MACALESTER, THROUGH A militant new secular THE LOOKING GLASS student belief system.

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SPECIAL REPORT Failure to Lead SURRENDER! How Minneapolis voluntarily relinquished its streets to a mob of vandals, thieves and arsonists.

THINKING MINNESOTA • SUMMER 2020 FALSE ALARM Using a preposterously flawed scientific model, Gov. Tim Walz waged a campaign of fear to shut down Minnesota’s economy. EVERY Baby is a Blessing!

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PROLIFE Across AMERICA: totally educational, non-profit, non-political & tax deductible. PROLIFE Across AMERICA, PO Box 18669, Mpls, MN, 55418 or visit prolifeacrossamerica.org. ISSUE 20 SUMMER 2020 CONTENTS

SPECIAL REPORT 18 SURRENDER! How Minneapolis voluntarily relinquished its streets to a mob of vandals, thieves and arsonists.

UPFRONT FEATURES 7 ‘Densification’ 9 26 ‘ABJECT FAILURE’ The Met Council and The riots in photos. the next pandemic. 9 The Thief of Time 30 POLL Another MPCA maneuver; Minnesotans support another Line 3 delay. cops. Expect reform. 10 Politics and Science The Which ‘science’ should policymakers believe? THINKING MINNESOTA 12 Serve and Protect POLL Several factors affect the levels of police brutality. 36 FALSE ALARM 13 Making the Punishment Stick Using a preposterously A proposal for public employees 10 flawed scientific model, to serve reprimands. Gov. Tim Walz waged a campaign of fear to shut 14 COVID Legacy down Minnesota’s economy. Emergency Education Savings Accounts would help families. 15 Chattering Classes 42 MACALESTER, American Experiment finds interest THROUGH THE in online policy sessions. LOOKING GLASS A militant new secular 16 Shades of Green student faith. Minnesota is slow to quit coal. 48 A CRISIS IN CHILDCARE How government regulation strains COLUMNISTS families and our economy. 3 Ron Eibensteiner 56 John Hinderaker

