The rumored closing of St. Paul’s Ford plant is bad news for Ford employees and the Twin Cities economy as a whole. In the short run, employment, earnings and spending will suffer. But the effects on the overall economy are…
Tax surplus stems from business cycle
Wednesday’s announcement that Minnesota faces a $701 million budget surplus is very good news. It takes pressure off budget cuts, provides money for unanticipated high energy costs and returns some help to local governments. It also allows the Legislature to…
Bumper crop storage an enviable problem
The 2005 harvest is a big one. Minnesota farmers enjoyed favorable weather this year. Warm, dry days with little snowfall until late November made harvesting corn easier. Yields are generally very good. This poses challenges for agriculture, even if they’re…
Fair pay, and gratitude
Our culture is an individualistic one in which willingness to sacrifice for the common good is increasingly rare. Yet, many sacrificed in the past, and some sacrifice today. Regardless of how we feel about our nation’s foreign policies, we must…