Once the Lexus of the Midwest, is Minnesota rapidly becoming a Yugo?

Mediocrity should not be Minnesota's goal

Yes, we must live within our means. But what if our means have gotten out of whack?

by Lee Lynch, Minneapolis Star Tribune

Is Minnesota moving to a state of mediocrity?

I am passionate about our celebrated quality of life in Minnesota. Over the years I've recruited professionals to Minnesota by emphasizing our arts and parks, our health and wealth, our safety and accessibility, and our great university.

But lately I've had a gnawing in the pit of my stomach because of some sobering trends. In the past few weeks it was announced that our vaunted "job machine" was slowing down. Now we are just average in the generation of new jobs. Then we were told that our percentage growth in personal income has dropped out of the top 10 for the first time in decades. On a variety of indicators, state economist Tom Stinson said recently, we're losing ground: "It's gone on long enough that it is disquieting."

It didn't help my mood when it became apparent that we have no traffic congestion strategy. We're number two in the nation in urban interstate highway congestion, behind California -- and that's before the Interstate 35W bridge collapse. Our gas tax, adjusted for inflation, is the lowest it has been since it was enacted 82 years ago. Our transportation spending strategy is so bankrupt that the state tried to get contractors to "lend" us highway construction money. How can we continue to be prosperous if we're stalled in traffic?

(The rest is here.)