52 ABOLITIONISM IN MINNESOTA Minnesota’s implacable 13 opposition to slavery.

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Center of the American Experiment’s mission is to build a culture of prosperity for Minnesota and the nation. Our daily pursuit is a free and thriving Minnesota whose cultural and NOTE FROM THE CHAIRMAN intellectual center of gravity is grounded in free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, and other time-tested American virtues. As a 501(c)(3) educational organiza- tion, contributions to American Experiment are tax deductible. STAFF John Hinderaker TOTAL FAILURE President Mitch Pearlstein Founder & Senior Fellow Recent months have given Minnesotans a front-row Katherine Kersten seat to the shortcomings of liberal governance. Senior Policy Fellow John Phelan Economist Isaac Orr Policy Fellow On Friday, May 29th, his briefing with such a Catrin Wigfall Minnesota Governor lickspittle act of public Policy Fellow Tim Walz had the op- contrition, especially Martha Njolomole Economist portunity to tell nervous when he hasn’t offered Tom Steward Twin Citians how his any other apologies Government Accountability Reporter state law enforcement to far more deserving Peter Zeller Director of Operations team would end the out- people. Katie Fulkerson of-control mob violence Let’s put this into Communications Director that had reduced parts of perspective. Allison Payne Communications Specialist Minneapolis to battle- Walz had spent the Micah Olson weary embers. evening before watch- Greater Minnesota Outreach Director But that wasn’t his ing the befuddled mayor Kristen Sheehan Development Director initial focus. Before of Minneapolis make a Lydia Luciano allowing members of hash of his responsibili- Donor Relations Coordinator his team to outline their ties. In a singular act of Kathryn Hinderaker plans, Walz breathlessly Ron Eibensteiner Event Coordinator Mitch Rolling announced that a member Researcher of the state patrol had Jeff Johnson mistakenly arrested a CNN news crew Adjunct Policy Fellow What stands out to me during an on-air broadcast in Minneapo- Thinking Minnesota (ISSN 2573-6442) is pub- is why Walz felt moved lished quarterly (January, April, July & October) lis. “A few minutes after hearing that I by Center of the American Experiment, 8421 was on a call with CNN President Jeff to interrupt his briefing Wayzata Blvd., Ste. 110, Golden Valley, MN 55426, 612-338-3605. Free trial subscription currently Zucker, who demanded to know what with such a lickspittle act available by sending name and address to info@ happened,” the Governor said. Demand- AmericanExperiment.org. Send address updates to [email protected]. Distributed in ed. Walz responded to the media honcho of public contrition (to the United States by TNG, 1955 Lake Park Dr., Ste. 400, Smyrna, GA 30080, 770-863-9000. with regrets. “I take full responsibility. CNN), especially when he Letters to the editor are encouraged and should There is absolutely no reason something be sent to [email protected] for hasn’t offered any other publication consideration. like this should happen. Calls were © 2020 Center of the American Experiment apologies to far more All rights reserved. made immediately. This is a very public Reproduction encouraged after apology.” obtaining permission from deserving people. [email protected]. It took several days for the meaning of Please visit our daily updated website this to sink in. The 2:30 a.m. arrest was at . AmericanExperiment.org a mistake, although a YouTube video Custom Publishing by reveals that the troopers treated the crew deliberate public cowardice, Mayor with civility, and the reporter responded Jacob Frey surveyed the fiery destruc- with unfailing courtesy. It was a mis- tion around his Third Precinct police understanding, nothing more—the kind headquarters and ordered officers to Tom Mason Publisher & Editor of thing that might happen in managing retreat, leaving control of the streets to and covering a riot. What stands out to thieves, vandals and arsonists. Scott Buchschacher Creative Director me is why Walz felt moved to interrupt continued on page 4

