The Bad: Senate’s Clean Energy First Bill Would Probably Be A Blank Check to Xcel Energy

Yesterday, I wrote about the good aspects of the Minnesota State Senate’s Clean Energy First bill. Today I’ll talk about the bad aspects, and tomorrow I’ll suggest ways to amend the legislation to make sure Minnesota families and businesses are not paying higher costs as a result of the bill. The Bad As a result of legalizing new nuclear, large hydro, and carbon capture and sequestration technology, the Clean Energy First bill could reduce more emissions for less cost than wind, solar, and battery storage. While this sounds great in theory, the legislation also contains problematic provisions that will essentially be...

Mayor Exposes Radical “Equity” Training in Government and Schools

The mayor of the western Twin Cities suburb of Victoria has pulled back the curtain on the radical agenda being promoted under the guise of equity in local government and schools. In a letter to the Chanhassen Villager, Mayor Tom Funk said he was shocked by a supposed training program staged for local and county government staff that functioned as more of an indoctrination than education. As mayor of Victoria, I question the meaning of the word “equity” we see permeating government after attending GARE (Government Alliance on Race and Equity) training put on by the League of Minnesota Cities...

Minnesota’s Three-Tier System can take no credit for the craft beer boom

In 2011, the Minnesota Beer Wholesalers Association was part of a "large liquor coalition" opposed to the Surly Bill. They can take no credit whatsoever for the craft beer boom that has followed.  

AMERICAN EXPERIMENT BOOK SHELF

Liberalism Causes Achievement Gaps

This report by Chris Stewart of Brightbeam is a blockbuster. It is titled: “The Secret Shame: How America’s Most Progressive Cities Betray Their Commitment to Educational Opportunity For All.” Stewart is a liberal activist from Minnesota who undertook to find out why the Twin Cities’ left-wing public schools have some of the country’s worst achievement gaps between white and minority (black and Indian) students. Stewart compared achievement by race in a number of cities that he classified as progressive or conservative. The results didn’t surprise me, but they shocked Stewart. Conservative cities (as ranked by political scientists used as a...

Robots are Replacing Workers in Poland Due to Raise in Minimum wage.

As workers are becoming more expensive, Polish firms are investing in technology in order to remain competitive

Celebrating National School Choice Week

National School Choice Week 2020 is officially underway! Center of the American Experiment is proud to join hundreds of schools, organizations, students and school leaders in celebrating all Minnesota students.

Local and State Government Under Fire for Lack of Transparency

There’s been a slew of examples in recent months of local and state government bodies going to extremes to avoid public scrutiny and accountability. The more notorious incidents include a Minneapolis planning committee currently seeking $20 million in state bonding that bars reporters and cameras from meetings, destroyed records at the Minnesota Department of Corrections, a gag rule on city councilors in St. Cloud and the deletion by TPT of a videotaped panel discussion with  First Lady Gwen Walz under pressure from a top aide to Gov. Walz. Did St. Cloud City Council Violate State Law? There’s also an issue...