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|  | | | | Other voices | | Others' views about taxes and public investment.
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The bitter fruit of "shrinking government"
Jeff Van Wychen of Minnesota 2020 examines whether declining public revenues and diminishing public investment has
helped or hurt MN's economy relative to the rest of the nation. |
Quality Public Education: What's In It For Me?
Governor Pawlenty's unallotments are part of a continuing trend of disinvestment. Robin Smothers, writing in Minnestoa 2020, details why people should encourage more and better investment in public schools.
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Governor, your cuts to cities go too far
Dan Ness, the Republican mayor of Alexandria, argues against Governor Pawlenty's cuts to local government aid. Published in the Bemidji Pioneer on behalf of the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities.
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Beyond cutting and taxing
There are many ways Minnesota can provide more services for less money. All that's needed is innovative thought. By Ted Kolderie, Pioneer Press.
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Chamber: Twin Cities good for life, bad for taxes
The Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce's new Business Vitality Index shows Minnesota is a great place to live and do business, despite its higher taxes. By Chris Newmarker, Minnapolis/St. Paul Business Journal.
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Pawlenty: Pup-tent Republican
Governor Pawlenty's unilateral style of governance shows he is a Bush Republican of the past, when the future of the Republican party lies elsewhere. By Wayne Cox of the Minnesota Citizens for Tax Justice, MinnPost.
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Is America undertaxed? (A question for Rep. Michele Bachmann)
The U.S. has long been among the lower taxers in the industrialized world. The four countries that have lower tax levels -- Japan, Korea, Turkey, and Mexico -- are hardly a good starting point for the argument that lower taxes are the key to prosperity. By Eric Black, MinnPost. |
Cities simply suffer in Pawlenty's plan
The governor can spin it all he'd like, but under his proposal to cut aid, increases in property taxes or reductions in basic services are inevitable. By Jerry Miller and Rick Wolff. Printed in the Star Tribune. |
Hospitals can't simply 'tighten their belts'
An editorial from the Rochester Post Bulletin states that the governor's proposed spending cuts would cause hospitals to lay off employees, refuse to accept new Medicare patients and charge paying customers even more to make up for the loss in state revenue. |
Yield, Gov. Pawlenty
An editorial in the Grand Forks Herald points to the Democrats willingness to compromise and Gov. Pawlenty's all-or-nothing, take-it-or-leave, "no new taxes" stance. |
Opinions vary; facts never do
Growth & Justice Adviser Patrick Henry references the organization's work in his latest column printed in the St. Cloud Times. |
A rough road to sound bridges
Thanks to federal largesse and the Legislature’s only override of a Tim Pawlenty veto, Minnesota now boasts the most aggressive highway bridge repair and replacement program in the nation. By Conrad deFiebre , Minnesota 2020. |
K-12 is priority for state
Lawmakers need to make protecting K-12 education a priority during this budget crisis. Doing anything less for education is a mistake. An editorial from the Fergus Falls Daily Journal. |
Our view: No new taxes? Try no old solutions
We may talk about cutting programs and line items, but government is strictly a service industry and every cut will have a human reality. An editorial from the Winona Daily News. |
A fair look at the achievement gap
The achievement gap is a national problem, but it is particularly glaring in Minnesota. African American, Hispanic and Native American students are not performing at the same levels as white and Asian students. By John Fitzgerald, Minnesota 2020. |
Let the rumpus begin
Minnesota Budget Project Deputy Director Christina Wessel looks at the last six weeks of the legislative session. |
State budget balancing on backs of rural Minnesota
State aid to rural Minnesota cities has declined nearly 50 percent over the past six years and, as a result, nonmetro Minnesota mayors are worried about providing critical city services. By Matt Entenza and Jeff Van Wychen, Minnesota 2020. The column appeared in the Duluth News Tribune. |
Deficit dodge ball
Will anyone admit that taxes have to rise? by E.J. Dionne, Jr., Washington Post. |
More education, more prosperity
Durwin Long, assistant dean for executive and professional development at the University of St. Thomas Opus College of Business, has a message in a Pioneer Press column that is very similar to Growth & Justice's Smart Investments in Minnesota's Students: If Minnesotans can affirm the centrality of education to the state's future prosperity, even during the current crisis, we all can see a way forward that benefits individuals, businesses and Minnesota overall.