THINKING MINNESOTA SUMMER 2020 3 AMERICAN EXPERIMENT Oops! Let’s pull him down. continued from page 3 Winkler offends again. Walz could have prevented all of this. go up in smoke? Or how about the He knew of Frey’s ineptitude. Heck, wage-earners who watched their jobs Has anyone else had a bellyful of everybody knew. He acknowledged that disappear? Or the people—especially Ryan Winkler? The Golden Valley he was aware Frey might cut and run. in neighborhoods populated by low- DFL legislator (and majority leader Still, Walz allowed 500 well-equipped income and immigrant populations— in the Minnesota House) set off members of the National Guard to stand who lost access to stores? Or how about a Twitterstorm on the concluding Sunday of Riot Week by while the Third Precinct burned. the people who sat in their homes in when he reported that He didn’t deploy them, he said later, genuine fear for the safety of their a tanker truck driver because Frey did not provide specific- families? had intentionally enough directions about what he wanted And while we’re talking run into a mass of the Guard to do. What? Was his phone about the culpability of failed protesters who had broken? Why not call and ask? And leadership, let’s not forget the gathered on the I-35 despite his confident predictions of steep costs of Walz’s ham-fisted bridge. Quoting calm for the night to come, the Walz-led response to COVID-19. By “protesters I know,” protective force was also overwhelmed shuttering Minnesota’s he said the truck by the mob. economy, Walz enabled had “Confederate When it was over, rioters had vandal- his constituents to achieve flags and white supremacist insignia.” ized and/or looted something like 1,500 the distinction of having We now know that buildings along a five-mile stretch of both the highest number the immigrant driver Lake Street in South Minneapolis and of COVID-related fatalities and the was innocent; he had been 3.5 miles along University Avenue in highest number of jobless claims in the caught on the bridge after St. Paul’s Midway neighborhood. The upper Midwest. the police had closed it. His truck What about an apology to the contained no flags or insignia. Oops! 800,000 people who have lost their Winkler pulled the Tweet down. livelihoods to cuts to the economy? This is the same Ryan Winkler In a singular act of By enduring the surreally difficult who—on camera—extended a deliberate public times in the first half of 2020, Min- middle finger to a Republican nesotans received a front-row view of colleague during a press conference cowardice, Mayor about making insulin more what liberal governance looks like. We Jacob Frey surveyed affordable. He explained later that he believe the government’s handling of thought Sen. Scott Jensen was taking the fiery destruction the riots and the COVID-19 pandemic excessive credit for the bill. exposed disturbing inadequacies in the around his Third Precinct This is also the same Ryan Winkler leadership capabilities of our elected who once Tweeted a racial slur police headquarters officials, so much so that we’ve devoted against Justice Clarence Thomas, and ordered officers to the majority of this magazine to expose the only black member of the United them to examination. In “Surrender: States Supreme Court. When retreat, leaving control How Minneapolis voluntarily relin- Thomas voted with the majority of the streets to thieves, quished its streets to vandals, thieves to eliminate part of the Voting and arsonists,” writers John Phelan and Rights Act, Winkler tweeted, “VRA vandals and arsonists. majority is four accomplices to Tom Steward present a chronology of race discrimination and one Uncle mismanagement that you haven’t read Thomas.” It sounds even worse now anywhere else. Scott W. Johnson and in this time of race awareness. He cost of rebuilding might exceed $500 Kevin Roche have written a companion pulled it down. This time, the man million, making the Twin Cities riots piece about COVID-19, “False Alarm: who claims that Harvard granted him the second costliest in American history, Using a preposterously flawed scientific a B.A. in history, said he didn’t know behind only the 1992 L.A. riots. model, Gov. Tim Walz waged a cam- that “Uncle Tom” was a racial epithet. Imbedded in those statistics are the paign of fear to shut down Minnesota’s In response to all this, American names of thousands of people who economy.” Experiment’s President John deserve apologies from Walz. If he When we elect folks who don’t have Hinderaker announced that Winkler’s can apologize so readily to CNN, then the courage to make a priority of public reckless behavior should lead to his resignation. I couldn’t agree more. how about the business and property safety and economic growth, we get the owners who watched their futures government we deserve.

