Minnesota State & Local Revenues About Average

by | Jul 5, 2016

The preceding article in this series demonstrated that in terms of state and local government spending per $1,000 of personal income, Minnesota is slightly below the national average based on fiscal year (FY) 2013 data, ranking 31st among states. An examination of...

Minnesota in the Middle in Terms of Government Spending

by | Jun 30, 2016

Minnesota has a reputation among conservatives as a high tax, big government state. However, based on some of the better metrics, total state and local government expenditures in Minnesota are about equal to the national average, with Minnesota ensconced in the middle...

Minnesota GDP Growth Above Average Since 2013 Tax Act

by | Jun 29, 2016

Minnesota conservatives have complained loudly and repeatedly that tax increases in general—and the tax increases enacted in 2013 in particular—will ruin the state’s economy, as businesses flee in response to an “uncompetitive” business environment. However, a recent...

Dynamic Scoring Overlooks Benefit of Public Investments

by | Jun 24, 2016

The lack of consensus among economists regarding the impact of tax changes upon the economy is a major impediment to the use of dynamic scoring in the budgeting process, as noted in the preceding North Star article. Another problem with dynamic scoring models is that,...

Mid-Week Reads: Gun Death Rates, Earned Sick and Safe Time

by | Jun 23, 2016

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 Compare These Gun Death Rates: The U.S. Is in a Different World This article uses a variety of comparisons to illustrate the rate of gun...