The Left's War on Science

A while back, I wrote about the strange relationship between liberals and "science."  Glenn Garvin writes about the same theme in a commentary in the Miami Herald this week.  Under the headline "The left’s science deniers" he talks about how the left has fought nuclear power, vaccination, and genetically modified crops--all in the face of "settled" science.

The Shifting Winds, Part 3

We are in the midst of the “switch” phase of an amazing political “bait and switch” operation in Minnesota.

I have previously written (Part 1 and Part 2) about how Minnesota’s Democrats campaigned relentlessly on the “school shift” education funding issue.

Now safely in office, and in the majority, Democrats want to delay paying back the school shift and are getting cover from local public school officials around the state to go back on promises made during the campaign.

Minnesota Public Radio News reports,

“To make up for budget shortfalls, Minnesota lawmakers delayed $1.1 billion in payments to schools in recent years.  Some lawmakers are calling for the state to deliver the payments in full this year.  But school administrators [say] they'd rather receive an increase in funding from the state this year, and have their IOU paid back over the next several years.

Now they tell us.  MPR adds,

“The desire to repay schools sooner rather than later may be a byproduct of last fall's election when both parties decried the budget-balancing tactics that led to the debt and promised to be more fiscally responsible.”

“May be?”  “Both parties?”  Actually, it was the self-appointed “good-government” gatekeepers who drove the issue, as much as the Democrats themselves.

During my recent adventures in electoral politics, I did a series of candidate forums, covering any number of topics and constituencies.  Of course, I participated in the forum hosted by the local chapter of the League of Women Voters.  There was only one question that we candidates were given in advance of the event,

“What specific measures would you support to reduce the State budget deficit and to repay the money owed to school districts?”

Likewise, the Edina Public Schools forum hosted by the local Parent Leadership Council provided candidates with a series of prepared questions.  Question #2 read as follows,

“In light of recent school funding shifts and growing financial pressures on local, state and federal budgets, how does the State ensure adequate and predictable funding for local schools.”

True, my Democrat opponent in the race did send out this statement in a mailer during the campaign,

“Ron is committed to paying back the money the state borrowed from the school districts”

But this sort of campaigning went on all over the state.  The time for local school officials to object to the demagoguery was last fall.  Now comes their complaint (as reported by MPR),

"If all the money is taken to pay back the shift in one lump sum, there will be no dollars left over to fund any increases in state aid."

Yes.  And that statement was equally true back in October.

A Cold Argentina

When Minnesota’s Democrats (or DFL, Democrat-Farmer-Labor as we style them in the North Star state) brought in one-party rule for the first time in a generation, the state knew it was in for a change.

Last week blogger Mitch Berg cautioned against those of us in opposition using up too much activist energy too early in this legislative session, lest we have nothing left for the more important issues during the big push at the end.

He’s right.  Even worse, he had no idea of the avalanche headed our way.  Each day sees at last two economy-devastating pieces of legislation introduced.

Flood the Zone

Take yesterday as an example.  A state senate committee voted to shut down an entire industry (sand mining), a house committee considered a crippling new renewable energy mandate, and the dome saw a union rally in support of a far left agenda.  Not bad for a Tuesday.

"It's the Same Sand!"

Here is a short piece I wrote on silica sand mining for MNPAC.  I love the graphic they came up with,

Red State Growth Corridors

In the Wall Street Journal Joel Kotkin writes about the growth corridors in America's red states.  Sadly, there are no growth corridors in blue states.  And he mentions Minnesota.  By name.  And not in a good way.

Look for the Union Label

Minnesota finds itself in a rare period of one-party rule.  The majority Democrats are seizing the day and implementing everything on a long wish list of progressive policies.

Prominent among the initiatives is a push to unionize everything that moves.  I wrote yesterday about the early effort to unionize early childhood education.  A unionization of home health care providers is in the works.

Of immediate interest, the Democrats are seeking through legislation (Senate File 778) to unionize home day care providers, an effort that failed when tried by executive order.

In my recent adventures in electoral politics, I met a number of people who operate child care facilities within their home (yes, in Edina).  To a person, all were petrified of this union push.  One of my friends sent this note to our DFL legislators expressing her concerns,

"I am an in home Child Care Provider residing and doing business in your district.  I would like to voice my strong opposition to the upcoming legislation regarding Day-Care unionization.