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Editorial: A business boost for K-12 education
Like Smart Investments in Minnesota's Students, business leaders are seeking the most cost-effective ways to produce the smartest, best educated students who are ready to compete in the global economy. An editorial from the Star Tribune. |
Our View — Budget requires compromise
Gov. Pawlenty told the Mankato Free Press that philosophically, he favors progressive taxation and he doesn’t outright reject the idea that wealthy pay a higher percentage of their income, or at least the same percentage. |
Newly passed law may bring the budget 'tails' into focus
People are focused on the current budget deficit, but it's important to remember there is another large deficit waiting for us in the following biennium - the so-called “tails.” By Christina Wessel, Minnesota Budget Project. |
Governor proposes tax increase for renters
At the same that he is proposing tax cuts for Minnesota corporations, Gov. Pawlenty is proposing a tax increase for Minnesota renters. Specifically, the governor wants to cut the renters' property tax refund, thereby increasing the portion of property taxes shouldered by renters. |
In the wilderness
GOP had better get serious. A commentary by former Congressman Jim Ramstad that appeared in the Star Tribune. |
Pawlenty has become Minnesota's perpetual-deficit machine
Half of the state's projected deficit in the upcoming biennium is not from the declining economy but from a holdover projected deficit he refused to deal with in earlier years. By Wayne Cox, executive director of Minnesota Citizens for Tax Justice. |
Introducing the era of Obamanomics
After living more than a quarter century under the trickle-down philosophy of Reaganomics, Obama's economic plan is a clear departure. Commentator Robert Reich, who appeared at an event for Growth & Justice in 2004, explores how and why Obamanomics can work. |
Like a house on fire: Education in Minnesota
Programs that succeed in getting lower-income students and students of color into colleges and helping them to succeed were discussed at an event sponsored by the Wilder Foundation. By Mary Turck, TC Daily Planet. |
Times Writers Group: Rescue teaches valuable lessons
This column was written from the St. Cloud Times by Patrick Henry, an adviser to Growth & Justice. President Dane Smith said that Growth & Justice is a strong voice for expertise and evidence and knowledge, and is not adherence to blind faith and orthodoxies. |
Boxed in by bad policy
Minnesota 2020 released a report on a survey of school principals it conducted with the Minnesota Elementary School Principals' Association (MESPA) and the Minnesota Association of Secondary School Principals (MASSP). |
On the edge
Somehow, Washington has lost any sense of what’s at stake — of the reality that we may well be falling into an economic abyss, and that if we do, it will be very hard to get out again. By Paul Krugman, New York Times. |
Accounting gimmicks won't fix the budget
Jay Kiedrowski, co-chair of the Minnesota Budget Trends Study Commission, senior fellow at the Humphrey Institute at the University of Minnesota, and state finance commissioner under Gov. Rudy Perpich, tells legislators that we are willing to pay more in taxes for the common good of our state and asks that they approve a budget of which we can be proud. |
Been there, done that
State Representative Lyndon Carlson and former Gov. Al Quie look back at the 1981 state budget crisis. Gov. Quie advises legislators to stay true to their principles, and for him those are education and infrastructure.
By LeeAnn Schutz, Session Weekly. |
Don't forget who pays state's debt
It's easy to forget about the people who will ultimately pay those bills and feel the reduction in both levels of service — everyday Minnesotans. An editorial from the St. Cloud Times. |
A hollow response to education
Minnesota 2020's John Fitzgerald writes that none of the education measures outlined in Gov. Pawlenty's State of the State address solve the state's education problems. |
What would John Brandl do?
