It gets crazy in the waning hours of a legislative session. But House Minority Leader Paul Thissen, DFL-Minneapolis has displayed “a disturbing pattern of verbal abuse of Republican Staff” on…
On July 22, 2015 the chair of the Met Council Adam Duininck sent a letter to the chair of the House Transportation Committee, in which Duininck pledged: “Should the Legislature…
The Minneapolis City Council recently voted to require employers to provide paid sick leave to employees. The requirement applies to firms with six or more employees and extends to all…
The disconnect between citizens and bigger-than-ever government continues to drive discontent with politics as usual at every level. Folks who used to think they had not just a stake, but…
They’ve garnered hundreds more signatures on their petition campaigns than five-term Bloomington Mayor Gene Winstead received in votes last November. But it remains to be seen whether the third and…
The Minnesota legislative session officially ended with the usual last minute drama. In the final hour, the House passed a $1 billion bonding bill and sent it to the Senate…
In brief, the pension omnibus bill contains some good policy changes such as a higher contribution rate for St. Paul Teachers and lower COLAs that are estimated to immediately save…
It’s not every day a state’s top prosecutor faces accusations of potential “abuse of prosecutorial discretion” and questions over “the integrity of your office.” But Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson…
Last week the Minnesota Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a challenge to St. Paul’s right of way maintenance (ROW) fee. The case presents the Court with an opportunity to…
In what may be the biggest Open Meeting Law case in Minnesota history, a Carver County District Court has found four current Victoria City Council members committed a total of…
Local citizens object to the increasingly unchecked and unaccountable power of the Metropolitan Council.
Testimony Before the Minnesota House Property Taxes and Local Government Finance Division March 3, 2016 Peter J. Nelson, Center of the American Experiment My name is Peter Nelson and I…
Here is some good news: the Star Tribune ran a story about recent public pension hearings. The story headlined the “Minnesota” section last Sunday with “Longevity strains state pensions: Our…
As Minnesota Senators and staff begin moving into the new Senate office building this week, here’s a tally of some costs of the building: Building and parking ramp construction: $90…
CAE town meeting shows how effective public policies don't have to include government.
Five things to look for in the 2016 Legislative Session.
Do we really want to live like this?
Rebecca Friedrichs is a dedicated public school teacher in California. Her passion for teaching children is frustrated by the public school system in general, and the labor union she is…
Why are union bosses bashing California teacher Rebecca Friedrichs and the other plaintiffs in the Friedrichs vs. California Teachers Association case? In a word: money. In three words: heaps of money. Public…
While it is tempting just to beat up on the Obama labor department and their progressive friends in the Minnesota legislature, allow me to beat up on Congress and the…
Last week, I attended and testified at the hearings of the Legislative Commission on Pensions and Retirement. I am reluctant to admit it, but everyone knows I am a pension…
The new Victoria City Hall and public works buildings are already built. But citizen watchdogs are only now wrapping up construction on their open government case — focused on the process…
Citizens suing to put garbage collection on the ballot in Bloomington finally got their day in Hennepin County District Court. The legal challenge follows a city council vote in June…
I’m very pro-police for a variety of reasons, the most important being that cops are our last line of defense against barbarism. I remember my doctoral adviser at the University…