"I do not wish to be a member of or to pay fair share dues to any union since I do not feel that they can represent me, a small business owner.  I understand that I will not have a voice since I do not receive subsidies.  I am hoping that you, believing in personal freedom can be my voice in this matter."

Let's see if anyone is listening.

The End Game for Early Childhood Education

One of the biggest education initiatives of Minnesota's Gov. Mark Dayton is the expansion of early education scholarships.  The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports on the start of a pilot program in St. Paul, enabling children from lower-income households to attend preschool.

Putting aside the merits of the program, the most newsworthy elements of the story involve quotes from the head of the state teachers union.

Education Minnesota's Tom Dooher is quoted as saying,

"more funding is needed to expand district-based preschool opportunities.  He has no issue, he said, with state scholarships being used at quality child care facilities.  But, Dooher said, the public school system, 'a known entity for every community,' is a better vehicle to ensure every student had access to early learning programs."

You see, he just wants to wet his beak.  For now.

Down the road, look for "quality" child care to be redefined as "union."  Then religious-affiliated programs will be barred on "separation of church-state" grounds.  Eventually, scholarships will be confined for use at government-run schools only, as the "better vehicle" for "access."

We've been down this road before.  It would be nice for protections to be built into the law for private and religious preschool providers.  That seems unlikely in the current environment.

Joel Kotkin on the Future of the American Family

Over at the Dailiy Beast.

The Shifting Winds, Part 2

Today's Minneapolis Star Tribune contains an interesting commentary from a superintendent of one of the suburban SW Metro school districts.  He makes some informative and cogent points about the state's school funding shift.

Headlined "Why Minnesota's school funding shift is helpful: Schools are better off than they would have been without the maneuver," the piece offers some useful insights into the subject, such as "School districts have not had less money during these years than they would have had without the shift; they just received it somewhat later."

The author acknowledges some of the politics around the issue, writing,

"I am aware that the use of a payment shift is widely misunderstood and demagogued as an 'accounting gimmick' or 'trick.'  That is very sad, because it has been one of the most important tools used by legislators and governors of both parties to avoid deep cuts in school funding."

He adds later,

"The payment shift is not 'balancing the state’s budget on the backs of schoolchildren.'  Schools are receiving their earned funding; it is just delayed by a few months.  The amount owed to school districts is not 'owed to our children.'  It will be paid in due time under any scenario."

Good points all.  Unfortunately, they come at least four months too late.

In my previous post on this topic, I documented how one of our newly-elected state Senators campaigned on the school shift as her top issue.  She now represents part of the superintendent's district.  It is no exaggeration to say that the state's Democrats owe their legislative majorities, in large part, to a successful demagoguing of the school shift issue.  With the election over and now safely in office, the Democrats' current proposal would not repay the shift until 2017.

My next comments are directed at the newly-elected DFL majority.  You ran and won on demagoguing the school shift issue.  Now you say, "nevermind" and seek to govern in the cold light of day, based on facts and logic.

Sorry.  As the saying goes, "you dance with the one that brung you."  In this context, to not pay back the shift before the end of the next budget would be so breathtakingly dishonest that I am unable to come up with a suitable historical precedent.

So I expect that our new majority will defy the Governor and pay back the shift as quickly as possible.

Why Do Societies Give Up?

Historian Victor Davis Hanson looks at why successful societies go into decline.

Phoning It In

It’s early days yet in the 2013 session of the Minnesota state legislature, but a disturbing trend has quickly emerged: the absentee majority.  We’ve already accumulated a number of incidents of the majority Democrats (DFL, Democrat-Farmer-Labor as we style it in the North Star State) outsourcing the job to non-elected others.

No, I’m not talking about the usual occurrences of members sleeping on the job.  With several octogenarian members, each already having served decades apiece, the occasional nap in committee is par for the course.

This phenomenon goes well beyond a little snooze between votes.  Consider the following:

Walking Off the Job

The gun control efforts at the Capitol this year have produced some strange moments.  But the oddest event was documented by the Minneapolis Star Tribune, reporting on a bill sponsored by DFL State Representative Alice Hausman,

“But Hausman was mostly absent during the hearings, leaving the job of defending the bill to gun-control lobbyist Heather Martens of Protect Minnesota. That is an extremely unusual practice for a legislator seeking to get bills passed in the Legislature.

“Hausman excused herself Wednesday morning after introducing the assault weapons bill, saying she had another appointment, and did not attend Thursday's session focusing on her bill to ban larger ammunition magazines.”