4 SUMMER 2020 THINKING MINNESOTA MAIL BAG

IRS Checks 2011 I received a call from a union One year ago, my baby sister Kim died leader that teachers would have a at the age of 52. She was a high-func- massive “call in sick day.” Due to the tioning special needs person who I loved shortage of substitute teachers, the dearly. district was forced to cancel school for Last week, I received an “economic the day. Despite school being canceled impact check” for Kim in the sum of I showed up to an empty classroom and $1,200. I have not put the check into began calling every parent to apologize Kim’s trust, and I don’t plan to. I also that the union had made such a deci- don’t plan to send it back to the federal sion. I felt ashamed that my union dues government. They will just give it away helped feed the beast. That lonely day in in the most wasteful way imaginable, my classroom I also wrote a letter to the as usual. union demanding that my membership I realize that this check was issued with the organization be disavowed. for expediency’s sake, but please, how The liberal tendencies of education many deceased persons received this and educators at times has been almost check like my deceased sister, Kim did? enough to drive me away. I still live by I am so sick of our broken govern- the adage you don’t go into teaching ment. I do not blame President Trump. I for the money. That appears to be long honestly believe he is trying to clean up forgotten by the St. Paul teachers’ union. this wasteful mess. —Patrick Sahli —Steve Anderson Wisconsin Cook, Minnesota Loaded Words EDITOR’S NOTE: The Govern- I have enjoyed the Thinking Minnesota ment Accountability Office has reported publication for several years now, but I that the Internal Revenue Service paid feel I must write and express a concern. nearly $1.4 billion in stimulus checks to I retired in 2003 after serving the high dead people through April. school students of Minnesota for 34 years. During those years I was directly Sleight of Hand involved in the collective bargaining pro- Center of the American Catrin Wigfall’s piece, “Real Numbers” cess several times. Each bargaining ses- (Spring 2020) spelled out everything sion started the same. The school board Experiment wants to reclaim that I wish the general public SHOULD and the teachers would trade proposals at the lost art of listening. know but does not. a regular school board meeting and set a As an educator for 15 years and a fis- schedule of meetings to begin the pro- We’re looking for input cally responsible individual, it pains me cess. Without exception, the next day the from conservative thought to see the sleight of hand trick played by newspaper would report the districts “of- the St. Paul teachers’ union. I have been fer” and the teachers “demands.” I found leaders all across teaching in Wisconsin for many years this inflammatory vocabulary degrading Minnesota to infuse better and while it was available, I took full to the newspaper and soon questioned insights and greater advantage of the profitable “steps and the accuracy of the news that they were lanes” system. I took countless online presenting. I still feel this way today. relevance to our efforts. graduate courses that took the intel- Catrin Wigfall in her article “Real ligence of a 5th grader to pass. Moving Numbers,” Spring 2020, has joined the up the ladder was easy. newspapers. She uses loaded words to I knew none of what I was doing slant the article. Her points are well made Want to join? made me a better educator, but my pock- but she has lost credibility with me. A Email Ron Eibensteiner etbook reaped the rewards. Fast forward good writer does not have to use loaded at to the Scott Walker debacle in 2011 and words to make their point. They do so it was as if my fellow teachers had lost with facts and logic. [email protected] all purpose in life. —Dale Owens I can still remember the day in Elgin, Minnesota

THINKING MINNESOTA SUMMER 2020 5 MINNESOTA’S LEADING CONSERVATIVE VOICE

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False Prophets

with motor vehicle use dead-last. ‘DENSIFICATION’ But most Minnesotans will say no to lugging rock salt home on the bus, Met Council policies will increase the risks of the next pandemic. getting the kids to soccer practice on the light rail or pedaling to the dentist on their bikes. Such alternatives will remain MINNESOTA’S LEADING a tiny minority of trips. We are all doing what we can to Twin Citians prefer to live. The Met Council and Minneapolis spread out during the coronavirus Thrive MSP 2040’s densification City Council assure us their densifica- CONSERVATIVE VOICE pandemic. Staying healthy depends on crusade seeks, first and foremost, to tion crusade is merely about “expanding minimizing unwanted contact with other reorganize our metro area around public choice.” In fact, they are using unprec- people—standing 6 feet apart in grocery mass transit. Its guiding principle is edented, top-down government controls stores, wiping off elevator buttons and “transit-oriented development.” That’s to impose it. That often means penalties avoiding public transit, where we may “New Urbanist” lingo for cramming for those who make the “wrong” choices, find ourselves cheek-by-jowl with a future metro-area development—hous- and hefty taxpayer subsidies for those wheezing stranger. who make the “right” choices But if spreading out is a chal- about where and how to live. lenge in the Twin Cities today, just For example, the Met Council is wait until the next pandemic hits. requiring every sewered munici- The urban planners at the Metro- pality—even at the seven-county politan Council, who increasingly metro area’s edges—to plan for and dictate how we live, have a vision accommodate a precise, arbitrarily for our future that is stampeding us determined number of subsidized in precisely the wrong direction. high-density housing units. Instead That vision is laid out in “Thrive The urban planners at the of increasing the range of housing MSP 2040,” the Met Council’s Metropolitan Council, who types and sizes, or promoting new master plan for metro-wide devel- increasingly dictate how construction techniques that reduce opment. Its “New Urbanist” ideol- the overall cost of housing, the ogy demands that, going forward, we live, have a vision for our council is lavishing subsidies on we increasingly will live on top of future that is stampeding us in developers who build high-density one another. precisely the wrong direction. housing and other development in The holy grail for the Met Coun- tiny, dense enclaves around public cil’s urban planners, and their allies transit stations. at the Minneapolis City Council, The Minneapolis City Council is “densification.” They seek to has gone even further: It is preen- engineer a world in which we increas- ing, jobs, retail, entertainment—into ing itself on becoming the first major city ingly abandon our single-family homes small, dense areas within “easy walking in the nation to eliminate single-family for stack-and-pack, multifamily apart- distance” (one-half mile) of major public zoning, so residents can no longer choose ments, and our private automobiles for transit stations in the core cities and to live in a single-family neighborhood. jampacked mass transit. inner-ring suburbs. Meanwhile, the Met Council is pour- The Met Council acknowledges Transit-oriented development requires ing public funds into dizzyingly expen- this radical transformation will be an declaring war on the family car. The sive light rail—expanding the Green “enormous undertaking.” That’s because Thrive plan’s transportation system and Blue lines with the Southwest and it runs directly counter to the way most prioritizes walking, bicycling and transit, Bottineau lines and charging ahead with

