A new report by EPI is calling for a $15 minimum wage in order to help childcare workers, but that would also raise childcare costs for parents.
Comparing border counties reveals the real impact of Minnesota’s economic policies.
Childcare is so expensive in Minnesota that based on the affordability standard set by the US Department of Health and Human Services, that childcare is only affordable if it does…
The high cost of childcare in Minnesota - caused chiefly by government regulation - strains families and our economy, especially in Greater Minnesota.
How government regulation strains families and our economy.
There are currently no estimates for the economic cost of lack of access to affordable childcare on the whole state of Minnesota. But the high cost on employers due to…
Subsidization has a probability of raising costs even higher with the option of state funding and the lack of market signaling.
It makes everyone richer.
The way the teacher pay debate has been framed misses the mark.
Creating value does not hurt the poor; it makes everyone richer. This counterpoint originally appeared in the Star Tribune on August 23, 2019. The Star Tribune missed an opportunity to…
A new study finds that Minnesota ranks 4th out of 50 states and the District of Columbia for most expensive infant care. Child care expenses are a real problem for…
Belief in minimum wage hikes is about as close to belief in Milton Friedman's mythical 'free lunch' as you will find. They seem to offer the prospect of benefits for…
Comparisons of Minnesota's and Wisconsin's economies are interesting but shouldn't be pushed too far. The states have similarities, but they have many differences, too. As yet, neither state is beating…
For most, the St. Croix is a scenic river. For others, it is an Iron Curtain or 38th Parallel, separating different economic systems. This is the position taken by the…
David Cooper of the Economic Policy Institute, author of a recent report comparing the economic performances of Minnesota and Wisconsin, has a counterpoint to my counterpoint in today's Star Tribune.…
Economic policies in the Gopher State have yielded better results? Data suggest otherwise.
Minnesota’s economic growth has lagged Wisconsin’s since Dayton and Walker took office.
This op-ed appeared May 21, 2018 in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. There’s an old saying where I’m from: If something seems too good to be true, it probably is. The…
In its new report, the Economic Policy Institute argues that "Wisconsin’s determined efforts to weaken unions have contributed to the state’s poor wage growth". But data from the Bureau of Labor…
In its new report, the Economic Policy Institute claims that Minnesota's performance in labor force participation rates since Gov. Dayton took office vindicates Big Government policies. It can only say…
Wisconsin's Gov. Walker inherited an unemployment rate of 8.1% in January 2011, and our own Gov. Dayton inherited one of 7.1%. Since then, Wisconsin's unemployment rate has fallen by 5.2…
Despite what the Economic Policy Institute might claim, the data show that since Governors Dayton and Walker took office, Minnesota's economic growth has lagged Wisconsin's.
The wealth of some does not cause the poverty of others. Making the wealthy less wealthy will not cause the poor to be less poor.
It’s no secret the University of Minnesota Humphrey School of Public Affairs faculty tend to hold and promote liberal views. That just goes with the territory in academia. According to…