No Rationale Needed

A bill was recently introduced that would allow private employees of a labor union join the state’s public pension system.  Questions about the bill prompted this bizarre exchange between the bill’s DFL author and a reporter for the St. Paul Pioneer Press,

When asked for the rationale behind the bill, [State Senator Sandra] Pappas acknowledged that she didn't know.  "I guess no one's ever asked me, 'What's the rationale?' I wasn't even thinking of it being the union employees," Pappas said.

Red Light—Green Light

Most recently, a House committee considered a bill to bring back red light cameras for traffic enforcement.  Minnesota Public Radio reports that the bill appeared to be headed for defeat,

“The committee chair, DFL Rep. Ron Erhardt of Edina, said he wanted the committee to vote on the bill but later decided to table it after a lobbyist for a company selling the traffic cameras sent him a note.”

A committee defeat would likely have killed the bill.

Lobbyists running meetings and presenting bills.  Bill authors who can’t answer basic questions about their own work.  I understand that the job doesn’t pay much.  The hours are long and the hassles are numerous.  But the least the citizens deserve is to have their elected officials be prepared, show up, stick around, and do the job themselves.

Minnesota's Green Energy Follies, Part 5

Slipping into the Minnesota State Capitol--hidden behind the louder distractions of guns, more government unions,  red light traffic cameras, and everything else other than the budget--is perhaps the single worst idea to be introduced this session:  a 10.06% mandate for solar electric power.

The bill (SF 680) would force the state's electric utilities to supply 10.06 percent of their energy with solar power.  The extra precision implied by the 0.06% is meant to show how scientific the whole exercise is.

I have estimated that if the solar mandate on electric utilities were immediately implemented, under current market conditions, it would add upwards of $1 billion a year to consumers' electric bills.

The bill's sponsor, State Rep. Will Morgan, was quoted in the local media as saying,

“This is our first effort,” he said. “We understand there are people who have some concerns. We want to work with them."

Rep. Morgan said his bill is certain to be revised.

That's the problem, isn't it?  Compromise all you will, but revising a bad idea doesn't flip it into becoming a good idea, it just becomes a slightly less bad idea.

Another story on the mandate quotes a solar-industry advocate as saying that "the cost of producing solar energy has dropped dramatically in just the past few years, and it is expected to decline further as the technology improves."

To use a poker metaphor, adopting a mandate now is like going "all in" before you see the flop.  Perhaps the costs fall in the future or perhaps not.  But you are stuck either way with the mandate.

Regardless, this new mandate is expected to begin its committee journey as early as Tuesday.  Weeping for the future has already begun.

Star Tribune, Liberal Sherpas

As I discussed in an earlier post, Minnesota's newspaper of record, the Minneapolis Star Tribune and its editorial board, has appointed itself as the loyal opposition within the state's one-party Democrat rule.

The only way for an actual Republican lawmaker (the official opposition) to appear in the paper's news pages is to buck party orthodoxy and sign on to one of the Democrat's biggest initiatives.

Meanwhile, the Star Tribune editorial board is happy to fill the void and offer constructive advice to the Democrat majority.  Today, the board gently wagged a finger at the majority over a routine tax bill.  "Tardy and a bit untidy," they wrote.

The board appears eager to fill the role that columnist Jonah Goldberg has warned Conservatives against: that of a liberal Sherpa.  Goldberg describes the role of Sherpa "to the great mountaineers of liberalism," as one of,

"pointing out occasional missteps, perhaps suggesting a slight course correction from time to time, but never losing sight of the need for upward 'progress' and happily carrying the extra baggage for progressives in their zealous but heroic quest for the summit."

At least someone in Minnesota has found gainful employment.

Minnesota needs more than just token opposition to one-party rule.  All citizens would benefit if the Star Tribune and other state legacy media would pay more attention to the alternative ideas put forward by Republicans.

The Swedish Model and the Growth Agenda

History warns us, however, that it is the customary fate of new truths to begin as heresies and to end as superstitions.

--Thomas Henry Huxley (1880)

The February 2^nd edition of The Economist carries a 14-page special report on the political and economic reforms underway in the four Nordic countries (Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland).  Just as the U.S. and Minnesota are moving toward more social democracy, it turns out the birthplace of the Scandinavian-style welfare state is moving in the opposite direction.

Here in Minnesota—where more than 32 percent of Minnesotans still trace their ancestry to the Nordic countries (2010 Census data)—our one-party state government struggles with developing any new policy ideas beyond warmed-over 1970’s Scandinavian welfare statism.

