Conventional wisdom has it that young people starting out in life need a four-year college degree to succeed. But a new Center of the American Experiment study (download here) concludes…
My wife Diane and I have just moved, after 25 years, from Minneapolis to Eden Prairie. Early on I needed to hire a painter to do a modest amount of…
How much of an issue will public safety be in the upcoming Minneapolis mayoral election? The Star Tribune raised the stakes with an editorial a week ago headlined “Downtown’s dilemma:…
Rising wages are a good thing when, like Target's, they come from market forces and the competition between firms for labor.
Look on the bright side Minneapolis: the wall could be passed off as an expansion of the nearby Walker Art Museum’s Sculpture Garden. Think of the wall as a giant…
Public sector employers will be a prime target as activists seek to spread Minneapolis' job killing $15 minimum wage. That's because, unlike private sector employers, they have no bottom line…
Despite education spending increases year after year, Minnesota remains home to one of the largest academic achievement gaps in the country. Not all students are getting the education they need…
It used to be students who got in trouble for skipping school. But a new national report card out this week gives teachers at traditional public schools an F for…
Minnesota has been violating the First Commandment of a defined pension benefit plan for years: you must put aside enough money each year to cover the benefit promised. And if…
Compared to their neighbors and peers, Minnesota's urban areas are performing indifferently on economic growth.
To my knowledge, this story has gotten no local attention. But it ought to be of concern to all Minnesotans, especially given that it involves the flagship Minneapolis campus of…
Having damaged the low wage labor market in Minneapolis, $15 activists now have to pursue employers and jobs into neighboring areas, starting with St Paul. But the economics remain the…
Productivity drives earnings. Arguments that it doesn't are based on the selection of poor variables, incomplete data, and misleading measures of inflation.
Desperate times call for desperate measures. But are the Vikings desperate enough just two games into the season to sign controversial quarterback Colin Kaepernick? Sports writer Jim Souhan went long…
When the Governor talks about attracting a new Amazon distribution center to Minnesota, does he tout our great bike paths? Er, bike roads?
It’s not your imagination. It’s not your fault. There’s a deliberate campaign by city, county and state transportation planners to get more cars off our freeways and streets. See “Twin…
Minnesota's rate of job growth has been ahead of the national average over the last year. But those new jobs have been concentrated in less productive sectors of the economy.
Center of the American Experiment may or may not have had anything to do with it, but I choose to view a story in the Star Tribune on Sunday (September…
Is Roseville the Twin Cities first sanctuary suburb? That was the goal behind a months long behind-the-scenes campaign by liberal activists to pressure Roseville City Council members into taking action.…
After 25 years in the same house, my wife and I are relocating a dozen miles to the suburban west. And yes, as you might imagine, after a quarter-century of…
Many Minnesotans are quick to believe the North Star State’s economic performance is well above the norm. Unfortunately, Minnesota’s economy has been mediocre, at best, for some time. Public policies…
A food fight has broken out in the press and on social media between DFL factions in Duluth. On the surface it’s about a vulgar private Facebook message sent over…
Yesterday four Senators—Lindsey Graham, Bill Cassidy, Dean Heller, and Ron Johnson—released the latest bill to repeal and replace Obamacare. Like every other bill, it only partially repeals Obamacare because it…
SWLRT has hit several walls: a structural operating deficit brought on by the Council favoring LRT expansion and bike lanes over a well-run bus system, a Legislature that has refused…