Lori Sturdevant, with the Star Tribune, writes about an event co-sponsored by Growth & Justice that honored John Brandl. |
Our view: Gimmicks cast cloud on budget built for hard time
The state’s fiscal situation is so fragile now that it simply cannot afford this year to cut business taxes. As we noted last week, that’s a move to be made in better times — and only with substantial evidence it will ultimately help state coffers more than it hurts them.
By the St. Cloud Times editorial board. |
Why business tax cuts don't make sense now
Pawlenty has it exactly wrong in his call for tax cuts, and this policy should be rejected because it is based on hope and myth, not facts. A comentary by David Schultz that appeared in the Pioneer Press. |
Lori Sturdevant: Better bang for the tax-break buck
Getting the most bang for every tax-break buck is crucial, since every dollar lost to the state treasury means a larger cut in state services or a need to raise another tax to replace it. Legislators should carefully examine whether Pawlenty is choosing the most effective job magnets.
By Lori Sturdevant, Star Tribune. |
Are these the most equitable budget cuts?
Nowhere [in the governor's proposed budget], of course, is any mention of a change in a tax structure that favors the wealthiest five percent of the state’s wage earners. By Doug Stone. Posted on Startribune.com's "Your voices." |
The state’s budget crisis: A decade of cooking the books
The severe global recession ensured that this would be a rocky time, with tough decisions facing Pawlenty and Minnesota legislators at the State Capitol. But the lack of structural integrity in the state budget process over the past decade has worsened the situation.
By Britt Robson, Politics in Minnesota. |
Let's get it right this time
As Gov. Tim Pawlenty leads the state through a supersized state budget deficit he should: look carefully at the long-term rate of return on all government spending; if the return on a program or category is low or nil, cut; and if the return is as high or higher than what the private sector can produce over time, don't be afraid to tax and spend.
By Lori Sturdevant, Star Tribune. |
Taxes will have to be raised ... eventually
Raising taxes may be foolhardy in this sick economy, but Americans should recognize that eventually the bills must be paid. And taxation is how it’s done. By Froma Harrop, West Central Tribune. |
Research center is worth pursuing
A Star Tribune editorial supports the call for a State Center for Education Leadership and Research, an independent education research group. |
Early childhood education is an economic issue
Stronger students, a strong workforce - this is where it all begins. Let's invest accordingly.
By State Representative Nora Slawik, chair, House Early Childhood Learning Finance Division. |
Recession, taxes and Mr. Obama
During the campaign, President-elect Barack Obama pledged to raise taxes, starting in 2009, on roughly the top 5 percent of American households, generally defined as those making more than $250,000 a year.
The Obama team has not officially ditched that plan. But it is sounding increasingly reluctant to move soon.
An editorial from the New York Times. |
The WPA in Minnesota: economic stimulus during the Great Depression
Unlike the earlier Civil Works Administration (CWA) that funded large-scale public-works developments, the WPA was aimed at smaller-scale projects that could be implemented rapidly and put the unemployed to work at a time when the U.S. jobless rate reached 25 percent.
By Iric Nathanson, MinnPost. |
All options on the table means ALL of them
We have serious budget problems. Most certainly. But when we talk about putting all options on the table, let's be serious about that as well. By Dave Mindeman, mnpACT! |
Fighting off depression
Recent economic numbers have been terrifying, manufacturing is plunging, banks aren’t lending, and businesses and consumers aren’t spending. Let’s not mince words: This looks an awful lot like the beginning of a second Great Depression.
So will we “act swiftly and boldly” enough to stop that from happening? We’ll soon find out.