I hold out hope that examining the new directions the Nordic states are taking may help us with some clues on how to develop a Minnesota-style growth agenda.

The Strange Allure of Senseless Legislating

One of the bills that I have been following at the Minnesota legislature this session, S.F. 280, would allow private employees of a certain labor union to join the Minnesota state government public pension system.  Supporters of the bill claim that somehow this would not impose any costs on Minnesota taxpayers.

The St. Paul Pioneer Press ran a story on the bill, which includes one of the most remarkable exchanges I have ever read between a reporter and a legislator,

When asked for the rationale behind the bill, [State Sen. Sandra] Pappas acknowledged that she didn't know.  "I guess no one's ever asked me, 'What's the rationale?' I wasn't even thinking of it being the union employees," Pappas said.”

I now wonder how many bills are introduced with the author having no idea of the rationale behind them.  Perhaps the very act of legislating without thought provides a certain frisson to the unwitting lawmaker—adding a little element of danger to an otherwise dull occupation.

But if there is no particular rationale to adding these private employees of a private employer, why not give all Minnesotans the chance to join?

Peter Nelson on Obamacare

Our friend Peter Nelson of the Center of the American Experiment has an opinion piece in USA Today on Obamacare and state flexibility.

The Age of Bernanke

Joel Kotkin writes about the Age of Bernanke in the Orange County Register,

"Essentially, Obamaism increasingly serves as a front for the big-money interests who benefit from the Federal Reserve's largesse and interest rate policies; progressive rhetoric serves as the beard for royalist results."

Adding,

"Many of the biggest losers in the Bernanke era are key Democratic constituencies, such as minorities and the young, who have seen their opportunities dim under the Bernanke regime. The cruelest cuts have been to the poor, whose numbers have surged by more than 2.6 million under a president who has promised relentlessly to reduce poverty."

Ouch.

Fiscal Crack: Just Say No

As a public service, the Minneapolis Star Tribune’s Editorial Board offers an alternative plan in its Sunday edition to counter the budget proposed by Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton (“A better state budget omits services tax”).

I suppose it had to come to this, sooner or later.  In an era of one-party rule—in which the legacy media pointedly ignore the actual political opposition (the Republicans, remember them?)—the only constructive alternative would have to be offered by…the legacy media.

Compared with the dog’s breakfast budget offered by Governor Dayton—with its $ billions in tax hikes, spending increases, social engineering, and deck-chair shuffling—any constructive alternative would have to look better.

The Star Tribune makes some useful suggestions: eliminating business-to-business sales taxes, reducing the income tax hikes, and calling for slightly less overall spending.  Unfortunately, the Star Tribune never questions the basic assumptions underlying Dayton’s “blue state” approach to governing.

 

Blue States Double Down On Suicide Strategy

Joel Kotkin writes on how blue states are doubling down on their suicidal tax strategy.  Minnesota is mentioned, of course.  Kotkin writes,

"The contrast with the blue states—not so much those who voted for Obama, but those controlled totally by Democrats—could not be clearer.   They appear to have chosen an economic path that essentially penalizes their own middle and upper-middle class residents, believing that keeping up public spending, including on public employee pensions, represents the best way to boost their economy."

The Shifting Winds, Part 1

Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton finally got around to releasing details of his education budget proposal.  The budget would not repay the "school shift" used to balance the last two-year budget until 2017.

For some reason, Dayton is given credit for proposing a "no-gimmick" budget, but he continues the biggest gimmick from the last budget for another four years.

More troubling, the new Democrat majority in the state legislature ran on ending the school shift as one of their top issues.

Freshperson state Senator Melisa Franzen used the school shift as one of her top issues.  Senator Franzen was elected from Senate District 49--covering Edina and parts of three other SW metro suburbs--in what was recognized as the most expensive race for the Minnesota state legislature in 2012.  Some $600,000 was spend by various entities for a job that pays $31,140 per year.

In her campaign literature, Franzen listed education as her top issue area, and the school shift as her top education issue.  "Paying schools back will be a top priority for me," she writes on her campaign website.  Her campaign piece No. 1 (p. 3) mentions "the accounting shifts and gimmicks used to balance the budget."  Piece No. 2, (page 2) has as bullet 2 of her vision, "pay back the $2.4 billion borrowed from schools."  Her piece No. 5 focuses on education and (page 2) has as her first education priority "pay our schools back."  Her piece No. 8 touts her "bipartisan" endorsements and (page 2) lists "pay back our schools" as her first agenda item.  She writes, "Melisa Franzen will balance the budget honestly without gimmicks."  Likewise, this Franzen piece shows an adorable toddler and implores the voter to support Franzen's efforts to "pay back our schools."

