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Saturday, June 04, 2022

Running on empty. A web page - Scott Jensen - Principles

 See for yourself -

 https://drscottjensen.com/principles/

Fluff at first. Then an attack of Walz over Covid. Second guessing Walz because the models Walz relied upon were conservative - not gambler-daring. 

Walz went with national guidelines suggesting we consider a worse case scenario and then follow best practices per that analysis.

Jensen throws rocks at that. He had no better idea, no scientifically justifiable counter-model is offered, nor on his website does he suggest any. He glides and slides on how he'd have handled things. 

It is all hindsight, where caution kept the death toll lower than it might have been. Why criticize that?

In short, puffery, then going negative. If that is "principled" content to you, you may likely vote for Jensen. To me it is transparent sophistry. Simplistic, as if aimed for a very simplistic audience. Contrived. Ineffective. Insulting to my ability to weigh sensible policy, if given any.  Instead of policy principles, Scott posts an empty page; nicely packaged in Golden Gopher coloring, but content free as if content might offend his readers. 

Get real. This guy offers no "better reason" to replace Walz. None. Zippo. After all, Walz got Minnesota through the Trump years. Through the Trump ineffectiveness, shallowness, bad decision making, and ego trip narcissism.

Jensen ran a rural medical clinic. A small one. That, while Walz was in Congress. If the duty of a governor were merely to be capable of running a small rural medical clinic, and no more, Jensen might be judged qualified. 

However . . .

________UPDATE_________

Jensen's  https://drscottjensen.com/principles/ page deserves a quote - from before he goes negative on Walz, his glory, gee stuff -

 We want to move into the future with a pioneering spirit guided by courage and seeking greatness. Yes – We have our wounds, we have calloused hands, and hard-fought scars – but as we heal from the policies of the past, we must also take back the reins of who we are and lead: lead the nation in education, in good jobs, in safety, and in human dignity and personal freedom.

He forgot apple pie, motherhood and the flag, but the bet here is if asked, he'd say he's for all that too. And all the children above average. 

Content challenged? You decide. 

If you see him at an event, any event, ask him to hold up his hands so you can see his callouses. He'd probably need to trot out Matt Birk to show hard-fought scars, from years in the NFL.

Come on! 

Who writes that awful stuff for Jensen? 

________FURTHER UPDATE________

The DFL has put up a negative website on Jensen -

https://www.docscottjensen.com/

To me it is a bit too strident. But know it is there. Check it. Form your own opinion. It does seem to be factual on abortion, anti-vax outlook, and favoring the beggaring of education. Strident in tone, but pointing out policy positions worth serious questioning. 

_______FURTHER UPDATE________

In fairness: Jensen is anti-abortion. On Covid vaccination, his major concern was whether young children should be routinely vaccinated; nothing too much wilder. (A neutrally worded web search.) On school costs and funding; the bet here is his medical practice did not scrimp on quality of healthcare unnecessarily, in order to lower what patients were charged. Running his clinic he had to know, you pay for what you get, and scrimping has its dangers. If he is unable to extrapolate from that to education needs and costs, then he's not the best choice for governor.

However, a caution.

On Jensen's campaign site - https://drscottjensen.com/issues/

  • We're Over-Taxed and the Results don't Show. That will Change.

    Minnesotans are some of the most over-taxed people in America. We are losing businesses and Minnesotans are flocking to other states due to our high tax structure.

    Tim Walz wants to play politics and threaten to take more of our hard-earned money even when the budget forecast calls for a surplus. The Federal government under President Biden is on a reckless spending binge making it more important to reel in our State’s spending.

    It starts with shrinking the government and not answering every question with another government agency or program. We know Minnesotans want to invest in themselves and their families and not in the vast bureaucracy that years of Democratic leadership have given us. More government is not the answer; it is the problem.

  • Fund Kids, not Broken Institutions.

    Education is not a political payoff. Tim Walz has been beholden to bureaucrats who've harmed our children. We need to fund our KIDS, not failed institutions. We must give parents and families the ability to pick the best school for their kids. Bureaucratic waste and burdensome administrative costs have put our students last. Minnesota on average spends nearly $13,000 per pupil. It's more than that in our urban core. We do not have the results to show for it. We must uplift our kids in public school and empower parents with the finances to make a CHOICE for their kids. We also must empower PARENTS in curriculum and school decision making. Parental RIGHTS MATTER!

Standard talking points crap. That tiny rural clinic, he administers it. Or he hires a receptionist, etc. Somebody keeps the books. Sets the prices. Orders supplies and monitors inventory. Somebody even defines what can be done there, and when referrals are needed because the clinic is limited, and where to refer. Large hospitals are more complicated, and administration is hence more detailed. More widespread, even to the parking garage charges.

In a big school district such as Anoka Hennepin, Minnesota's largest, "referrals" are not allowed. It all has to be there, for as many students, as diverse as their talents and needs are, and with as few teachers and resources as funding constrains. Quality suffers to the extent there is penny pinching by the school board; (because we are over-taxed, must skimp; all that easy to pontificate hard to implement stuff).

Then Jensen's last sentence, "We also must empower PARENTS in curriculum and school decision making. Parental RIGHTS MATTER!"

My God! That has to mean that at Jensen's clinic, the patients make all the treatment and referral decisions, whatever their knowledge and skill levels, not Jensen, not the professional in the landscape who likely knows best.

Otherwise -

What a fucking hypocrite.