THINKING MINNESOTA SUMMER 2020 7 Bruce Hendry Ad 5.5x11.qxp_Layout 1 6/13/20 9:15 AM Page 1

THE DAVID HOROWITZ FREEDOM CENTER IS PROUD TO PUBLISH THIS ESSAY BY the Riverview Corridor streetcar line. LRT riders’ fares are already hugely sub- BRUCE HENDRY ON THE EXISTENTIAL sidized, and now the council is consider- CRISIS OUR NATION IS FACING. ing dropping fares altogether because so many freeloaders refuse to pay. “e crisis has been caused by a dramatic shift to the left Meanwhile, to push us out of our cars, by one of our two main political parties. Tragically, the planners are making driving as expen- sive and inconvenient as possible. The leaders of the Democrat Party seem to have learned Minneapolis Thrive plan, for example, nothing from the social catastrophes created by socialist is aggressively eliminating parking, con- illusions in the past century. verting four-lane roads to three lanes and intentionally increasing traffic congestion Bruce Hendry’s analysis is an exceptionally valuable in many ways. –David Horowitz So, what will government planners’ contribution to this discussion.” obsession with densification mean when the next pandemic hits? One thing’s for sure: Many more of us will be living It is not just enjoyment. I am packed close together and compelled to DEMOCRATS, learning by it. –Alex rub shoulders with a constantly rotating group of strangers on public transit. PROGRESSIVES, Bruce’s analysis is spot on, crystal Before the coronavirus hit, health and safety problems were already escalating clear and comprehensive. A must on light-rail transit. At a recent legisla- AND read that should be made tive hearing, a train operator described SOCIALISTS mandatory in every school and LRT as an “unsanitary, unsafe, and dirty college across the board. –Bach mode of transit.” She said the ventilation EXPOSING THE DANGER system, which carries fumes generated by bruce hendry by passengers’ drug use, can make driv- We will see that the ideology of the ers sick. Democrats is more like a religion Metro Transit is moving ahead with than a political party and how replacing upholstery on Green Line and human nature, jealousy, anger and Blue Line trains because it is a petri dish group think psychology plays into for the growth of disease agents. Now we their agenda. –Stephen add coronavirus. Some may assure us the current pan- demic is a flash in the pan, so there’s no need to rethink our rush to densification. But in recent years, we’ve seen recur- $10 ring waves of novel diseases, including TO ORDER GO TO SARS, MERS and swine flu, and the coronavirus may return. Globalization is HOROWITZFREEDOMCENTERSTORE.ORG likely to increase this threat. For years, we’ve heard warnings about how government planners’ obsession with densification will reduce our quality DAVID HOROWITZ of life, increase our cost of living, and FREEDOM CENTER restrict our mobility and independence. 14724 Ventura Boulevard, Suite 820, Sherman Oaks, California 91403 Now we know it threatens our health as Phone (818) 849-3470 • Fax (818) 849-3481 well. HOROWITZFREEDOMCENTER.ORG —Katherine Kersten This piece originally appeared in the Star Tribune.

