When the pandemic hit, Congress responded by sending billions of dollars to states, counties, cities, businesses, and citizens. Many cities had a hard time figuring out how to use the…
In April, KSTP news reported that “Although abortion remains a top issue…the economy is the most important issue influencing voters in 2024.” It continues: “According to our new KSTP/ SurveyUSA…
Long after the lockdowns and mask mandates, local governments are still searching for somebody, anybody, to award hundreds of thousands of dollars in unspent taxpayer funds received during the pandemic…
A Minneapolis city council member proposes to halt the clearing of homeless encampments through April 30, 2023. KSTP-TV reports that Aisha Chughtai will propose a “temporary” halt that would last…
In response to COVID 19, congress and the Trump and Biden administrations overreacted and hastily distributed $5,000,000,000,000 in loans and grants to millions of Americans through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief,…
Savage is among hundreds of Minnesota cities and towns in line to spend another $1 billion in federal pandemic recovery funding under the American Rescue Plan Act. The process provides…
A Minnesota labor union received taxpayer funds through the federal Paycheck Protection Program for which it was legally ineligible, according to report by the Freedom Foundation. The report tracked nearly…
Not one person has been arrested or charged in the scandal as of yet. But the seriousness of the allegations is complicating efforts to launch ambitious new spending programs in…
In March 2020 Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, also known as CARES Act. The $2.2 trillion spending program contained spending programs to provide relief to…
Did you know? The so-called ‘COVID Relief Bill’ could block Minnesota’s next governor and legislature from cutting taxes: Senate amendments to the American Rescue Plan Act prohibit the use of any of the $350…
Local government officials meeting by Zoom, under a tight deadline with a mandate to dole out billions of dollars as quickly as possible. What could go wrong? As cities were…
Cities get ‘creative’ in a rush to spend federal COVID relief largess.
In March, I wrote that the so-called “COVID Relief Bill” could block Minnesota’s next governor and legislature from cutting taxes. In May, I followed up, writing that a federal court had…
The spending spree bound to break out with the next round of federal pandemic funding for local governments has officially kicked off in Rochester.
Back in March, I wrote that the so-called ‘COVID Relief Bill’ could block Minnesota’s next governor and legislature from cutting taxes: Senate amendments to the American Rescue Plan Act prohibit the use of any…
“If you build it, they will come.” This might be sound advice when it comes to supernatural baseball fields, but it is bad advice for government transit. Fox 9 reports:…
Yesterday, my colleague Bill Walsh asked: “Are state tax cuts possible with new federal stimulus bill?” Senate amendments to the American Rescue Plan Act prohibit the use of any of the $350 billion in…
Governor Walz's recently updated order that elementary schools can begin in-person or hybrid learning starting January 18, 2021 is still leaving students behind. Terry Otremba, father of 13-year-old daughter Addison who…
The Northstar commuter rail line never has lived up to ridership expectations. It’s always been a huge loser for taxpayers, who have heavily subsidized every ride taken on the train,…
The start of the 2020 school year is just around the corner. There is a compelling case for reopening schools—not only to prevent academic disparities from widening, but also to…
A round-up of the last week’s economic news stories in Minnesota.
Providers have been able to ward off the risk of permanent closure by cutting their own pay or digging into their own savings. The government handouts provided later during the…
Emergency Education Savings Accounts would help families.
Mayor Carter's Guaranteed Income is simply a plan to add another layer of welfare to the existing arrangements. We can debate the pros or cons of this, but let us…