A column by Paul Krugman that appeared in the Star Tribune. |
Declining values and rising property taxes
Many Minnesota homeowners are a bit befuddled these days. Why, if the value of my house is declining, are my property taxes going up? A report by Jeff Van Wychen, Minnesota 2020. |
Government didn't get us here, but government might get us out of here
If we’ve learned one thing over the past eight years, it’s that a government stripped of its ability to keep an eye on things that need to be kept an eye on is practically powerless when private, greedy interests start messing things up. An editorial by Mike Christopherson, Crookston Daily Times. |
Editorial: When cutting costs, everything must be on the table
In a financial crisis of this magnitude, should anything be off limits to the budgetary ax? Are across-the-board spending cuts better than asking our elected officials to make a dizzying array of Sophie's choices? An editorial from the Rochester Post Bulletin. |
2009 property taxes in context
Jeff Van Wychen, a policy fellow with Minnesota 2020, recently posted an article on preliminary pay 2009 property taxes. The article notes that while property tax growth in 2009 will exceed the rate of inflation, this needs to be considered in the context of previous real revenue reductions. |
'Mini-nation' Minnesota, on the right trajectory in math, science
Minnesota, participating as a 'mini nation' in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study for the first time since 1995, placed among the top 10 in every category. Eric Jolly, president of the Science Museum of Minnesota, and Charlie Weaver, executive director of the Minnesota Business Partnership, review this good news in a column printed in the Pioneer Press. |
What public works can do beyond creating jobs
A sense of pride and common purpose and civic responsibility. By Harry C. Boyle, senior fellow, Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota. This column appeared in the Star Tribune. |
Ready for reinvestment? State caught in paradigm shift
Bruce Katz, of the Brookings Institution, makes the point if the government is going to spend hundreds of billions of dollars on infrastructure, leaders better make sure they are anticipating the 21st century marketplace and not just building the same old stuff. Steve Berg, of MinnPost, says it's harder than it sounds.
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Getting Minnesota a piece of the stimulus pie
Transportation advocates have identified a $26 billion national backlog of designed but unfunded projects, more than $200 million of them in Minnesota. A commentary by Conrad deFiebr, transportation fellow Minn. 2020, that appeared in the Granite Falls Advocate Tribune. |
Taking a transformative crisis seriously
Former Senate Majority Leader John Hottinger offers some suggestions in light of the transformative nature of our current crisis. The column appeared in the Pioneer Press. |
State budget gap: Fairer tax system, sensible cuts are the best ways to stem shortfall
Gov. Tim Pawlenty will undoubtedly seek to solve the state’s budget mess solely on the expenditure side. He’s already dismissed income tax increases on the state’s top earners as a way to solve the budget problem. He’s right that new taxes by themselves won’t solve the problem, but they should be part of the solution.
An editorial from the Timberjay. |
Is education at a 'tipping point'?
MinnPost's Cynthia Boyd writes about her recent conversation with Rep. Carlos Mariani, chair of the House early childhood-12 education committee, about Smart Investments in Minnesota's Students, education issues, and the economy.
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Twin Cities-area schools more segregated than ever
MinnPost's Cynthia Boyd and Beth Hawkins recently investigated the growing racial segregation of Twin Cities-area schools. Their five-part series is available here. |
Responsible budget forecasting should acknowledge reality
In 2002, inflation's impact on most state expenditures was taken out of the budget process. By counting the impact of inflation on revenues but not on expenditures, the official state budget forecast understates deficits (or overstates surpluses). By Jeff Van Wychen, Minnesota 2020. |
IRS ruling may push state budgets further into the red
Thanks to the economic downturn, states across the country are drowning in red ink - and now we have a not-very-well-publicized ruling from the IRS that could add to our fiscal woes. A blog by Katherine Blauvelt, Minnesota Budget Project. |
A bold step forward for education
Minnesota 2020 Fellow John Fitzgerald writes about Growth & Justice's Smart Investments in Minnesota's Students and states, "a strong public education lies at the heart of Minnesota's past success. Without strong, responsive public schools, Minnesota won't have much of a future. It's time to invest in schools now, more than ever." |
Serious concerns voiced about GRAD tests
John Fitzgerald, of Minnesota 2020, reviews concerns about the Graduation-Required Assessment for Diploma (GRAD) process students will be required to complete to graduate high school. |
Minnesota's public schools need us
Increasing demands of tighter budgets, accountability, higher costs, and, in general, increased demands for our teachers and staff to do more for less, is making it increasingly difficult to provide children with an education. A commentary by David Hill, Thief River Falls Times. |
Build transit for the 21st century -- and kick-start our economy
With falling home values, unstable gas prices and high unemployment, why would Americans vote in overwhelming numbers for new rail systems in their communities? The answer is simple: Many Americans would like to cut back on their driving, but most places don't have easy access to great transit systems. By
Dave Van Hattum, policy and advocacy program manager for Transit for Livable Communities.