8 SUMMER 2020 THINKING MINNESOTA THINKING MINNESOTA

The Science? The Thief of Time Another MPCA maneuver; another Line 3 delay.

The Minnesota Pollution Control forces the company to spend millions Agency (MPCA) has announced more in court fees and other costs it will again delay the replace- associated with red tape while ment of the aging Line 3 losing the revenues it would pipeline, this time by reap by replacing the pipe- holding a contested case line and transporting more hearing that will delay oil. President Obama construction in the vital used a similar tactic infrastructure project when he unnecessarily until at least 2021. The delayed the Dakota holdup represents the Access Pipeline, latest among multiple a wrong President moves taken by the Trump has righted. Walz administration In the end, replac- to delay the project ing the Line 3 pipeline that has spent five years represents a classic in regulatory review. win-win situation. Unfortunately, every The environment delay increases the risk of benefits because a newer, damage to the environment. safer pipeline will replace an It is well established that old, corroded pipeline—vastly the leading cause of pipeline reducing the potential for an oil spills from 2010 to 2018 was spill. corrosion—and given that the cur- The economy will also benefit rent Line 3 is corroded, it needs to be because this $2.6 billion construction replaced. Corrosion is also the reason project would create 6,500 local jobs in Line 3 is operating at just half of its Unfortunately, Minnesota. Considering that Governor potential capacity. If the Walz admin- Walz’s COVID-19 shutdown has caused istration truly values the environment every delay increases Minnesota to post the highest unemploy- and isn’t simply using the pipeline as a ment claims of any neighboring state political football, it should have never the risk of damage to (Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, delayed the project in the first place, and the environment. or Wisconsin), one would think his certainly should not have effectively administration would embrace such good pushed the project back another year. economic news. Apparently not. And if Governor Walz is relying on While Walz loves to imagine that his push for electric vehicles to replace a hicle adoption means we will rely on oil his decisions are based on scientific reliance on oil, he will be sorely disap- long after Walz is no longer governor. evidence, his actions show otherwise. In pointed. Oil is the single-largest source A far more likely explanation for why reality, Walz’s mantra of “following the of energy used in Minnesota, according Governor Walz delayed the pipeline science” is just a thinly veiled smoke- to the U.S. Energy Information Admin- project is that he hopes continued delays screen for doing whatever he wants istration. Thirty-three percent of all the might tempt Enbridge, the company to serve his own purposes. Line 3 is a energy used in the state came from oil seeking to replace the pipeline, to give perfect example. in 2018, and the slow rate of electric ve- up and walk away. A delayed project —Isaac Orr

THINKING MINNESOTA SUMMER 2020 9 Coronavirus Politics and Science Which ‘science’ should policymakers believe?