What a difference an election makes.  During the campaign, ending the school shift was the No. 1 issue, now...we'll get to it in 2017.  Senator Franzen now faces the prospect of running for re-election in 2016, not having achieved her top priority, unless her colleagues reject Gov. Dayton's budget and do the right thing by our children.

In Part 2 of this series, I show how the DFL is trying to have it both ways on this issue.

A Profoundly Unserious Media

Given all the trouble in the world, we live in profoundly unserious times.  One prominent politician is said to have ended his career by taking a sip of water on national television.  Another is twice elected President, but cannot be roused to actually govern.

Much of this unseriousness is reflected in--if not actually caused by--the dominant media outlets of our day.  Take the front page of my local newspaper--the Minneapolis Star Tribune--as an example.  Minnesota's leading newspaper covers a circulation area of about 3.5 million people.  The lead story in today's paper was about that crippled cruise ship in the Gulf of Mexico.  I have much sympathy for those passengers, but the whole incident will be forgotten within a month.

Meanwhile, in a scene out of Beau Geste, the French Foreign Legion is on the march in Mali.  North Korea is desperately trying to attack the U.S.  These stories are relegated to page A6.

Blogger Mickey Kaus is widely credited with popularizing the idea of "undernews."  Undernews is that actually important story, buried deep or covered only by alternative media.

American Interest editor-at-large Walter Russell Mead wrote more than a year ago about this phenomenon in a post headlined "The News that Isn't the News,"

"There is too much noise and not nearly enough signal in most of what appears every day.  Vital stories are covered poorly if at all; most news organizations appear to spend little time thinking in a disciplined way about what is going on in the world and their coverage reflects this lack of a thoughtful and centered approach to world events."

We all need to be savvy media consumers, reading with a critical eye.

RE-AMP Goes Corporate

The most influential environmental non-profit you've never heard of, the RE-AMP network, is going corporate.  RE-AMP is hiring a CEO to run the $4.5 million a year organization.  My hat is off:  an excellent use of the tools of capitalism in an effort to bring down capitalism.

My friend Tom Steward wrote the essential treatment of this behind-the-scenes group almost exactly a year ago.  If your business intersects with the energy or environment policy space in the Midwest, you best be familiar with this group.

Eating Dessert First

Everyone has heard the old joke, “Life is uncertain, eat dessert first.”  Well, I was at a luncheon this week and actually saw it happen.  Dessert had already been set out at each place setting.  The wait for the entrée grew long, so my seatmate made due with his dessert.

So it is with our Minnesota State Legislature.  The newly-elected Democrat majority (or as we style it, DFL—Democrat, Farmer, Labor) ran in 2012 on the theme of “better priorities," that the Republicans had taken their eye off the ball—pursuing divisive social issues at the expense of jobs and the economy.

In my neck of the woods, local Democrats ran as “pro-business” moderates:  focused on paying back the school shift, streamlining taxes and regulation, and cutting wasteful spending.

Now, in perhaps the biggest bait and switch in Minnesota political history, the Democrats are focused on anything but their “better priorities.”  Minnesota's unemployment rate, which had fallen steadily from the early-2009 peak, has been essentially unchanged for the past year.  Rather than working on the stalled economy, these are the priorities of the DFL legislature:

• divisive social issues
• gun-control weeks
• puppy mills
• bike lanes
• endless hearings on the unnecessary state healthcare exchange

And those pro-business moderate 2012 campaign promises?  The DFL is working to shut down through more regulations one of the state’s few industrial bright spots: sand mining.  They are working to repeal hard fought education reforms.  And paying back the school shift?  "Not a top priority."  Wow.  In October 2012, the school funding shift was the greatest crime ever perpetrated within the state’s borders.  In February 2013 it no longer matters.  What changed?

We are now five weeks into the legislative session.  More than 500 bills have been introduced.  This is it.  No entrée is coming.  There is no big plan for jobs and the economy on the way.  There is no big reform for education and government operations coming.  From here on out it will be higher taxes, more wasteful spending, and more progressive hot buttons.

