Ever since we were collectively featured on the August 1973 cover of Time magazine showcasing Gov. Wendell Anderson under the headline "The Good Life in Minnesota," we have labeled ourselves as "above average." And over the years and decades that have passed, evidence, both objective and subjective, has affirmed that label. 

We are continually reminded that we are one of the healthiest states in the nation; we have the lowest rate of uninsured residents; we have above average incomes and the most Fortune 500 companies per capita; our kids annually rank among the top three states in standardized math and science scores; we are one of the few upper midwestern states that continue to experience a net in-migration; and if that's not enough, Garrison Keillor regularly reminds the entire nation each week that our kids are "above average." 

But over the past few years there has been a growing concern that maybe we are slipping and taking that above-average status for granted. Debates both in and out of the Legislature continually question whether our investment strategy and tax policies have been sufficient to sustain our status ... and then came the summer of 2007.

The summer of 2007 will forever be remembered as the summer of tragedy as the entire state first witnessed the I-35W bridge collapse followed by the devastating floods throughout southeast Minnesota. While the flooding might be shaken off by some as the most recent in a historical string of natural disasters to hit the state, the bridge collapses was more haunting as it seemed to shake our collective confidence as a state that "does things right." As several politicians noted, "Bridges just don't fall down in Minnesota." But what they really meant was that these things don't happen in an "above average" state.

As summer turned to fall the continuing news about the free-falling housing market and the Minnesota economy's failure to effectively rebound has created an even greater sense of uncertainty. And then in November it was confirmed that what we all felt in our gut was true, as State Economist Dr. Tom Stinson shared with us the news that the latest economic forecast now suggests that the state budget will be $373 million in the hole by the end of the biennium.

Now the truth is that a $373 million deficit is very manageable for a state with a $34 billion budget. In reality, the state rarely spends its entire appropriated budget, often leaving money on the table at the end of the biennium; and there currently are ample funds available in our cash reserves to cover this modest projected deficit. But that's not the point. Like the stock market, we often create our views and perspectives as much based on psychology and momentum as we do on facts. What if the budget deficit worsens? When will the housing market rebound? Will job creation ever again be above the national average? Taken together it is clear that in a subtle but profound way, the events of 2007 are leading us to quietly rethink and question our "above-average" status. 

From my point of view such self-reflection is good. After all, those of us who are at least 50 years old know that Minnesota hasn't always been above average; in fact at times in our state's history we were lucky to be thought of as average. So let's not get complacent.

I too take pride in that Time magazine cover, but I wonder how many of us remember that it actually highlighted the so called "Minnesota Miracle of 1971," which involved a near 30 percent increase in state taxes as we created one of the most progressive tax and equalization formulas in the nation. For the reality was that back in 1971 those forward-thinking Conservatives and Liberals (who by 1973 began to label themselves Republicans and Democrats) understood that to build an "above average" society one needed a lift up from the bottom - not from the top.  

Jack M. Geller, Ph.D. is president of Geller & Associates, a rural research and consulting firm based in Mankato.