Minnesota’s public school system is carrying a heavy price tag, as debt per student reaches more than $20,700 and pushes total school borrowing to $16.5 billion. Number crunching by the…
Back in October, I wrote about Minnesota’s relatively poor performance on GDP per capita growth in the last decade: Data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) show that in nine of…
Imagine sitting down to take a school exam in the late 19th century — no multiple-choice bubbles to fill in, no standardized test booklets, just long, challenging questions covering a…
This summer, Congress passed The Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA) as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The ECCA allows every taxpayer nationwide to gain up to $1700…
In the first eleven days of its operation in May 2024, Amtrak’s Borealis service between St. Paul and Chicago generated a “profit” of $100,000, which excited a few local people.…
Minnesota’s oldest ju-jitsu school World of Self Defense is a ju-jitsu “dojo” located a few blocks west of the Veterans Administration Hospital in South Minneapolis. It’s a second-generation martial arts school…
The recent film “A Precarious State” has drawn a number of responses, a recurring theme of which is that Minnesota’s problem is its slow growing economy resulting from its slow…
The vote by the state Public Utilities Commission (PUC) was unanimous. From the Minnesota Star Tribune, Private equity giant will control northern Minnesota’s biggest power company. The vote took place…
Examining the roots of party politics realignment In 2001, when Tim Pawlenty told the Minnesota State Republican Convention, “We are the party of Sam’s Club, not just the country club,”…
As students find their rhythm of the new school year, parents are advised to save all their receipts for school supplies, musical instruments, class fees, and tutoring services. Depending on…
Support for the new federal tax-credit scholarship program crosses political party lines, according to a recent national poll from 3D Strategic Research. The poll, commissioned by the American Federation for…
Approximately 1 in 5 workers in the U.S. needs a license to work, making it costly for individuals to enter certain occupations. This hinders income mobility, increasing inequality. It also…
A funny thing happened on the way to BlackRock’s takeover of Minnesota Power: the environmentalist movement was split. From Walker Orenstein at the Minnesota Star Tribune: Northern Minnesota power company…
Cut the waste, save the budget. Eight years ago, American Experiment asked Minnesotans in our quarterly Thinking Minnesota Poll if they thought state government spends too much, not enough, or…
If he wins, Tim Walz will be the first Minnesota governor elected to a third four-year term.
Likely unbeknownst to many (including me, originally) the National Education Association — the largest teachers’ union in the country — has a federal charter that was issued by the U.S. Congress back…
The influence of teacher unions in Wisconsin was substantially restructured following the passage of Gov. Scott Walker’s 2011 Budget Repair Bill (commonly known as Act 10) — and students benefited,…
It takes at least 18 months of combined education and work experience for a high school graduate to become a daycare teacher in Minnesota. Across the border in Wisconsin, it…
One argument against education choice programs is that expanding parental freedom to access alternative learning environments doesn’t mean much in areas with limited options. But a recent study of universal…
Since President Trump began his second term back in January, the state’s Attorney General seems obsessed with stopping his agenda, and little else. Since the start of Trump’s new term…
In American Experiment’s 2021 report, “The State of Minnesota’s Economy: 2020 — A focus on economic growth,” we wrote: "What matters for economic welfare is per capita income. This is…
I’m considering opening a lock and key business in Hudson, Wisconsin this summer. Because unless the Minnesota legislature acts, almost all keys and key fobs will be illegal beginning July…
What matters for economic welfare is per capita income. This is a general measure of welfare, telling us how much per person is available to be consumed, invested, or put…
American Experiment broke the story last week of an hour-long recording of Attorney General Keith Ellison meeting with participants in the Feeding Our Future fraud scandal. During the meeting Ellison…