Dave is a member of Growth & Justice's Smart Investments in Transportation for Minnesota's steering committee.
This piece appeared on MinnPost. |
Water, water everywhere
A Pioneer Press editorial notes some of the guiding principles being discussed for the Clean Water, Land, and Legacy Amendment approved by voters on Nov. 4: a measurable outcome for every dollar spent; expecting all spending to contribute to multiple positive outcomes (wetlands preservation can help protect water quality, for example); basing funding decisions and priorities on science; and making sure the public has access to a transparent plan for the spending.
This fits well with Growth & Justice's work on Governing with Accountability which calls for government to spend the wisely and be held accountable for results. |
Smart young liberals, meet stone-cold scarcity
In the next few years, the nation's wealth will either stagnate or shrink. The fiscal squeeze will grow severe. There will be fiercer struggle over scarce resources, starker divisions along factional lines.
A column by New York Times columnist David Brooks that appeared in the Pioneer Press. |
People want infrastructure addressed
Remember the 8.5-cent gas tax increase approved by the DFL-controlled Legislature last February over the veto of Gov. Tim Pawlenty? Remember when opponents were quite vocal in saying voters would remember that tax increase at the polls in November?
Well, evidently a solid majority of Minnesota voters did not recall it in a bad way.
An editorial from the Mesabi Daily News. |
The Financial Crisis and the Judeo-Christian Tradition
Growth & Justice makes the case for economic justice through research-based analysis and proposals, focusing on what works to generate a stronger economy and a more evenly shared prosperity. But spiritual leaders of national stature increasingly are speaking out for the same goals and citing the Bible for support. This common-sense review of old-time religion, in an op-ed by former ELCA Bishop Herb Chilstrom, ran recently in the Mankato Free Press. |
Governor asks state agencies to propose 5 percent cuts
The state's November forecast will be release in just over a month and the 2009 legislative session starts in just more than two. The governor has started his budget process and Minnesota Budget Project Director Nan Madden reports he is asking state agencies to reduce their general fund spending by 5 percent. |
Drive less, Minnesotans -- and prosper
Conrad deFiebre, Minnesota 2020's transportation fellow, references a study by Growth & Justice Policy Fellow for Infrastructure & Econoimc Development Matt Kane in this column that appeared on Minnesota 2020's website and MinnPost. |
Honoring Gene Lourey
A commentary by MinnPost CEO Joel Kramer, founder of Growth & Justice and current board chair, about the memorial for Gene Lourey. Lourey, the husband of former Sen. Becky Lourey a long-time supporter of Growth & Justice, was also the father-in-law of Growth & Justice Board member Marlana Benzie-Lourey.
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Big trouble ahead in St. Paul?
The ripples from the worsening financial crisis in the U.S. are likely to be felt in St. Paul come January - in the form of a ballooning state budget gap. By Marshall Helmberger, Timerjay News. |
Saved by the Deficit?
The Wall Street bailout has generated anger among middle-class Americans, but we shouldn't compound the problem by letting it prevent the government from spending what it must to lift the prospects of Main Street.
