The separation of powers doctrine says that the three branches of government are coequal, and that each branch has certain defining and exclusive functions. It’s a beautiful, powerful and simple…
Philanthropic organizations in Minnesota are devoting major efforts to training the state’s neediest citizens for in-demand jobs. A coalition of Twin Cities foundations called MSP Win is leading the way.…
Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges blamed her refusal to submit a detailed $1.4 billion city budget by August 15 as required by law on the demands of her job following the…
America needs more welders, and recently a delegation of them went to Washington to tell policy-makers so. Congressman Tom Suozzi of New York wrote about their visit in the Wall…
Usually, when my colleagues Kathy Kersten, John Hinderaker, or I write about Center of the American Experiment’s major project, Great Jobs Without a Four-Year Degree, we focus on soon-to-be high…
Economists have had a number of theories for economic growth over the years. The most recent offers hope for the future.
The verdict has been virtually unanimous on President Trump’s nominee to fill the vacancy on the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Current Minnesota Supreme Court Justice David Stras’s stellar…
Compared to its peers, the Twin Cities' economy is only middling
The “water protectors” have resurfaced in northwestern Wisconsin, targeting another strategic oil pipeline project. But this time they did it with the tacit acceptance of local law enforcement. The Duluth…
Environmental protests have become an accepted cost of doing business for companies involved in natural resource projects–until now. Energy Transfer Partners has just filed suit against Greenpeace and two other protest…
A major topic at the first gathering (August 10) of the Advisory Council for “Great Jobs Without a Four-Year Degree” was a series of meetings my American Experiment colleagues and…
West Virginia has struggled for years with a declining economy, and an increasingly discouraged and disengaged high school population. Now the state is working to change that with an innovative…
Net neutrality may be one of the most intangible issues in the public arena. Hard to explain, hard to understand, hard to get too worked about about. Yet it’s often…
The move to broaden young people’s exposure to career paths beyond a four-year college degree just got a boost from the Wall Street Journal. The Journal reports that the default…
The Pioneer Press ran a long story by Christopher Magan on Sunday about Minnesota’s immense achievement gaps. (“15 Years Later, MN Schools are More Segregated, and Achievement Gap has Barely…
With Congress reconvening and tax reform in the offing, where do our state's legislators stand?
When Les Engel and a handful of other St. Cloud-area manufacturers got together one morning in 2008 to strategize about their “talent pipeline” problem, they had no idea how many…
I had an exceptional intern this summer, Tori Roloff, who worked with me on two projects: American Experiment’s multi-year initiative, “Great Jobs Without a Four-Year Degree”; and a related book…
Minnesota's population is aging. The state will need the wealth generated by high productivity jobs, such as mining, to support its seniors
Minneapolis taxpayers will just have to wait and see how much Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges plans to jack up their property taxes next year. Hodges’ explanation for not releasing a…
St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman proposed a budget that dramatically reduces road maintenance fees and raises property taxes by an equally dramatic 23.9 percent. The fee reduction and property tax…
The vast burden of federal regulations is well known. But what's the picture at state level?
A botched investigation has not only cost the Minnesota Department of Commerce its reputation for impartiality but also nearly $1 million in court-ordered legal expenses to be paid to the…
The pace of technological change is such that the skills you have at 20 are likely to be obsolete halfway through your working life. To keep pace, education must become…