet paper but didn’t really stockpile anything else.
Things have changed. There’s a growing anxiety in this presidential election year that has prompted more Americans to get prepared for crazy events in the future. Some of it is being driven by fearmongers, but there are valid concerns with the economy, food supply, pharmaceuticals, the energy grid, and mass rioting that have pushed average Americans into “prepper” mode.
There are degrees of preparedness. One does not have to be a full-blown “doomsday prepper” living off-grid in a secure Montana bunker in order to be ahead of the curve. In many ways, preparedness isn’t about being able to perfectly handle every conceivable situation. It’s about being less dependent on government for as long as possible. Those who have proper “preps” will not be waiting for FEMA to distribute emergency supplies to the desperate masses.
Below are five things people new to preparedness (and sometimes even those with experience) often forget as they get ready. All five are common sense notions that do not rely on doomsday in order to be useful. It may be nice to own a tank during the apocalypse but there’s not much you can do with it until things get really crazy. The recommendations below can have places in the lives of average Americans whether doomsday comes or not.
Note: The information provided by this publication or any related communications is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice. We do not provide personalized investment, financial, or legal advice.
Secured Wealth
Whether in the bank or held in a retirement account, most Americans feel that their life’s savings is relatively secure. At least they did until the last couple of years when de-banking, geopolitical turmoil, and the threat of Central Bank Digital Currencies reared their ugly heads.
It behooves Americans to diversify their holdings. If there’s a triggering event or series of events that cripple the financial systems or devalue the U.S. Dollar, wealth can evaporate quickly. To hedge against potential turmoil, many Americans are looking in two directions: Crypto and physical precious metals.
There are huge advantages to cryptocurrencies, but there are also inherent risks because “virtual” money can become challenging to spend. Add in the push by central banks and governments to regulate or even replace cryptocurrencies with their own versions they control and the risks amplify. There’s nothing wrong with cryptocurrencies today but things can change rapidly.
As for physical precious metals, many Americans pay cash to keep plenty on hand in their safe. Rolling over or transferring retirement accounts into self-directed IRAs is also a popular option, but there are caveats. It can often take weeks or even months to get the gold and silver shipped if the owner chooses to close their account. This is why Genesis Gold Group stands out. Their relationship with the depositories allows for rapid closure and shipping, often in less than 10 days from the time the account holder makes their move. This can come in handy if things appear to be heading south.
Lots of Potable Water
One of the biggest shocks that hit new preppers is understanding how much potable water they need in order to survive. Experts claim one gallon of water per person per day is necessary. Even the most conservative estimates put it at over half-a-gallon. That means that for a family of four, they’ll need around 120 gallons of water to survive for a month if the taps turn off and the stores empty out.
Being near a fresh water source, whether it’s a river, lake, or well, is a best practice among experienced preppers. It’s necessary to have a water filter as well, even if the taps are still working. Many refuse to drink tap water even when there is no emergency. Berkey was our previous favorite but they’re under attack from regulators so the Alexapure systems are solid replacements.
For those in the city or away from fresh water sources, storage is the best option. This can be challenging because proper water storage containers take up a lot of room and are difficult to move if the need arises. For “bug in” situations, having a larger container that stores hundreds or even thousands of gallons is better than stacking 1-5 gallon containers. Unfortunately, they won’t be easily transportable and they can cost a lot to install.
Water is critical. If chaos erupts and water infrastructure is compromised, having a large backup supply can be lifesaving.
Pharmaceuticals and Medical Supplies
There are multiple threats specific to the medical supply chain. With Chinese and Indian imports accounting for over 90% of pharmaceutical ingredients in the United States, deteriorating relations could make it impossible to get the medicines and antibiotics many of us need.
Stocking up many prescription medications can be hard. Doctors generally do not like to prescribe large batches of drugs even if they are shelf-stable for extended periods of time. It is a best practice to ask your doctor if they can prescribe a larger amount. Today, some are sympathetic to concerns about pharmacies running out or becoming inaccessible. Tell them your concerns. It’s worth a shot. The worst they can do is say no.
If your doctor is unwilling to help you stock up on medicines, then Jase Medical is a good alternative. Through telehealth, they can prescribe daily meds or antibiotics that are shipped to your door. As proponents of medical freedom, they empathize with those who want to have enough medical supplies on hand in case things go wrong.
Energy Sources
The vast majority of Americans are locked into the grid. This has proven to be a massive liability when the grid goes down. Unfortunately, there are no inexpensive remedies.
Those living off-grid had to either spend a lot of money or effort (or both) to get their alternative energy sources like solar set up. For those who do not want to go so far, it’s still a best practice to have backup power sources. Diesel generators and portable solar panels are the two most popular, and while they’re not inexpensive they are not out of reach of most Americans who are concerned about being without power for extended periods of time.
Natural gas is another necessity for many, but that’s far more challenging to replace. Having alternatives for heating and cooking that can be powered if gas and electric grids go down is important. Have a backup for items that require power such as manual can openers. If you’re stuck eating canned foods for a while and all you have is an electric opener, you’ll have problems.
Don’t Forget the Protein
When most think about “prepping,” they think about their food supply. More Americans are turning to gardening and homesteading as ways to produce their own food. Others are working with local farmers and ranchers to purchase directly from the sources. This is a good idea whether doomsday comes or not, but it’s particularly important if the food supply chain is broken.
Most grocery stores have about one to two weeks worth of food, as do most American households. Grocers rely heavily on truckers to receive their ongoing shipments. In a crisis, the current process can fail. It behooves Americans for multiple reasons to localize their food purchases as much as possible.
Long-term storage is another popular option. Canned foods, MREs, and freeze dried meals are selling out quickly even as prices rise. But one component that is conspicuously absent in shelf-stable food is high-quality protein. Most survival food companies offer low quality “protein buckets” or cans of meat, but they are often barely edible.
Prepper All-Naturals offers premium cuts of steak that have been cooked sous vide and freeze dried to give them a 25-year shelf life. They offer Ribeye, NY Strip, and Tenderloin among others.
Having buckets of beans and rice is a good start, but keeping a solid supply of high-quality protein isn’t just healthier. It can help a family maintain normalcy through crises.
Prepare Without Fear
With all the challenges we face as Americans today, it can be emotionally draining. Citizens are scared and there’s nothing irrational about their concerns. Being prepared and making lifestyle changes to secure necessities can go a long way toward overcoming the fears that plague us. We should hope and pray for the best but prepare for the worst. And if the worst does come, then knowing we did what we could to be ready for it will help us face those challenges with confidence.
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