We are divided and faltering in Minnesota and the United States, staggering through a state government shutdown over a legislative refusal to raise more revenue, and teetering on the brink of a disastrous and unprecedented default on our national debt for essentially the same reason.

Republicans at the Minnesota Capitol have introduced a proposal that they say would redesign state government via a partnership with the private and public sector.

One of the outstanding things I noticed about Minnesota on arriving here in the early 1970s, right up there with the refreshing coolness of the summer mornings, was the high quality of the state's physical public infrastructure.

For all you potential new humans out there in the ether who are destined to be born in the Twin Cities, here's a tip for a longer and healthier life: Don't let that stork drop you in the wrong ZIP code.

After decades of very public clashes between anti-abortion and abortion-rights advocates, the issue has had a notably lower profile in recent state campaigns. And ostensibly at least, 2010 is likely to continue that trend. But it hardly means that abortion politics is a forgotten matter.

Let’s deduce. It’s post-democracy, obviously, and no doubt American, given the responsibility delegated mostly to states and their legislatures for education. And considering the pre-feminist reference to “his,” maybe a good guess would be a progressive do-gooder from the 19th or 20th century—maybe even a Founding Father.

Yes, that means raising revenue—i.e., raising taxes, because the facts matter

Trust in federal government is low—and bad news for the party in power—but historically normal. We should recover.

Most wealthy and successful people in Minnesota and the United States can be celebrated. They should not be blamed, individually or as a class, for growing economic inequality and our increasingly regressive federal and state tax systems. They are not entirely responsible for the no-new-taxes orthodoxy and the public disinvestment that is threatening our quality of life and our prosperity in Minnesota.

Bush Foundation President Peter Hutchinson frequently has used the phrase “bowling in the fog” to describe the frustration of community leaders who are forced to make decisions without enough research and evidence.