The $500,000 MnDOT grant came to Brainerd packaged under an innocuous enough sounding state program called “Safe Routes to School.” SRS funds construction for sidewalks and crossings near schools to…
I’m always surprised at the amount of pushback that criticisms of the Northern Lights Express draw. I write about a number of contentious topics here — taxes, spending, regulations, for…
The quantity of metal required to make just one generation of renewable tech units to replace fossil fuels is much larger than first thought. Current mining production of these metals…
This week on The Power Hungry Podcast, Robert Bryce interviews Peter Zeihan, a geopolitical strategist and the author of four books, including most recently, The End of the World is…
State and local taxes and spending The Globe: Worthington City Council talks budget ahead of December certification deadline Alexandria Echo Press: Douglas County commissioners approve 2023 budget of nearly $64.6…
In recent years, Hollywood celebrities have possibly been among the most outspoken proponents of higher taxes, with some of them even penning a letter calling for higher taxes. Why they…
Why are prices rising? One theory is ‘cost-push’ inflation. According to my old Dictionary of Economics, this is: Inflation induced by a rise in the costs of production of goods…
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has drawn considerable attention for her executive order banning the Chinese-controlled app TikTok on state government phones and devices in her state. The Republican governor…
Wind and solar advocates in Minnesota often claim that the buildout of these energy sources will create quality jobs and strengthen the state’s economy, but the ongoing energy crisis in…
The short answer is “no” when looking at three key measures. Earlier in the week, I posted a pie chart of state government spending. The chart shows that just two…
It was bound to happen given the steady decline in college enrollment nationwide. Fewer students equates to fewer dollars coming in the door, forcing administrators to face inevitable budget cuts…
There are many reasons why a secure border is critically important for the U.S. The lack of a secure border amplifies the devastating impacts of illegal drug smuggling and the associated…
Three things are essential for economic growth: an increase in labor (number of hours worked), an increase in capital, and an increase in total factor productivity, which can be understood…
Free-food nonprofit is seeking reinstatement to program. Most of the attention in Minnesota’s free-food scandal has fallen on the now-defunct nonprofit Feeding Our Future. The second-largest nonprofit in the free-food…
According to Education Minnesota’s most recent federal filing, the teachers’ union continued to lose members from 2021-2022. This marks the second consecutive year that the state teachers’ union has lost…
Capitol Watch is a weekly update sent to thousands of Minnesotans during the legislative session. Click here to get it sent right to your inbox. The state has a surplus…
Governor Walz and other liberal lawmakers have proposed legislation that would require Minnesota to derive 100 percent of its electricity from carbon-free resources by 2040, but his proposal would not…
With the state government’s budget forecast to run a surplus of $17.6 billion dollars to June 2025, there will, no doubt, be all sorts of proposals put forward for how…
Earlier today, the Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB) announced that the Minnesota government will have an extra $17.6 billion to work with in the 2024-2025 biennium. This is up from…
For the past two school years, Minnesota public school enrollment has declined, and the state’s school system has lost thousands of students to other learning environments. (We will see if…
If criminal justice system accountability is important to you, consider letting the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission (MSGC) know your position at a Public Hearing on 12/15/22 at 1 pm. The…
Minnesota Management & Budget (MMB) will release its November Budget and Economic Forecast today. We will have to wait till 11:30am for full details, but the headline number is striking:…
The latest Thinking Minnesota poll was conducted last week, and the top choice for what to do with the budget surplus for Minnesotans was once again permanent tax cuts. Twenty-seven percent of respondents…
State government in one pie chart. As we get ready for tomorrow’s reveal of the current status of Minnesota’s budget, it’s worth reviewing where all the money goes. The single…