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The ideological divide between the two main parties in the state legislature is increasingly stark. This means that we actually see some rather profound debates up at the state capitol…
The ideological divide between the two main parties in the state legislature is increasingly stark. This means that we actually see some rather profound debates up at the state capitol…
Two weeks ago I wrote about a proposal from some DFL legislators in St. Paul to hike Minnesota’s state sales tax, with the revenue dedicated to housing programs. Now, the…
Last year, Minnesota’s legislature blew through an $18 billion budget surplus and hiked taxes and fees by another $10 billion for good measure. You might think that would sate the…
On January 22, Senator Omar Fateh held a press conference about a bill to eliminate minimum parking requirements around the state. He plans to introduce the bill in the 2024…
For a few months now, a common theme in the local media is that the inflation rate in the Twin Cities is lower than in comparable metropolitan areas. In October,…
Back in January, the Center For Rural Policy and Development reported that: Was this a one-off or will it continue? Will the populations of “rural” counties continue to grow more…
The Twin Cities have an affordable housing problem as the result of excessive taxes, fees, and regulations that effectively make it illegal to build affordable housing there. Occasionally, when I…
A year ago, I wrote about twin examples offered by one of Minnesota’s Twin Cities, St. Paul, of the principles of Econ 101 in action. The Saint Paul City Council passed a minimum…
We at the Center have written a lot about Minnesota’s relatively expensive housing. A recent article by Jim Buchta and MaryJo Webster for the Star Tribune explained how bad the situation is…
On housing and child care, Minnesotans face higher costs than many other Americans. In 2019, the average Minnesota family paid over $16,000 to keep a child at a day care…
This week, the state legislature passed HF 5, which provides a free breakfast and lunch to all Minnesota public school children, rich and poor alike. Extending free meals to rich…
When he announced his $65.2 billion two-year “One Minnesota” budget, a 26% increase from the current two-year budget, Gov. Walz claimed that it will “lower costs, cut taxes, and improve…
We at the Center have long noted the relative expense of housing in Minnesota. And as I wrote earlier this year: A price is not a problem so much as…
In May, I wrote about Census Bureau data which showed that in 2021 Minneapolis lost 3,678 residents (a decline of 0.9% in its population): To put this in context, in…
According to the Havard Joint Center for Housing Studies, the median house price has risen about 12 percent in the Twin Cities between Quarter 1 of 2021, and Quarter 1…
The rent control ordinance passed in St. Paul last November has been a disaster. One of the strictest rent control measures in the United States, it capped annual rent increases at 3%…