News & Updates

Mid-Week Reads: Minnesota's Economy and Colin Kaepernick

by | Aug 31, 2016 | Other

Every week, North Star will take some time out of our schedules to bring you our favorite reads from the past week.

Jeff Van Wychen

The Center of the American Experiment Report on Minnesota’s Economy? It’s Politics, Not Economics.

Saint John’s University economist and regular MinnPost contributor Louis Johnston critiques the recent CAE report on the state of Minnesota’s economy, the central theme of which is that progressive policies are hurting the state. Professor Johnston uses some of the arguments cited in a recent North Star article–as well as several we didn’t think of. However, while he’s too polite to say it in these words, his conclusion is basically the same as ours: the CAE report is bogus.

Stephanie Fenner

49ers Quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s True Sin

49ers QB Colin Kaepernick recently stated he wouldn’t stand for the National Anthem, refusing “to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color.” This article from the Atlantic explores the real reasons behind Kaepernick’s critics, who have argued he’s not black, or not black enough. These critiques of Kaepernick’s background largely ignore his motive – that black people are killed in disproportionate numbers by police officers who are rarely punished.

Failure is Not an Option

Despite Minnesota having $12.5 billion in one time money and a structural general fund surplus of $6 billion, there is no surplus in transportation funding. This report details decades of declining revenue from dedicated funding sources of transportation...

Underfunded Minnesota: Collective Investment for a Brighter Future

The current budget surplus represents an important opportunity to improve the quality and affordability of life for Minnesotans. For decades, wages have largely stagnated, while workers and families have incurred steeply rising costs for major expenses like childcare,...

Losing Ground: State Disinvestment in Students

Our first report, “Losing Ground”, has a simple but stark finding: over the last twenty years, per pupil state aid received by Minnesota school districts declined by 20 percent, after adjusting for inflation. As state aid has fallen off, school districts have asked...

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