On Wednesday, I wrote about how, in a recent interview with the Pioneer Press, I spoke about some of the schemes the federal government used to aid businesses during the…
Yesterday, I wrote about new research which suggested that 15 percent of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans were fraudulent. There was always going to be an element of this, I…
A couple of weeks ago, I spoke to the Pioneer Press about some of the schemes the federal government used to aid businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as the…
On August 11, the U.S. Senate passed a massive $3.5 trillion spending plan, which, among other things, includes $225 billion for affordable childcare. Details for the bill are yet to…
I’ve written before about how affordable housing in the Twin Cities is rare because it’s illegal to build: After all, high prices are simply a signal that demand, in this…
Economic growth Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal: Minnesota venues call SBA relief ‘critical’ to pandemic-era survival State and local taxes and spending Twin Cities Business: Minnesota’s Angel Tax Credit Program Renewed…
When California passed a law to require space for some farm animals in 2018, the effort was lauded as necessary. At the beginning of next year, California will enforce a…
Last month, CNBC sent out this tweet: It isn’t often that I’m stunned into silence, but this did it. One of the basic confusions that people can fall into when…
Lack of access to affordable housing is a big issue in Minnesota, especially in the Twin Cities. While most of the effort geared towards alleviating this issue has centered around…
A tale of two Starbucks Downtown Minneapolis has been a strange place to go for more than a year now. First, COVID-19 hit in March last year. Businesses were closed…
Last Friday, the Minneapolis city council voted on two rent control proposals. The first proposal gives the city council legal authority to enact a rent control policy. Minneapolis residents will…
Economic growth Minn Post: How federal tax hikes would hurt Minnesota businesses Brainerd Dispatch: Reader Opinion: Helping our businesses Minnesota Reformer: Minnesota’s economic recovery in 8 charts Labor market KROC:…
Tobacco taxes hurt low-income Minnesotans, small businesses.
Rochester’s economy is heavily dependent on the healthcare sector. In 2019, Ron Wirtz wrote for the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis: It’s hard to overstate the influence of Mayo and…
When we talk about the negative effects of inflation, people often bring explan that inflation cannot hurt individuals when it is coupled with rising wages. This is true. During the…
Childcare has been one of the most heavily affected industries by the COVID-19 pandemic. Fortunately, providers got a lifelinefrom United States Congress. In Minnesota, most of the funds from the…
State and local taxes and spending Minn Post: Let’s not rush to judgment on Minnesota’s new film and TV production tax credits KROC: Dear Rochester, Aren’t ‘Revenue Enhancements” Just Taxes?…
In an effort to address the housing crisis, the Minneapolis City Council made it legal to build rooming houses. According to the Star Tribune, The City Council last week approved…
In June, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) announced that inflation rose 5.4 percent in the last 12 months. Despite the claim that inflation was transitory, prices have continued to…
Hundreds of thousands of years ago, when humans used stone tools in their daily lives, it would have been virtually impossible to imagine a more sophisticated way of life. Yet…
Just weeks ago, Sen. Tina Smith, (D-Minn.) and her Democratic colleagues were cheerleading their big win in collaborating with Major League Baseball’s controversial decision to politicize the All Star game…
Getting out of the way of the economy.
Labor market Pioneer Press: Minnesota lost 600 jobs in June, first decline since 2020 Grand Rapids Herald Review: DEED: Minnesota’s unemployment rate holding steady Fillmore County Journal: Minnesota’s unemployment rate…
State and local taxes and spending Star Tribune: St. Cloud will use federal relief to offset lost revenue KNSI: Minnesota to Finish Fiscal Year 2021 Stronger Than Expected Pioneer Press:…