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Who's getting too good a deal? Hint: It's not the bottom 99 percent of us
Dane SmithAs state and federal budget debates heat up this month, the taxophobes are bombarding us with propaganda claiming that too many groups are getting too good a deal.Who are these groups getting...
View ArticleMinnesota's economic inequality: We have enough for all to have enough
Call it by any name you like — "income disparity" or "economic inequality" or "widening gap" or "wealth divide"— the point is the same: The rich are indeed getting richer and the poor are indeed...
View ArticleCincinnati students' success: Community got involved, and holistic 'cradle to...
We've all heard the stories and seen the movies about that charismatic principal or that inspirational teacher who defied expectations and boosted educational outcomes for a challenging group of...
View ArticleHubert Humphrey, whose life will be celebrated May 27, brought millions out...
A fair amount of thoughtful reminiscing has already occurred this year on the centennial of Hubert H. Humphrey's birth. And in today's toxic and polarized climate, the remembering has tended to...
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Canada's Tommy Douglas could be a role model for U.S. governors
When our unfailingly nice neighbors to the north were asked a few years ago in a national contest to choose the "Greatest Canadian" of all time, the inventor of the telephone (Alexander Graham Bell)...
View ArticleInspiring models of community engagement in Greater Minnesota
In the lakes-and-woods landscape surrounding Grand Rapids in north central Minnesota, a wide array of community leaders have banded together with seven school districts in several counties to chart a...
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What it takes to close the skills gap
Dane SmithOne of the most unforgettable economic policy statements I ever heard came from a presidential candidate in the early 1990s who explained that we had lots of people who needed work, and lots...
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Amendments would damage Minnesota’s brand
Dane SmithMost Minnesotans are proud to live in a tolerant and educated and broadly prosperous state that ends up on the leading edge of most everything, from business and technological innovation to...
View ArticleA different tone in this year's tax committee hearings, and a clear consensus...
Growth and Justice Blog I've heard infinite versions of "don't tax me'' or "taxing me or my customers more will destroy my business AND the economy'' in my decades under the dome. And last week's...
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Taxing Gatsby to invest in Ricardo makes sense
At the commencement ceremony recently for some 1,200 proud young scientists and engineers graduating from the University of Minnesota, several speakers reminded us that from these ranks in previous...
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Personal relationships help close the achievement gap
Shanell McCoy, 19, and Paris Carruthers, 22, are emerging Twin Cities leaders who have been researching what youth actually think about their education system and an adult society that constantly...
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Has Minnesota reached a critical consensus on eliminating race disparities?
CC/Flickr/ Paul WeimerIf we eliminate these disparities by 2040, and if people of color have the same high-school graduation, employment, and homeownership rates, the region would also have: 182,000...
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For business, grass is greener — here!
CC/Flickr/Shai BarzilayThat anti-government refrain about Minnesota being too generous for workers — and thus, bad for business — always tends to grow louder as temperatures and political campaigns...
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Dear winners: Congratulations! And now, remember you're a public servant
(This is an open letter of congratulations and encouragement for all winners of elections in Minnesota on Nov. 4. It is informed by an analysis of broad public will, not just the likely 60 percent of...
View ArticleIn Grand Rapids, adults learn how crucial their involvement is to students'...
The Timberlake Lodge ballroom in Grand Rapids was filled to capacity recently with a rare assemblage of adults and teenagers, all engaged in candid conversations about whether the local community was...
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In Red Wing and elsewhere, collaborative efforts giving kids a leg up
CC/Flickr/Chris JonesIn Red Wing these days, a community-wide effort has helped expand distribution points for free breakfasts, so that more low-income kids are getting enough to eat at the start of...
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Minnesota leads the nation in progress toward tax fairness
News reports since the release of the highly regarded 2015 Minnesota Tax Incidence Study have focused on the facts showing that our total state-local tax system has become less regressive. This has...
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Urban and rural areas suffer as Minnesota's inequality grows
Courtesy of Growth & JusticeThis map of poverty rates by county is one of several in the report “Widening Inequality in Minnesota: A County-by-County Analysis.’’ The maps show how economic...
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Personal relationships help close the achievement gap
Shanell McCoy, 19, and Paris Carruthers, 22, are emerging Twin Cities leaders who have been researching what youth actually think about their education system and an adult society that constantly...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Has Minnesota reached a critical consensus on eliminating race disparities?
CC/Flickr/ Paul WeimerIf we eliminate these disparities by 2040, and if people of color have the same high-school graduation, employment, and homeownership rates, the region would also have: 182,000...
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