Enjoy the dessert; it’s all you’re going to get.

Follow the Money and TakeAction! Part 7

TakeAction Goes to Washington

Last night was historic for one local political charity.  TakeAction Minnesota saw one of their citizen-members seated in First Lady Michelle Obama's official box, third row, seat 8 for President Obama's State of the Union Address (SOTU).  You will recall that TakeAction Minnesota consists of linked non-profit 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) charities, 527 political action committees, and has six lobbyists registered with the State of Minnesota..  The 527 entities have been active participants in recent Minnesota elections, providing financial resources on behalf of individual candidates and constitutional amendment referenda.

TakeAction featured the SOTU appearance with a steady output of Tweets from the official TakeAction Twitter account during the event.  Rather than using the historic occasion to speak truth to power, the political charity used the venue for a little fundraising.

At 8:12 PM last night, TakeAction sent out this appeal for contributions, which was posted on Twitter at 8:14 PM by Minneapolis Star Tribune reporter Rachel Stassen-Berger,

As I wrote earlier, throughout history, one person's physical proximity to another recognized powerful person has been interpreted as indicative of power itself.  As with any professional lobbying firm, TakeAction is selling ("contribute now") proximity to power ("I'm sitting next to Michelle Obama right now").

State of the Union

In last week's edition of The Column, I covered Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton's State of the State address.  Last night, President Obama delivered his State of the Union (SOTU) address before Congress.  I have not seen a SOTU delivered on television since sometime in the early Clinton years.  But, as with Gov. Dayton's effort, I did get around to reading the transcript.

During the Cold War, western analysts used to watch the military parades in Moscow for clues as to who was in and who was out of power.  Where somebody stood in relation to the leader on a reviewing stand, or a key absence from the event, would send diplomats in a tizzy halfway around the world.

Order of the Joyless

“Every nation that has ended in tyranny has come to that end by way of good order."

--Alexis de Tocqueville   Democracy died a little last night in St. Paul, Minnesota. The new Democrat majority in the Minnesota House of Representatives passed new rules early this morning to limit the ability of the Republican minority to offer amendments to bills under consideration.  It seems that the Democrats are not content to merely impose utopia on an ungrateful populace:  they insist on doing so as unimpeded as possible.   Meanwhile, the concerted effort continues apace between Minnesota's Democrat party (styled DFL--Democrat-Farmer-Labor), the political charity Alliance for a Better Minnesota, lefty bloggers, and local media to "Clear the Playing Field" in advance of the 2014 elections.  Apparently, the idea is to insure the 2014 re-election of Governor Mark Dayton and U.S. Senator Al Franken by pre-destroying any and all plausible Republican candidates in early 2013.  That way, resources can be fully devoted over the next 20 months to preserving the DFL majority in the Minnesota House of Representatives (the state Senate is not up for re-election until 2016).   Earlier in the day, in the state Senate, a bill was introduced (SF356) that would allow a local school board to simply extend an expiring voter referendum, without going to the trouble of putting the question to the voters.  After all, there is some chance that the voters, given another go at the question, may provide the "wrong" answer.  Proposals like this are ten a penny--but during times of one-party rule, you can't discount this bill's chances of becoming law, especially with two Education Committee members as co-sponsors.  (A committee Vice Chair is a co-sponsor of the House version, HF234.)   The theme for the day is the state Democrat party and its progressive allies pressing home a temporary political advantage in a manner that would make Machiavelli proud.  The DFL knows that the TMZ voter will never hear of what went on today.  As the saying goes, our character is what we do when we think no one is looking.   Small "d" democracy is often messy, and it does not always produce the outcome the ruling cabal would prefer.  But it is still our system, and I believe it is still worth preserving, protecting, and defending.

Minneapolis Falling Behind on Jobs

Joel Kotkin and his colleagues at New Geography have produced this ranking of the 51 largest metropolitan areas on the ability to attract high wage professional, scientific and technical services jobs.  This is the area where Minneapolis has gone "all in" on the creative class strategy. At this point I think it's fair to say the results are in and they are not good.

The metro area of Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington finished 37th of 51.  It's not just about climate, with sun belt cities Birmingham and Memphis finishing 50th and 51st.

Cities in red states dominate the top of the list, taking 8 of the top 9 spots.  State capitals like No. 1 Austin and, to a lesser extent, No. 5 Salt Lake City can get away with their liberal quirkiness as they are surrounded by overwhelmingly red states--in a way that a Providence (No. 48) or a Hartford (No. 45) cannot.

