“Science”, Minnesota Style
Governor Klink reminds us “we are all in it together“.
I thought about that as I was driving through Eagan after the show on Saturday. I drove past a Eagan Outlet mall – a clump of national big box outlet stores.
He was the parking lot:
Seems an off a lot of people are, indeed, “in it together”, doesn’t it?
Then, I turned around and took a look at Jensen’s supper club – a locally run, one of a kind small family run business that is an Eagan institution, as well as being perennially besieged by the ever expanding vagaries of Minnesota’s regulatory state and tax regime.
Here it was:
A sign on the door hopefully suggests “curbside pick up available“.
Normally at 3o’clock on a Saturday afternoon during the weekend after Thanksgiving – one of the biggest shopping weekends of the year under normal circumstances, and clearly a day seeing quite a bit of traffic at the state sanctioned “essential“ businesses across the street – there would be more than a few cars in the parking lot, with people grabbing dinner and or a cocktail or three after a day of dealing with the madding crowd.
Science.
I never used to think California had the right idea about recall elections. I’m revising my position on that.
I thought that Walz had given up appeals to ‘science.’
The problem tyrants have with science is that it is consistent. If A happens, B must follow. At some point that consistency requirement foils the will of the tyrant, so out it goes.
Since science is doubtful on social distancing, face coverings, and restaurant closings, Walz says it must be done out of ‘neighborliness’ as he defines it, not science.
MO: Science is doubtful on social distancing? I have attempted to find anything associated with “six feet” distance and an actual science study. I have asked others if they can find any studies on it, with no success. As near as I can tell, it was “that sounds like a good idea”.
I mention this only because you say the science is doubtful on it. I’m actually trying to find any science on it. This does not refute your point(s), but goes more to show how this has been a “science free” project from the beginning. Anyone have access to any literature showing how six feet is a magical distance?
Dr. Osterholm – just about everyone’s “go-to” regionally and nationally on pandemic – was interviewed at the time the mask mandates were going out. He was very concerned because masks aren’t terribly effective, and while he would wear one in public he worried that people would think they were “safe” by wearing a mask and neglect the social-distancing guidelines, which could lead to another surge. Smart guy.
The six foot rule is based on arbitrary notions of how far the droplets in your breath extend. All of this is based on models which we know are incorrect or incorrectly applied.
I am highly offended by people who insist that you wear a face covering just to get along with what the authorities say.
Authoritarianism is not “I will contest the PA vote totals.”
Authoritarianism is “Do what you’re told to do & keep your yap shut.”
I’m sorry, being a weasel about masks is just the sort of thing that I’ve come to expect from Osterholm over the years. And also the ever so reasonable social distancing.
In todays world SCIENCE = Guess work and political dictates that “the SCIENCE is settled”. The most vulgar profanities would accurately describe Walz!
Max, just about every slo-mo video of a sneeze I had seen demonstrates effluvia travels way beyond 10ft. But 10ft or more is not possible, so hey, 6ft is better than nothing, right? science™.
And NW, while Dr. O is correct about masks – they are pretty much useless when it comes to spread of viruses, he is dead wrong about social distancing – see above. Dr. O is just another expert™ it seems. Unless of course you stay you stay at home and never, ever venture outside or greet anyone at the door. Oh what a wonderful world to live in!
And in the meantime, suicide rate in Japan surpasses that of whatever they use for Wuhan flu death rate over there. Progress™.
Silly Merg. It is not about “we are all in it together“ but about which is the largest tax base. But don’t you worry, when Jensen’s goes out of business, taxes will be raised on Outlet Mall. And when stores in the Outlet Mall will start going out of business, taxes on the homeowners will go up. And YOU will one up with an open check book so YOU can pay for a Better Minnesota™.
Osterholm has pedaled the doomsday virus message for as long as I can remember. Covid is his additional 15 minutes of fame. He laments that he wasn’t around during the plaque or smallpox era.
Let me get this right; we spend all summer going to restaurants, and the COVID infection and death rates don’t budge. So when people start going to political rallies, riots, and college, our fix is not to correct that, but to punish people who go out to eat.
Got it. And at the same time, I’ve not heard of any significant politician stepping out and saying that if you want to mitigate the effects of the epidemic, get outside, get some exercise and lose some weight.
Huh. It’s almost as if they want to make things as bad as possible.
Special shout-out to Joe Doakes: You might find this interesting.
Taiwan has one of the world’s densest populations, has tested only those with symptoms, yet has suffered the fewest Covid deaths (per capita), while imposing the least restrictive public health measures
Sidney Powell has scored in Georgia. A fed judge has enjoined the rats from hiding the cheese by erasing the Dominion voting machines.
But the biggest blow to the rats is the argument their lawyers made against the order:
“According to Batten, counsel for the defendants in the suit — Gov. Brian Kemp (R-Ga.), Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and four other members of the Georgia Elections Board — argued that the court had no jurisdiction over the counties because they are not parties to the case. The defendants also argued that allowing experts working for plaintiffs to inspect the machines “would pose substantial security and proprietary/trade secret risks,” Batten’s order says.
This is an argument government lawyers used to prevent defendants from examining the code used in breathalyzer machines which have been used as prima facia evidence in convicting them. Errors were indeed found in the code.
If these rats didn’t cheat, why are they trying so hard to keep a lid on investigations? If they were on the up and up, what better way to finally humiliate Trump and his supporters than throwing the doors wide open and proving the election was honest?
swiftee, threadjack much? trollbots finally got to you?
C’mon over to Western Wisconsin.
Bars & restaurants are open in Polk & Saint Croix counties.
jdm – thanks for the shout-out. Much appreciated.
Max Over – I’d love to come (I promised to buy the first round at Not Justa Bar outside Somerset when you retired). But under Walz’ Executive Order 20-99, paragraph 6e, I’d be subject to a 14-day quarantine when I returned to Minnesota. Sorry, dude, no Leiny is worth that, not even the Summer Shandy.
I’ve known Osterholm’s work since 2009 and 2010 when my company used him extensively for our risk modeling in anticipation of H1N1. He was a bit overwrought then in terms of actual spread (though it was still significant), but it was useful. In fact, some of the work then, I believe, helped my current company project certain preparation models and set reserves that have helped us a lot. Almost all the steps and stages he outlined then have come to pass this time around (including where the virus would likely originate) – but his message has essentially been (then and now) “there’s nothing you can do about the spread, just be prepared for what it’s going to do.” It’s not as if everyone can just hide in their house until the virus gets bored and goes away. Even social distancing is of limited utility (which I think he has so much as said).
NW, “there’s nothing you can do about the spread, just be prepared for what it’s going to do.” how very true. And wasn’t the first mandate to flatten the curve? But like a proverbial camel on genie steroids and open barn doors, the petty tyrants will milk it and extend it until YOU say no mas.
I have this theory that if you are in an environment that is high risk for covid (crowded, lots of loud talk or singing), the most likely vector of virus entry is the eyes, not the mouth and nose, face covering or no face covering.
Great Britain, which has a centralized national response to covid-19, and which has a strict lock down regime engineered by expert epidemiologists, has a death per million rate 50% higher than that of the US.
Great Britain, which has […]
an entirely obsequious population as well. There’s very little noncompliance.
I watched, briefly, the guv’s presser today. Several times his interpreter had to leave to get more straw for the straw men. Just kidding about that. But what isn’t funny is how he distorts what his critics say and the media let him get away with it.
Max Over – I’d love to come (I promised to buy the first round at Not Justa Bar outside Somerset when you retired).
Hey, Joe, let’s try to make this happen. Don’t know the best way to get into private contact, maybe through Mitch?
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