MN Judge Does A Disservice To All Minnesotans By Letting Lets Seattle Area Pipeline Protesters Off the Hook

On October 11, 2016, three pipeline protesters from Seattle, Annette Klapstein, Emily Johnston, and Ben Joldersma, disguised as safety workers scaled a chain-link fence and used bolt cutters to unlock the shut-off valves on the Enbridge lines 4 and 67, which carry millions of gallons of oil daily across Minnesota from western Canada. The anti-pipeline activists faced felony charges that could result in up to 10 years in prison, that is, until Judge Robert Tiffany  granted the protesters’ motion to dismiss the case. The ruling comes as a shock, even to the protesters themselves. However, by dismissing this case, Judge Tiffany did...

More Birds Are Getting Drunk This Year, MN Town Advises Residents

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — The northeastern Minnesota town of Gilbert is alerting residents that birds may be a bit more “tipsy” than normal this time of year. According to Gilbert police, its received numerous reports of what look to be drunk birds “flying into windows, cars and acting confused.” Police say the reason behind this is the fact that certain berries in the area have fermented earlier than usual due to an early frost. That, plus the fact that many birds have yet to migrate south, means more birds are feeling the effects than in past years. Also, younger birds’ livers cannot...

Minnesota’s economic news, w/e 10/12/18

A round-up of the last week’s economic news stories in Minnesota.

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Wind Farms May Actually Warm the US, Controversial Study Finds

The following article appeared in October 4, 2018 edition of Earther, a publication of Gizmodo. My commentary is in bold. According to an article in Earther, wind turbines may actually have a warming impact of their own. Climate change? Bad. Wind farms to fight climate change? Maybe…also bad? That’s the weirdly veiled and instantly controversial conclusion of two new papers out on Thursday in Joule and Environmental Research Letters. The twin papers look at how wind power could create localized warming and how much energy wind farms produce. The results show that wind farms generate comparatively low power for the area they take up, and that...

Milton Friedman: Capitalism or socialism, which is more humane?

Collectivist, Big Government policies are being increasingly openly espoused by mainstream politicians. Socialism, that discredited relic of the 20th century, is having 'a moment'. These idea are frequently presented as being more 'fair' or 'humane' than free market capitalism. But are they? In this video below, from 1978, the economist Milton Friedman explains the relative humanity of capitalism and socialism. 

Minnesota’s Roads Receive a Dismal D-Plus Rating

Minnesota’s beleaguered road system received the lowest grade of all — a D-plus. Roads across the state are in poor condition, and congestion in the Twin Cities means motorists spend an average of 41 hours in rush-hour traffic every year, a slog that costs drivers $1,332 each in commuting expenses annually.

Taxes are incentives – even for divorce

People respond to incentives. Public policymakers can either stamp their feet and deny this, and pursue counter productive policies, or they can acknowledge its truth, however ideologically indigestible they find it, and apply this insight correctly. All too often the current approach is incoherent.