Minnesota Independent

Franken: Education, fair taxes key to middle-class revitalization in America

By Andy Birkey | 06.20.11 | 8:22 am

In his keynote speech Saturday morning at the Netroots Nation conference in Minneapolis, Sen. Al Franken noted the growing income disparity between the middle class and the rich, a trend that began in the late-1970s. The Minnesota Independent sat down with Sen. Franken to get some thoughts on that disparity and how the American middle class might once again benefit from economic growth.

Walz introduces bill to end tax breaks for luxury yacht owners

By Andy Birkey | 05.04.11 | 9:09 am

Rep. Tim Walz introduced legislation on Tuesday that would end tax subsidies for luxury yachts. The IRS provides breaks for taxpayers who own yachts that have kitchens and bathrooms and therefore could qualify as a residence — even if the taxpayers don’t live there full time.

Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Source: Wikipedia

Minneapolis Fed: Employment to grow, unemployment flat in 2011

By Andy Birkey | 12.17.10 | 8:00 am

The Minneapolis Federal Reserve officials said Thursday that the region can expect an increase in employment and little change in unemployment rates in 2011. Businesses in the region are optimistic about an economic recovery, they added, and the Fed’s model…

What programs would Bachmann cut? Not many

By Andy Birkey | 11.23.10 | 8:30 am

Rep. Michele Bachmann appeared on CNN’s The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer on Saturday to talk about the tea party and cutting the nation’s budget. Blitzer pressed Bachmann to name programs that could be cut to bring down the federal budget deficit, but she declined, saying only that spending levels should be rolled back to 2008 levels.

Emmer releases new television ad: ‘Balance’

By Andy Birkey | 10.06.10 | 11:29 am

Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer released a new television ad on Wednesday called “Balance.” In it he vows to “limit the growth in state spending to the amount of taxes we collect, so government does not spend money we don’t have.” It’s the third television ad by the campaign this election season.

Study: Minneapolis metro has nation’s ‘worst relative disparity’ in employment based on race

By Andy Birkey | 06.09.10 | 8:40 am

A study released by the Economic Policy Institute on Tuesday shows that the Minneapolis metropolitan area has the “worst relative disparity” in employment based on race among the country’s fifty largest metropolitan areas. The region’s black population is three…

Former Gov. Carlson: Pawlenty ‘avoiding the law’ on budget

By Andy Birkey | 05.31.10 | 10:30 am

Former Gov. Arne Carlson, Republican governor from 1991 to 1999, is launching a “Paul Revere Tour” to spotlight Minnesota’s budget problem and what he sees as a lack of courage from state leaders. While Carlson is hitting DFLers and…

Ellison introduces bill to break up ‘too big to fail’ banks

By Andy Birkey | 05.03.10 | 9:01 am

Rep. Keith Ellison is sponsoring a bill that would break up banks deemed too big to fail. The bill, the Safe, Accountable, Fair, and Efficient Banking Act of 2010, would set the limits on the size of deposit holdings that a bank can have.

Ellison targets conflict of interest in mortgage lending

By Andy Birkey | 04.05.10 | 1:48 pm

Rep. Keith Ellison, along with Rep. Brad Miller, D-N.C., introduced legislation last week that would fix a problem in mortgage lending. The bill would eliminate conflicts of interest among large banks that prevent them from modifying troubled mortgages. The bill…

Minnesota a big loser in China trade deficit

By Andy Birkey | 03.30.10 | 9:00 am

Minnesota ranks sixth in the nation in terms of job losses due to the trade deficit between the United States and China, according to the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), a liberal…