News

Evaluating the Fed’s post-COVID policies.

In July, the Mankato Free Press ran an op-ed titled ‘Minnesota economy doing well.’ It was, in this writer’s view, the sort of fact-free boosterism that too often passes for…

In 2019, California passed Assembly Bill 5 (AB5) — a law that limited businesses’ ability to classify workers as independent contractors. This was in an effort to ensure that workers…

The IRA is bad for Minnesota, despite its moniker.

In June this year, American Experiment released a report showing that excessive regulations are to blame for the high cost of licensed center-based care. Specifically, we noted that strict child-staff…

Last week, U.S. News reported: ‘Stocks Slump on Fears About Rates, Recession After Jobs Data‘. Was it bad data? No, quite the contrary: Good news on the economy remains bad…

Last week’s jobs report estimated that Nonfarm payrolls increased 263,000 for the month, compared with the Dow Jones estimate of 275,000. This prompted the usual round of celebrations from people…

State and local taxes and spending Lonsdale Area News-Review: Lonsdale sets preliminary 17.6% tax levy increase Pipestone County Star: City approves preliminary tax levy increase of 13.5 percent Wadena Pioneer…

Dental assistants, make-up artists, manicurists, Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs), barbers, cosmetologists, and packers are just a few of the numerous occupations that Minnesota licenses. For some of these occupations —…

Last Friday, the DFL tweeted: But, as I’ve noted before, taken by itself the unemployment rate can be a misleading statistic: The unemployment rate is calculated by dividing the number…

Data released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis last week showed that, in the second quarter of 2022, Personal Income in Minnesota increased by 5.4% at an annualized rate. This rate was lower than…

Data released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis last week showed that, in the second quarter of 2022, Minnesota’s economy shrank, in real terms, at an annualized rate of 1.3%.…

State and local taxes and spending CBS News: Minnesota not collecting as much tax revenue as it could on newly legal THC edibles West Central Tribune: City of Willmar proposing…

In March 2020, COVID-19 hit Minnesota. State and local governments enacted several measures intended to slow the spread of the virus, chief among these being “lockdowns” of individuals and shutdowns…

On September 13, the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that: The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) rose 0.1 percent in August on a seasonally adjusted basis after…

State and local taxes and spending Pioneer Press: Study: Minnesota missing out on up to $46M in revenue by not taxing newly legal THC edibles Minn Post: State could be…

The majority of Minnesotans are feeling the financial stress from rising prices — albeit to varying degrees. A recent Star Tribune poll reported that while 33 percent of Minnesota households…

State and local taxes and spending Duluth News Tribune: Minnesota lawmakers back waiving taxes on student loan forgiveness West Central Tribune: Kandiyohi County 2023 tax levy set to increase, but…

Even after rent control severely reduced housing permits in St. Paul, and pushed some investors to pause housing projects, Minneapolis is considering going in the same direction. Last year, while…

Last week, at the unveiling of his official White House portrait, President Obama said to President Biden: Thanks to your decency and strength, maybe most of all, thanks to your…

Among the working population, only a tiny segment can be considered poor. This is because the population of people in poverty mainly consists of adults who are not in the…

Last month, President Biden responded to the July inflation data – which showed the Consumer Price Index (CPI) flat over the month – by tweeting: Data released by the Bureau…

State and local taxes and spending Star Tribune: Minnesota legislators are considering lifting taxes on federal student debt relief KFGO: Minnesota Democrats say no state income tax on student loan…

If not, they should be, according to a hitherto unknown website. Local media love any list where Minneapolis scores well. A real-estate website called “Commercial Cafe” published a list of…