Today is Statehood Day, Minnesota’s birthday. 153 years ago today Minnesota became the 32nd state in the U.S. Since then, Minnesota has done pretty well. We’ve had things we can be proud of. Like all places, we’ve had things to be not so proud of. Hopefully, we’ve learned from the mistakes so as not to… Continue reading Happy Birthday, Minnesota
Category: Politics
These Things I Believe
Aside from the successful mission against bin Laden last weekend, it’s hard to find any positive news in the political sphere these days. Congress is talking about deficits, debt ceilings, inflation, bond vigilantes, and budget cuts. GOP presidential candidates are talking in South Carolina about how we have enough fossil fuels in the U.S. right… Continue reading These Things I Believe
The budget: numbers or values?
At both the state and national level, our elected officials are dealing with budget deficits and how best to handle them. This leads to a lot of numbers thrown about, such as “15% cuts” and “$30 billion versus $38 billion” and the like, along with various stories about who is “winning” or “losing” the debate.… Continue reading The budget: numbers or values?
Job-killing taxes?
“We can’t raise taxes, that will drive away jobs!” Such is the oft-repeated refrain uttered by Republicans at the Capitol. The implication is that it’s a direct correlation: high taxes means fewer jobs. But is that really the case? The statistics seem to say otherwise.
Tax Incidence Update
Minnesota’s latest tax incidence study came out this week (and can be found here). I’ve written about it before, and the trends are pretty much the same as previous studies. Two graphs jump out at me. The first is the overall effective tax rate: It peaked in 1994, and since 2000, has stayed remarkably stable.… Continue reading Tax Incidence Update
Politics, without the nasty politics
There’s a lot of trends in the U.S. that annoy me, mainly having to do with politics, pundits, and the media. The “he said, she said” method of reporting in which ridiculous arguments are put on an equal footing with sane ones, and hence legitimized. The inability or unwillingness to point out when leaders are… Continue reading Politics, without the nasty politics
Dayton’s budget
Governor Dayton released his budget yesterday. It was essentially the budget that he campaigned on: higher income taxes on the richest 5% of Minnesotans (who aren’t paying their fair share in state taxes in the first place), protections against property taxes increases by not slashing LGA to the bone, more K-12 education spending, and no… Continue reading Dayton’s budget
When is a government benefit not a government benefit?
When is a government benefit not a government benefit? Apparently, when you are on the receiving end of it. So says a recent column by Bruce Bartlett, former Treasury Secretary under George H. W. Bush, today in the Fiscal Times. In a stunning table that was also referenced by the Economix blog, it shows that… Continue reading When is a government benefit not a government benefit?
Opting out of the health care market
Lawsuits have been filed, conflicting court decisions have been handed down, and ultimately, the Supreme Court will decide whether Obama’s health care reform will be constitutional. The main argument proffered by those against the bill is that the law regulates economic inaction, something that opponents claim Congress does not have the power to do. But… Continue reading Opting out of the health care market
Local Elections and Turnout, Part 2
In my last post, I took a look at the turnout in House districts that the DFL lost. Today, a coworker asked me about districts that were close, but were won by the DFL candidate. Good question. So I put together the following table of districts where the DFL candidate won. I chose districts not… Continue reading Local Elections and Turnout, Part 2