Center of the American Experiment releases Minnesota state government scandal tracker

After yesterday’s announcement that taxpayers are on the hook for another $23 million due to the Department of Human Service’s continued mismanagement of public funds, Center of the American Experiment released a comprehensive list of state government failures in recent years, dating back to the failed MNsure rollout of 2013. The aptly named scandal tracker describes nearly fifty state government failures in one sentence each, lists them by date, and categorizes them as examples of mismanagement, cronyism/corruption, IT failures, or data breaches.

State Government Scandal Tracker

The scandal tracker is an extension of the recent Thinking Minnesota magazine cover story The Masquerade of Good Government, by Tom Steward, which exposed how nearly a decade of inept decision-making in St. Paul continues to produce a pile of epic policy disasters.

“Minnesotans want to think our state is functioning, if not perfectly, at least better than most. But a historical review of the evidence shows pervasive mismanagement, incompetence, and even corruption at the highest levels of state government,” said President John Hinderaker. “At least a billion dollars has been wasted by state government since 2016 alone. Since 2013, nearly 60,000 Minnesotans have been put at risk of identity theft after data breaches at government agencies exposed their personal information. State government is lighting fire to taxpayers’ hard-earned money and failing the people it is supposed be helping – and Minnesotans deserve to know.”

The scandal tracker will be updated regularly as news breaks. The public may request corrections or send tips by emailing [email protected].