Gov. Tim Pawlenty raised an interesting question when he proposed that anyone arrested for political protest activities be charged some sum of money to offset the costs of police, jail and court resources. While the governor’s proposal has economic merits,…
It’s time for a little fun understanding “fungible”
This morning I read an editorial from an Oklahoma newspaper arguing that if we had only already started to extract oil from the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge, we wouldn’t be facing higher gasoline prices now. I sighed. I got an…
Is the president’s war budget realistic?
The administration placed an initial price tag on the Iraq war this week. The roughly $75 billion request includes $62 billion earmarked for the Defense Department. This is not much money relative to an $11 trillion economy. But it is…
Minnesota’s economic picture not all that grim
Just as for Mark Twain, reports of the death of the Minnesota economy are greatly exaggerated. Yes, the stock market is down. Yes, state and local governments face a severe budget crunch, as do many nonprofit organizations such as private…