If you can work from home, you can work from another – lower tax – state
If workers do become more sensitive to state taxes as a result of Covid-19, it should give state policymakers pause for thought before hiking taxes further.
If workers do become more sensitive to state taxes as a result of Covid-19, it should give state policymakers pause for thought before hiking taxes further.
Our state faces a very serious problem with Covid-19: our care homes remain disaster areas and ICU occupancy continues to rise. State government and local media should not be trying…
Since Gov. Walz launched his Five-Point Plan to protect Minnesota’s Long-Term Care residents and workers from Covid-19, care home residents have accounted for 69% of all the state's Covid-19 deaths.
To prevent an abuse of emergency powers in future, we propose that any state of emergency declared by a governor under Chapter 12 of the Minnesota Statues will automatically expire…
According to top health officials, if Minnesotans were taking precautions, we would not need additional Covid-19 restrictions. Setting aside the lack of evidence for that claim, how will closing bars…
Back in September, I wrote: For the time being at least, while COVID-19 is still with us, the data is clear: The emergency period of this pandemic is over. I…
Gov. Walz was correct to sign an order allowing healthcare workers licensed in other states to work in Minnesota. If this is good policy in time of a crisis, it…
Minnesota's Covid-19 model makers are getting a chance to redeem their failure.
As the Italian and German examples show, Gov. Walz was probably correct in March when he said that the spread of Covid-19 couldn't be stopped.
City Pages, 1979-2020
If the share of Minnesota’s ICU beds in use is the correct benchmark for Gov. Walz’ Covid-19 emergency measures, the state's numbers show that, at present, we don't need to…
The Covid-19 pandemic is a bleak medical episode. A new report from Freedom House finds that it is also turning out to be a bleak episode for freedom.
For now at least, the emergency period of the Covid-19 pandemic in Minnesota is over. What did this traumatic experience show ought to be done in response to or in…
This good news for the state government hides the reality of bad news indeed for the state's lower income earners. How do we help them?
We cannot expect the economy to return to normal while restrictions remain.
Since the fourth quarter of 2019, GDP has fallen by 10.1% nationally and by 10.6% in Minnesota, making us the 32nd worst hit state.
As the state looks to a post-Covid-19 future, what economic policies can help us get back on our feet?
Accepting Gov. Walz' argument that the spread of Covid-19 cannot be stopped and that all we can do is build up capacity to cope with its acute cases, the share…
Two locals writing in Minn Post propose five benchmarks for ending Minnesota's state of emergency - the Governor himself only claims to have two. Sadly, their benchmarks are almost all…
As with the positivity rate, it isn't clear that the ratio of community spread cases makes a very useful benchmark for whether Minnesota is in a state of emergency or…
The data has consistently failed to support the state government's dire warnings. Rather than ditching the dire warnings, the state government is ditching the data.
As long as testing is not truly 'random', the positivity rate is an unreliable benchmark.
For the time being at least, while COVID-19 is still with us, the data is clear: The emergency period of this pandemic is over.
The state government is cracking down on bars and restaurants which are already struggling with reduced capacity.