A column that appeared in the New York Times by former secretary of labor Robert B. Reich. Reich was the featured speaker at Growth & Justice's "Worst Political Advertising in America Awards" in 2004. |
McJustice
It is naive to believe that one can cut year after year without destroying the quality of justice. A commentary by Sen. John Marty. |
State Grant program fuels Minnesota's economic future
The State Grant program's need-based aid helps one out of four college students -- that's 80,000 Minnesotans. Minnesota Private College Council President David B. Laird, Jr. discusses the program's benefits in this column. |
We're aging, but our care system isn't keeping pace
We need new ideas. They're out there, and we don't have to wait for Washington to get them going. A column by Rep. Laura Brod (R-New Prague) and Rep. Paul Thissen (DFL-Minneapolis), members of the 2020 Conference, that appeared in the Star Tribune. |
Minnesota schools, failed by the state, look to the ballot
On Nov. 4, 38 school districts will ask voters to help them pay the bills with property taxes and six districts will go to the polls for bonds for building projects. Minnesota 2020's John Fitzgerald looks at the state's underinvestment in education. |
Pearlstein on Quie: A good man, still going strong
A commentary by Chuck Slocum that appeared in MinnPost. Slocum references comments Gov. Quie made during his speech at “Minnesota’s Progressive Republican Tradition: A History of Investing for Real Prosperity” sponsored by Growth & Justice during the Republican National Convention. |
The next business climate chill: worker shortage
The combination of the retirement of baby boomers and the underachievement of students of color, the only segment of Minnesota's young population that's growing, is forecast to leave the state 13,000 college grads short of the number business needs by 2015. By Lori Sturdevant, Star Tribune. |
Editorial: What is wrong with schools?
In a highly competitive global marketplace, it is clear Minnesota could well lose any edge it might have had. We are quickly taking the state of achievement to the state of mediocrity. An editorial from the Bemidji Pioneer. |
It ain't sexy -- it's infrastructure
Katrina ... the I-35W bridge collapse ... never again? Well, nationwide, little is being done to shore up the country's crumbling undergirdings. An opinion piece by Christine McEntee that appeared in the Star Tribune. |
As the state cuts, our safety net stretches
To make up for the enormous losses, hospitals have to raise the price of care for patients with private insurance, which in turn drives up your premiums. It's the recipe for a vicious circle: higher premiums leading to more people without insurance, which leads to more charity care, which results in an ever-thinning safety net. By Brock Nelson, president and CEO of Regions Hospital in St. Paul. |
An 'incomplete' for No Child Left Behind
The state Department of Education reports that 933 schools are now on the watch list based on statewide test scores. So why does that list keep growing in a state with one of the best academic achievement records in America? An editorial from the Star Tribune. |
Taxes have a place in economic policy
We cannot solve the country's finanical problems long term without putting federal government finance on a sustainable basis. And we cannot do that without increasing taxes or imposing spending cuts both parties rejected in the past. By Edward Lotterman, St. Paul Pioneer Press. |
2008 City of Excellence Awards
The cities of Breezy Point, Luverne, Sartell, and Woodbury received "City of Excellence Awards" from the League of Minnesota Cities for their innovative work. Growth & Justice President Dane Smith was a judge for the process.
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A 'living wage' is money in the bank
Peter Dumon, a hotel owner in Los Angeles, has a vision of prosperity and urges his fellow LAX-area hoteliers to stop fighting the city's living-wage ordinance for the sake of economic growth. From the opinion page of the Los Angeles Times.
urges |
Sartell recognized for its innovative water quality project
A judge for the League of Minnesota Cities' 2008 City of Excellence Award, Growth & Justice President Dane Smith said that there is far too much unfounded attacking of the public sector and not enough recognition for smart public investments by our state and local governments. Smith's participation was noted in a St. Cloud Times story about Sartell's award written by Larry Schumacher. |
Worried about low-income families? Start paying attention to climate-change!
