 Minnesota’s Progressive Republican Tradition: Public Investments for Broadening Prosperity
By Dane Smith and Russell Fridley
About 30 years ago, Neil R. Pearce, a leading national expert on comparative state government, raised goose pimples on proudly progressive Minnesotans when he wrote this glowing testimonial in an authoritative reference work on the 50 states, “The Book of America.”
“Search America from sea to sea,” wrote Pearce and co-author Jerry Hagstrom, “and you will not find a state that has offered as close a model to the ideal of a successful society as Minnesota.”The book followed the publication in 1973 of a Time magazine cover story that extolled Minnesota as the “The State that Works” and it pictured DFL Gov. Wendell Anderson on the cover.
read more
Growth & Justice joins call to bring attention to ‘Vanishing Graduates & Minnesota’s Future’
Growth & Justice has partnered with the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce to bring attention to the Minnesota Private College Council’s LearnMoreMN efforts to identify new solutions to ensure that more Minnesota children succeed in school and pursue higher education. To spread the word, the organizations worked with Twin Cities Public Television (TPT) to produce “Vanishing Graduates & Minnesota’s Future,” a documentary on this issue.
 Minnesota's Economy: Workers Matter!
Growth & Justice Policy Fellow Matt Kane was asked to explain the dynamics of regional economies, identify drivers for economic growth, and discuss smart strategies for economic development at a recent statewide conference for jobs counselors. His presentation includes guiding principles for public-sector economic development and emphasizes the importance of the workforce and workforce development. It also discusses the downsides of using firm-specific tax incentives and public sector subsidies to influence business location decisions – such actions work best where they are least justified, swaying decisions from one site to another within an economic region.
For more detail on this topic, download Kane's paper on Public Sector Economic Development, done for the Northeast-Midwest Institute here.
 Minnesota’s tax rankings hover near average Minnesota below average in total public-sector investment
An analysis by Growth & Justice and the Minnesota Budget Project of Census figures released last week show Minnesota is 19th in the nation in total state and local taxes measured as a percentage of income for Fiscal Year 2006. This is down considerably from 5th place in Fiscal Year 1995. Minnesota ranks 32nd among states using a more comprehensive measure of the size of state and local government that includes all sources of funding - taxes plus all other sources of revenue, such as federal aid and tuition at public colleges and universities. This measure represents total public-sector investment in the state. Time to return to healthier fiscal diet; more vegetables (yes, taxes) fairly raised
Earlier this year, labor, faith and nonprofits joined forces to form the Invest in Minnesota Campaign. We believe that Minnesota’s fiscal course in recent years is diminishing the quality of life in our state. We know that we need more revenue, we need to raise it fairly and we need to invest in Minnesota. Our Campaign will call on its vast membership to spread this message and to encourage people to talk about what changes need to be made to change the course the state in on.
| 