Kotkin describes what draws some to No. 2 Jacksonville,

"Jerry Mallot, president of the local business development group Jaxusa Partnership, suggests that low costs, a high rate of housing affordability and Florida’s lack of income tax make Jacksonville attractive to companies seeking to expand or relocate."

Joel's rankings prove exactly the point I was making on the Sue Jeffers radio show earlier this month.  In a massive example of cart-horse misplacement, Minneapolis believes that by acquiring the accoutrement of the world-class city--mass transit trains, bike lanes, stadia, museums--we will attract the "creative" class of young, single professionals.  Like some South Pacific cargo cult, we apparently do not understand that it is surplus wealth that produces the trinkets of culture and not the other way around.  It is like thinking that building the Colosseum is what made the Roman Empire great.  Leaders of the Twin Cities region suffer from a lower-grade strain of the "world class city complex" afflicting second-tier cities like Chicago.

Kotkin's rankings reveal a different and more useful path to urban proserity:  create the wealth first and then you get the stuff.  Urban hipsters may love trains and are willing to pay premium prices for access to trendy transit, but they have to have the money first.

No. 10, Portland, OR, is the "evolved" city that Minneapolis most wants to become, as we openly envy the land of Portlandia.

Forbes takes a deeper look, ranking the top 200 cities for business and career prospects.  Of the top 200, Minneapolis ranked a dismal 156th in cost of doing business.  Minneapolis ranks well above No. 197 San Francisco, but well below No. 106 Portland.  In chasing Portland's amenities, Minneapolis cannot give up 50 places on the cost part of the equation.

Minneapolis needs to understand that it's about more than $50,000 water fountains:  the city needs to offer good value, too.

Attracting High Wage Jobs

Joel Kotkin and his friends at New Geography rate the largest 51 cities on the ability to attract high wage jobs in the professional, scientific and technical services category.  The Twin Cities metro area fares a dismal 37th.  Time for a new strategy?

The New Age of Falsity

Victor Davis Hanson writes on the age in which words have lost their meaning.

State of the State: Time for Plan C

I’ll say upfront that I am no fan of the State of the City/State/Union genre.  I’m with Thomas Jefferson on this one, the whole exercise comes across as a low-wattage version of the Speech from the Throne.

As much as I enjoy the spectacle of the Queen borne about in the Irish State Coach, seeing the Cap of Maintenance paraded around, and watching as Black Rod has the door slammed in his face, I had hoped that such ceremony became passé circa 1776.  Even when the show is done well on this side of the ocean, regardless of party, the speech makes for dull theater.

Domestic duties kept me from seeing or hearing Governor Mark Dayton deliver Minnesota’s State of the State speech this evening.  So my remarks are based on the pre-written version posted on his website.

When the Governor introduced his budget last month, I used the term “Post-Modern” to describe how detached it feels from the reality of today’s 21^st-century Minnesota.  I borrowed the phrase from British politician Daniel Hannan, who used the term to describe how European Union lawmakers pass laws—not to solve problems, but to feel better about themselves.

Hannan wrote in 2007 this fictionalized script,

Hannan: "EU policies are putting people out of work".

Eurocrat: "Nonsense. We've just agreed a position paper that lists the fight against unemployment as one of our top three priorities".

Hannan: "But the things you're actually doing make it less attractive for firms to hire people…"

Eurocrat: "Didn't you hear what I just said? One of our top three priorities!"

Hannan concludes that, “Europe has reached a form of post-modern law-making, in which legal acts are designed to indicate disapproval rather than to produce effect.”

Themeless Pudding
And so it was with Gov. Dayton’s speech tonight.  I counted 21 top priorities in Dayton’s State of the State, plus two high priorities (the U’s medical school and ag research) and one urgent priority (stop the violence).

We got the feel good policies (climate change), the gimmicks (the Unsession), the hobby horses (tax the rich), all-in-all a themeless pudding.

We got the obligatory dog's breakfast of directives and a few howlers (My two favorites high taxes mean low crime—Chicago will be surprised to find that out—and that after-school programs prevent teen pregnancy). 

Plan C

I continue to believe that Gov. Dayton could have earned a national reputation if he’d chosen the untaken path of the “Blue State” reform governor.  Instead he settles for a few local compliments on an “audacious” rearrangement of the tax deck chairs.

