The MN House will debate today whether seniority should continue to trump effectiveness. Proposed legislation would limit the role seniority plays when teacher layoffs occur due to budget cuts or student…
Mike Rowe is the impressive guy you may have seen in Ford commercials, but of more pertinent note, as the host of the Discovery Channel’s “Dirty Jobs” and CNN’s “Somebody’s…
There’s a “yuge” public meeting in Duluth tomorrow on the planned Twin Metals copper mine being held up by a last-minute Obama administration preemptive regulatory strike. Hundreds of supporters and…
In November 2015, a Minneapolis lawyer named Dan Shulman filed a purported class action lawsuit on behalf of all children in the Minneapolis and St. Paul public schools. The lawsuit…
Most of what happens behind the scenes at state agencies stays behind the scenes. The gears of government grind on, leaving taxpayers little choice but to trust that officials act…
Governor Mark Dayton threw down the gauntlet today, telling Minnesota’s Republican-controlled legislature that he may shut down the state’s government if the legislature doesn’t obey his orders on spending: “I…
Most of what happens behind the scenes at state agencies stays behind the scenes. The gears of government grind on, leaving taxpayers little choice but to trust that officials act…
Governor Dayton’s team has projected a $1.87 billion-dollar surplus. Before anyone pats themselves on the back, recall that there is the not so small matter of a pension deficit. When…
Another train that most Minnesotans have never heard of but will be expected to pay for has left the station. The plan to restart a train between the Twin Cities…
This morning’s Star Tribune has a long article on the growing secrecy surrounding government activities in Minnesota: Train cars loaded with highly flammable oil roll through Minnesota cities every day,…
Respected economist Lawrence Lindsey has written a piece in the Weekly Standard that explains why the House Republican tax plan “is exactly targeted at the economic ills that afflict our…
This map, produced by the Tax Foundation, shows the top individual income tax rate for each state. You will note that Minnesota is essentially tied with Oregon for the third-highest…
Using recycled rubber tires as mulch for playgrounds and infill for athletic fields could come to a screeching halt. According to the Star Tribune, the Minneapolis City Council is…
We cannot tell you with any certainty what the refugee resettlement program costs but what we can tell you is that the benefit side of that cost-benefit analysis is in…
The law of the unintended but absolutely predictable consequences of government action has struck again on the Minnesota-Wisconsin border. Washington County authorities have charged two Illinois men with smuggling cigarettes…
You likely have read reports in newspapers – or even better, seen video on television or the internet – of students at Middlebury College rioting recently because they didn’t want…
On Monday House Republicans revealed draft language to repeal and replace Obamacare. The proposal met an immediate backlash from conservatives. Sen. Rand Paul called it “Obamacare Lite.” FreedomWorks, Heritage Action, the Club for…
Did you know it is International Women’s Day? I confess, I did not get the memo. I apologize to women everywhere. I should have worn RED and taken the day…
The aftermath of Hillary Clinton’s crushing loss just got more personal for Sen. Tim Kaine, Clinton’s former running mate. It turns out Linwood Kaine, one of the Virginia senator’s sons,…
Lieutenant Governor Tina Smith wants 50 percent of Minnesota’s energy to come from renewable sources by 2030. The current renewable energy standards enacted under Governor Pawlenty is “25 percent by…
The two top politically connected Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority execs with deep ties to the Dayton Administration cleaned out their desks a couple weeks ago. But there’s still plenty more…
Jay Stooksberry, who used to work in college admissions and financial aid, has written a very provocative piece that deserves attention: “Selling Higher Education is Sleazier Than Selling a Used…
The question of whether voter fraud exists remains a controversial issue that surfaces every election cycle with little resolution. Common sense suggests that some of the 500,000 Minnesotans who take…
The loss of healthy enrollment leads to such an expensive risk pool that no one can afford to buy coverage, thus killing the market.