I think this might be part of a public policy initiative called “food is medicine” that uses prescriptions to get fresh produce and healthy prepared food (similar to meals on wheels) to people with food related health conditions like diabetes who couldn’t afford them.

I care about this because I have Autistic people in my life whom I love and this makes them less safe.

I care about this as an autism researcher whose field is in an axiogical crisis.

But everyone who doesn’t want the government in their most private business should care.

They think people won’t understand. They think people will believe this helps Autistic people. They’ll make fun when we talk about the dangers of putting people on lists and call them alarmists. Meanwhile they’re creating the legal test case for dismantling the right to privacy.

If they are allowed to do violate the privacy of Autistic people so egregiously, they can do it to anyone.

It’s not like there’s no scientific argument for doing this but it hasn’t been done before because of the ethical arguments against it and because it’s illegal. They want to make it legal.

The CDC has a complex system of monitoring a small number of geographic areas and based on that they statistically model rates of autism. Individual people’s identities are protected.

The IDEA federally collects rates from schools but this gets reported to the government completely de-identified.

It’s wild that people who had a chance to do something chose to do nothing

I spoke to someone at Blunt Rochester’s DC office who said she couldn’t comment on how the senator would vote. The Coons office said they thought he was a no on cloture but couldn’t confirm.

I think it’s camera angles like they used in the Lord of the Rings.