On taxes, Gov. Dayton says he is looking for “a good Plan C.”  Here it is:  imagine the national buzz if Gov. Dayton had announced tonight that Minnesota was joining Blue State Washington as another no-income-tax locale.

Instead, we are cautioned against “failed ideologies of the past,” “political stalemates,” the rock throwers and blame casters who stand between us and Gov. Dayton’s broad, sunlit uplands.

To that I say, “Good night, and good luck!”

The Shape of the Playing Field, Part 1

In the wake of last November’s election, both major political parties in Minnesota are trying to figure out what comes next.  The Democrats (DFL, Democrat-Farmer-Labor as they are styled in Minnesota) are enjoying a moment of triumphalism.  Republicans are turning introspective.

Democrats:  Never Been More Powerful

Still fresh from last November’s victory, DFL Chair Ken Martin was re-elected over the weekend to a second two-year term.  He is reported to have said “the party has never been more powerful.”

The DFL Chair is more worried about underperforming than overreaching.

Blue State Blues

We are now one month into Minnesota’s latest experiment with one-party (Democrat) rule.  Judging by the liberal tweets in my Twitter feed, Minnesota’s current 5.5 percent unemployment rate is proof—both that the experiment is working and the Minnesota “Blue” model is vastly superior to the one employed by newly red-state Wisconsin.  (Like Minnesota, Wisconsin had a split government prior to the November 2012 election.)

Included in today’s Wall Street Journal (p. A12) is an interesting color map showing which states have an all-Republican government (GOP governor and a GOP-majority legislature), which are split between the parties, and which state governments have an all-Democrat makeup.

Curious as to how the all-Blue (Democrat) states fare on the jobs front, I looked up the unemployment rates at the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the 12 other states identified as one-party Blue states by the Journal.

Column Icon: Nelson's Column

To better identify posts that include the weekly Column, I am adding the icon on the left.

It depicts the top of Nelson's Column, which is located in London's Trafalgar Square and honors Lord Horatio Nelson, the British Admiral who defeated Napolean's French fleet in the famous 1805 battle fought off the Spanish coast.

My favorite bit of the story is when Nelson sends the pre-battle message to his fleet, "England expects that every man will do his duty."

Political Charity Gets a Pass

Minnesota State Representative Ryan Winkler (DFL-Golden Valley)—a member of the House Elections Committee—has introduced a bill (HF 287) to ban political contributions and related activities by for-profit corporations, partnerships, and limited liability companies.

Earlier this session, Rep. Winkler introduced a bill (HF 121) aimed at curbing the activities of ALEC, the American Legislative Exchange Council, long the bête noire of the left.  Winkler’s bill would require additional disclosures by any organization promoting “model legislation.”

As I have documented in my Political Charity series of posts, non-profit corporations have been collectively contributing multi-millions of dollars—in cash and in-kind resources—to left-leaning election campaign efforts in each of the past few election cycles.

I have also documented in that same series some of the legislation-based activity engaged in by out-of-state political charities, through local non-profit entities. 

Curiously, none of that non-profit campaign or lobbying activity would be affected by Rep. Winkler’s bills.

If the effort is either directed at bringing more transparency to state politics or reducing the influence of money in our elections, then the rules need to be set the same for each side of the aisle.

Joel Kotkin's Advice for California

From the Orange County Register last week.  Kotkin writes,

"Government can play a critical, even determinative, role here. But it needs to shift priorities from redistribution and wealth suppression to providing the basic infrastructure essential for a growth economy."

The Nordic Model

The current issue of The Economist magazine includes a special report looking at the success of the Nordic countries in introducing some market discipline into their social welfare states.  Perhaps a model for our Nordic state of Minnesota?

On the Radio Saturday

I'll be on the radio Saturday, Feb. 2.  Sue Jeffers has a weekend roundtable show that goes from 1 to 4 pm on AM1130 News Talk Radio.  I'm joining in at 2 pm.

Follow the Money and TakeAction! Part 6

[This post is the sixth in a series examining the activity of the St. Paul-based political charity TakeAction Minnesota.  Parts 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 of the series provide some necessary background to those new to the story.]

Part 5 of this series introduced the pivotal role that TakeAction played in defeating the Minnesota’s Voter ID amendment in the November 2012 election.  With the final 2012 filings now available at Minnesota’s Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board, we can fill in a few more money details in this Part 6.

California at Twilight

Victor Davis Hanson looks at what keeps propping up the failed state of California.