Minnesota has lagged the nation on Research & Development spending since 2012

Improved productivity is the main source of per capita income growth. The two main drivers of that are education and Research & Development. Our state performs below average in both. This does not bode well for Minnesota's future economic health. 

$1,300 To Take A Class in Eco-Feminism? No Wonder Gen Z Is Opting for Trade School Instead of College

Apparently, the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth has an online “ecofeminism” course in which students can learn about topics like “the oppression of nature.” The course costs nearly $1,300 for three course credits, but it is unclear how this course will equip students who take it with the real-world skills needed to compete in an increasingly global and specialized economy. It is no wonder Generation Z is skipping college in droves. Liberal Arts universities are becoming increasingly divorced from the things that made them useful in the first place. For most young people, education is not an end in and of itself....

How good are Minnesota’s schools?

Minnesota's education rankings are generally a source of pride for the state. A new report suggests that we ought to think again

AMERICAN EXPERIMENT BOOK SHELF

Lack of Donations For GoFundMe Shows People Don’t Really Want the Wall

The Wall has become the epicenter of the federal government shut down but judging from the GoFundMe page dedicated to raising money for it, it doesn't seem to be much of a priority for most Americans. If each of the 63 million Trump supporters donated just $80, it would raise more than $5 billion to build the border wall. However, the GoFundMe stands at just $20 million, which is just 0.4 percent of the total cost. Only 337,194 people (0.53 percent of total number of Trump voters) have donated. This suggests that most people really don't care about the wall, or if they do, they aren't willing to put their money where their mouth is and donate a portion of their tax cut for a one-time fee to build it.

Natural Gas, Not Wind or Solar, Is the Main Cause of Reduced CO2 Emissions

61 percent of the declines in CO2 emissions have been achieved by switching from burning coal (which emits about twice as much CO2 as burning natural gas) for far less cost than wind and solar.

Survey Shows 40 Percent of Adults Still Can’t Cover a $400 Emergency Expense: No Wonder Politicians Can’t Pass a Balanced Budget

About 40 percent of adults said that if faced with a $400 unexpected expense, they not be able to pay it with cash or would do so by selling something or borrowing money, according to the Federal Reserve’s Report on the Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households in 2017, Additionally, less than 40 percent of non-retired adults think they are on track in saving for their golden years and 25 percent have no retirement savings or pension at all, the report says. What is even more shocking than these numbers is that the savings rate for the U.S. has actually increased in the past few years....

In The Tank: Episode 173

Hello all! I’m excited to announce that I have been asked to be a co-host of the In the Tank Podcast, which examines the work of Think Tanks throughout the country. The podcast is produced by The Heartland Institute, where I used to work. This week Donny, Justin, and I examine the Green New Deal in further detail, talk about Education Savings Accounts, explain why a recent court ruling could unravel Obamacare, and debate whether Oregon’s proposal to limit the allowable blood alcohol limit to .05 will have its intended effect. Thanks to the Manhattan Institute, the Beacon Center of...