In the Winter 2024 issue of our magazine Thinking Minnesota, I wrote about the “Minnesota Miracle” of 1978 which saw, among other outcomes, the election of a tied state House,…
The information about who and what was behind the deadly terror attack in New Orleans early New Year’s Day has now been vetted. As of yesterday, the FBI has concluded…
Happy New Year! As an Xcel electric customer, you may have received the email on Wednesday morning reading: To recap, Xcel is asking the state PUC to approve a 9.6…
The forecast state government budget deficit for the 2028-2029 budget biennium is likely to dominate policy and political debate in Minnesota for the next few years. The state is constitutionally…
On New Year’s Eve, 2024, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara put out an end-of-the-year message to all MPD officers thanking them for their hard work and dedication. The Chief’s message…
Christopher Rufo’s winning strategy. “I like to go out and win. I think that ultimately if you’re playing politics and you’re not winning, you’re actually not really playing politics. You’re…
Another Minnesota city takes the government’s fiber-optic bait. “This time, it’ll be different!” This should be the tagline for Connect Willmar, the latest local government-funded fiber-optic internet project in…
What do public school teachers think of school choice? An October survey of educators has found that the majority of public school teachers support education savings accounts (ESAs), a school…
The election contest of the Shakopee-area House 54A seat reveals more incompetence. The election was almost two months ago, and we’ve almost sorted out what happened. One state House of…
The interest following last issue’s Thinking Minnesota Poll covering Minnesota’s election laws was the impetus for American Experiment’s four-city event tour, “Rigged or Fair? Election integrity issues in 2024.” The…
Lowertown’s descent is a policy choice. Shortly after moving to Minnesota in 2017, my wife and I went to a St. Paul Saints game. Arriving early, we went for a…
St. Paul has no money for childcare. A ballot measure creating a childcare subsidy program for all low-income children in St. Paul failed to pass in the 2024 election, preventing…
We’ve got mail! Family legacy In the Fall 2024 issue, I was elated that John Phelan wrote an article about the 2nd Minnesota. My Norwegian immigrant great-great grandfather Even, his…
Minnesotans deserve better than what they have offered. Trust, accountability, and common sense are three foundational characteristics of a society that are also good measures of that society’s health and…
Hennepin County caught illegally staffing ballot board. Just weeks before the 2024 election, Hennepin County was exposed by the Minnesota Voters Alliance (MVA) and the Upper Midwest Law Center (UMLC)…
Owatonna High School’s new paths to career success. The “Great Reshuffle” in the labor force will almost certainly be one of the biggest consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to…
What a second Trump term could mean for the U.S. economy. In his victory speech on Nov. 6, 2024, Pres.-elect Donald Trump strongly declared, “I will not rest until we…
American Experiment lost a good friend in October with the passing of former State Rep. Ken Wolf. Ken represented the Dakota County suburbs in the Minnesota House from 1993 to…
In 2024, people visited AmericanExperiment.org an incredible 3.2 million times — a new record! But what exactly were they reading? These are American Experiment’s Top 10 Most Read Stories of…
Economic issues are driving a new coalition of Minnesota voters. For some years, Republicans have been talking about forming a multi-ethnic working-class and middle-class coalition that would be an electoral…
Gun control advocates appear to be armed and ready to reintroduce several measures when the 2025 legislative session gets underway in January. Unlike the last two years, however, gung-ho anti-gun…
As we gear up for another legislative session, I predict we will hear more than once that Minnesota’s public school system “just needs more money” to improve its lackluster academic…
What do you do with 290,000 solar panels spread out over 1,000 acres when it comes time to tear them down? The developer’s plan for the proposed $245 million Birch…
I don’t know how anyone could’ve adequately followed all the energy and environmental news that happened this year without spending 40 hours a week on the subject (and even that…