Hello! Have you made your climate confessions yet? This week’s edition of the In the Tank podcast features Heartland’s Donny Kendal, Justin Haskins, Jim Lakely, and American Experiment’s Isaac Orr. The gang…
News
Minnesota’s economic news, w/e 9/20/19
A round-up of the last week’s economic news stories in Minnesota.
Minneapolis Cop Blames Crime Wave on Anti-Police City Council
Who bears responsibility for enabling the violent crime wave in downtown Minneapolis? It’s evident much of the problem lies with elected officials who refuse to take ownership of the problem…
Public broadcasting = Government broadcasting
Private sector broadcasters like NBC have an incentive to provide programming the public likes. 'Public' sector broadcasters like TPT have an incentive to provide programming the government likes. That is…
Renewables Threaten German Economy & Energy Supply, McKinsey Warns In New Report
Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan and other lawmakers recently traveled to Germany to supposedly learn about Germany’s “Energy Transition,” and bring home useful lessons that can be gleaned for Minnesota’s energy…
Supporting school choice is a no brainer for Americans
New poll results reveal that more than three in four Americans believe parents should be able to decide what public school their child will attend.
Walz Doubles Down on Deleted Video of Wife at Public TV Forum
DFL Gov. Tim Walz may have hoped to end the controversy over his administration’s role in Twin City Public Television’s deletion of a video of a criminal justice forum featuring…
Minnesota’s unemployment rate is down from July to August, but the number of people unemployed is up 20% over the year
Over the last year, Minnesota's working age population has grown faster than that of the United States generally, but employment has increase more slowly. As a result, while the number…
Talk About Bad Timing: McKnight Foundation Announces Big Green Giveaway One Day Before Jamie Long Scandal Breaks
Talk about bad timing if you’re a green-energy profiteer. Just one day before the scandal that led to the resignation of Representative Jamie Long (DFL) from his hand-crafted job at…
MN teachers’ resignation window closes Sept. 30
Educators, we hope the new school year is going smoothly so far! Now that your classrooms are set up and lesson planning is underway, it's time to think about your…
A Liberal Journalist Experiences Radical Progressivism in the NYC Schools
George Packer is a staff writer for The Atlantic and lives in New York City. Like most of us, he is the product of public schools and a strong believer…
MN teacher gets settlement from St. Paul school district
The Center congratulates Aaron Benner on the settlement and commends him for bravely and courageously telling the truth about the tragic impact St. Paul Public Schools’ misguided disciplinary policy has…
Statewide View Column: Closing Down Coal Gives China’s, India’s Iron Industries An Edge
The following article was written by me, and it originally appeared in the Duluth News Tribune. Xcel Energy recently made headlines by announcing it wished to close down its coal-fired…
Fresh Energy Is Still Intentionally Misleading Minnesotans on Energy Issues: A Series
Earlier this summer Mitch Rolling and I wrote a multi-part series explaining how Fresh Energy's characterization of energy issues in Minnesota is intentionally misleading Minnesotans. This page serves as a…
Why is crime rising in Minneapolis?
The recent surge in attacks in downtown Minneapolis does not seem to be driven by economic deprivation but by simple sadism.
Public TV Deletes Video of MN First Lady Under Pressure From Top Walz Aide
DFL Gov. Tim Walz sidesteped taking responsibility for the scandal at the Department of Human Services this summer by saying “I don’t do drama.” Apparently the governor’s wife, Minnesota First…
Is that person or comment racist, or just tone-deaf?
Let me suggest a different response for when charges erupt. This op-ed originally appeared in the Star Tribune on September 17, 2019. Are an unknown number of racists slithering through…
Which training programs for skilled workers perform best?
Minnesota employers in manufacturing and the trades continue to grapple with daunting workforce challenges. For example, while the construction industry in our state grew 20 percent from 2014 to 2018,…
Liberal Anti-Mining Activists Support Wind and Solar Because it Will Make it Too Expensive to Mine in Minnesota
MinnPost ran an interesting article last week entitled “Should We Mine Copper and Nickel in Minnesota…to Help Defeat Climate Change?” The article was interesting because it discusses the massive amount…
Teachers’ unions complain about charter schools, but students at these schools succeed
With a new school year underway, there are 7,000 charter schools serving thousands of students across the country. And these public schools are able to meet the needs of students…
With crime rising in Minneapolis, residents want more police on the streets
With robberies in downtown’s western half up 70% over the same period last year, 63% of Minneapolis residents support expanding the city’s police force to 850 patrol officers.
Should the federal government really be putting the Packers on TV? (Take 2)
Great news! The federal government has solved all the problems facing the United States and can now devote time and effort to putting the Green Bay Packers on TV.
Minnesota school district with ‘second highest’ math proficiency only a C+
By now, most have read about the drop in Minnesota students’ test scores and the little improvement made to combat persistent academic achievement gaps. But perhaps more telling is that…
The Center signs on to letter urging Congress to defend American workers from union coercion
Led by the Americans for Tax Reform, a coalition of more than 60 organizations across the country, including the Center, sent a letter today to Congress urging its members to…