The latest federal government shutdown hardly registered a blip when it came to the effect on daily life for most folks. The inconsequential impact was partly due to the short–just…
Minnesotans like to think of their state as a high-tech center, but unfortunately that is more fantasy than reality. The latest evidence comes from Forbes, taking off from an analysis…
No region has suffered more from historical neglect than the Midwest.
How well is our state doing? People are voting with their feet.
In 1977, the U.S. Supreme Court did something courts often do: instead of doing its job and ruling on the law, the Court split the baby, acting like a legislative…
Yesterday, the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis hosted its first Regional Economic Conditions Conference and state economist Laura Kalambokidis gave her view of Minnesota's economy.
The number of wolves in Minnesota soared last year, confirming the predator’s comeback as one of the Endangered Species List’s success stories. The wolf population leaped forward 25 percent thanks…
7 Things the legislature didn't do, but should.
With individual health insurance markets melting down across the country, both the House and Senate health care bills include funding to states to help stabilize their insurance markets. This funding…
The Star Tribune reports that the flow of refugees into Minnesota has slowed drastically since President Trump’s orders limiting travel from several countries. This chart shows the numbers: The reasons…
To be sure, America faces many tough cultural challenges ahead, beginning with fatherless households, failing schools, and violent crime. But economically and environmentally, the future could be so very bright,…
The Chicago Tribune issued a terrific editorial last week supporting school choice, calling out senators for their unfair treatment of Betsy DeVos, and exposing Democrats’ hypocrisy on the issue: Like…
As you read what follows about how charter schools came to be in 1991, you may want to keep track of the number of early players whose animus towards the…
Xcel won’t go on the record with MNPUC about whether its renewable energy strategy is the least-cost option for its customers
General Mills, one of Minnesota’s premiere Fortune 500 companies, made the news this week with renewed speculation that the company is ripe for a takeover. According to the Star Tribune,…
The Chicago Tribune just penned an excellent editorial in support of reformer Betsy DeVos to head the U.S. Department of Education: A few weeks ago, Massachusetts voters rejected a major…
Testimony and brief on Employee Freedom before Government Operations and Elections Policy Committee, House of Representatives on House File 3585 (specifically Article 2 on Fair Share and Dues Deduction) Written…
This is the newest installment in Dr. Pearlstein’s year-long review of how Minnesota students are doing compared to students in other states, and more broadly, how American students are doing…
I am attending a conference this week at State Policy Network (SPN) in the wonderful city of Grand Rapids, Michigan. During the Q&A on a panel about how to reach…
Minnesota has long been a fertile state for growing successful businesses. The roster of Fortune 500 companies headquartered in Minnesota in the 1970s...
Keeping The Promise: Securing Retirement Benefits for Current and Future Public Employees | Minnesota’s public employee pension system is broken. The state’s...