Capping greenhouse gas emissions will inevitably impact the cost of energy, transportation, food, and other goods and services. And that will hit low-income families particularly hard since these items make up a larger share of their budget, and they have less flexibility to adapt to the changes in price. The latest from Christina Wessel at the Minnesota Budget Project. |
Our opinion: gax tax
An editorial from the Brainerd Dispatch states that the Legislature's gas tax hike was justified. |
Making taxes more fair in Minnesota
A letter-to-the-editor by Rep. Ann Lenczewski, chair of the House Tax, and Rep. Paul Marquart, chair of the House Property Tax Relief and Local Sales Tax Committee, printed in the Crookston Times. |
Jennifer Imsande: Together we ride
Jennifer Imsande is associate director of the Masters Program in Advocacy and Political Leadership at the University of Minnesota, Duluth. She rode the 2008 Minnesota Ironman April 27. This was printed in the Star Tribune. |
Editorial: Voters can see through politicians' gas-tax ploys
House Republicans can't seem to get over the fact that they lost the fight against the gas tax increase -- an increase which, by the way, was supported by the traditionally conservative Minnesota Chamber of Commerce. From the Rochester Post Bulletin. |
Cost of insurance far outpaces income
Study released shows cost of covering families takes bigger piece of household budget. In Minnesota, cost of family coverage increased 29 percent while policyholders' income remained the same. |
The numbers tell the truth
New gas tax to fund aggressive road and bridge construction in the state is a very small percentage of the jump in prices at the pump. An editorial by the Pioneer Press. |
Revenue shortfalls mean Minnesota faces long-term budget deficits
The state's most recent economic forecast assumes that the country will experience a mild recession through the first half of 2008. As a result, the state faces a $935 million deficit in FY 2008-09 and a $2.1 billion deficit in FY 2010-11 when the impact of inflation is included. |
Pawlenty's cuts aren't helpful
An opinion piece by Linda Doerr, vice president of senior services at St. Benedict's Senior Community and a member of The Long-Term Care Imperative, which is a legislative collaboration between Care Providers of Minnesota and the Minnesota Health & Housing Alliance. It appeared in the St. Cloud Times. |
The street on weflare
E.J. Dionne Jr. explores how Wall Street titans have turned into a bunch of welfare clients. Printed in the Washington Post. |
Property taxes projected to increase over $1,100 a minute in 2008
A nonpartisan study released this week reveals more bad news for Minnesota homeowners. Property taxes payable in 2008 are projected to increase at least $596 million statewide if all local taxing jurisdictions adopt their proposed levies, according to a Minnesota House Research property tax simulation. That’s an 8.8 percent increase over 2007 taxes. |
Sen. John Hottinger: Follow their example
In a June 29, 2006 letter to the editor in the Star Tribune, Sen. John Hottinger (DFL-St. Peter) writes that the Growth & Justice ad signers have set positive examples in recognizing the importance of the common good. |
Amy Lange: 'The Gang of 200'
In a June 29, 2006 letter to the editor in the Star Tribune, Amy Lange questions Star Tribune Columnist Katherine Kersten's concerns for the downtrodden. |
John Stiles: Fairness and basics
In a June 28, 2006 letter to the editor in the Star Tribune, John Stiles responds to Star Tribune Columnist Katherine Kersten's assertion that increasing taxes on the wealthiest 2 percent of Minnesotans would burden "ordinary Minnesotans." |
Pat Ryan Greene: Kersten doesn't speak for me
Pat Ryan Greene writes in a July 3, 2006 letter to the editor in the Star Tribune that he disagrees with Katherine Kersten's suggestion that Growth & Justice ad signers should just write checks to the government rather than advocate higher taxes. |
Growth & Justice hosts special guest Joel Rogers
In his March 15, 2006 presentation, Joel Rogers argued that the states could and should take the lead in creating a more progressive economic future, and that collaboration among organizations at the state level is critical, supported by a clear, concise description of what a progressive economic program would be about. |
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