During the COVID-19 crisis, claims health economist, but the Washington In the first instance, if that were so, such as “listen to the science” or “this model may be optimistic and overlook- we could save ourselves the expense is about science, not politics” have two ing risk factors in the United States that and rigmarole of politicians and elec- big problems. could make the outbreak worse. tions and simply be ruled by experts— “Saying that the Washington approach a technocracy, in other words, instead Different scientists are is optimistic is not saying that we think of a democracy. saying different things we’re right,” he said. “Some of our as- But that wouldn’t do because, in the “Listen to the science” suggests that sumptions might have turned out to be second instance, science does not tell there is some “thing” that “science” tells unusually conservative. In fact, we’ve us what we should do. Based on its us. But that is not the case with COV- been saying this from the beginning. We accrued knowledge, science offers us ID-19. The coronavirus is a brand-new will continue to test our assumptions and options, telling us the consequences of disease, and scientists are learning more change them.” those options, often with a large degree about it all the time. What “science” Which “science” are we supposed to of uncertainty. tells you one day might not be what it listen to? Look, for example, at the SARS- tells you the next. CoV-2 (COVID-19) Model produced So, not only is “the science” changing Science gives us options by the University of Minnesota School from day to day, but different scientists and consequences— of Public Health and Department of are saying different things. As the Star politics chooses Health, which originally drove state Tribune once reported: Even if “science” spoke with one voice policy. Based on what “science” knows No one knows for sure how bad CO- on COVID-19, it wouldn’t follow that about things like the basic reproduction VID-19 will get. politicians should blindly do as scien- number (R0—how many people each Data modeling by Minnesota experts tists tell them. infected person infects), this Minnesota predicted as many as 50,000 deaths in Model predicted that peak ICU bed us- the state, while a University of Washing- ton model estimated fewer than 2,000. … Modeling by the Minnesota Depart- ment of Health and the University of Minnesota persuaded Governor Tim What “science” tells you one Walz to announce his stay-at-home order. day might not be what it The modeling is conservative, perhaps pessimistic, about the course of the tells you the next. outbreak, said Stefan Gildemeister, state

10 SUMMER 2020 THINKING MINNESOTA THINKING MINNESOTA

age would have come on June 8th with AMERICAN 3,700 beds and 22,000 deaths if Walz EXPERIMENT issued a “Long term SHO (stay-at- home order) for the most vulnerable” on April 9. If, instead, he “Extend[ed the] SHO for all (by 4 weeks),” peak BOARD ICU bed usage would come much later, on July 13th, with 3,700 beds and mortality of 22,000. OF DIRECTORS Now, “science” can provide these options, but which of them we choose OFFICERS is a political question, not a scien- Chairman President Ron Eibensteiner John Hinderaker tific one. Do we choose the earlier Wyncrest Capital, Inc. economic opening and ICU peak of Treasurer Secretary Scott Rile Scenario 3 or the delayed opening and Mark S. Larson Principal, Bernstein Global peak of Scenario 4? That depends on Attorney, Messerli & Kramer Wealth Management the weight we give to things like the health of the economy and the ability BOARD MEMBERS to ramp up ICU capacity. Such ques- Edward C. Anderson Robert Kukuljan tions, ones of priorities, are debatable Forthright Solutions Stoel Rives LLP political ones. Tara J. Anderson Richard G. Morgan TJA Business Law Bowman & Brooke You can’t turn normative Elam Baer Kenneth W. Morris questions into positive ones North Central Equity The Apercu Group In economics, it is often said that there Asim Baig Charles Nickoloff are positive and normative questions. CATS Software Inc. Medical Equities Investments Positive questions are framed as “What Michael E. Barry Twin City Fan Companies Mitch Pearlstein is,” so “What will be the impact on em- Founder of Center of the American Experiment ployment of hiking the minimum wage Molly Corrigan Cronin to $15 an hour?” Normative questions Mitchell Davis Rick Penn Davis Family Dairies are framed as “What should be,” such as Ted Risdall Risdall Marketing Group “Should we raise the minimum wage to Elizabeth Driscoll $15 an hour?” Greg Frandsen Howard Root Frandsen Companies ELUX Marine, Inc. You can’t turn a normative question Michael Hayden Thomas J. Rosen into a positive one. The question “What Rosen’s Diversified, Inc. will be the consequences of choos- Lowell W. Hellervik Omni Leadership Ronald Schutz ing Scenario 3?” is a positive one for Robins Kaplan LLP “science” to answer. But the question Carol Hockert Lanners Foundation Daniel J. Spiegel “Should we choose Scenario 3 or Sce- Law Offices of Daniel J. Spiegel nario 4?” is a normative one for elected Robin Norgaard Kelleher Ross Strehlow politicians to mull. The attempt to pass Tom Kelly Dorsey & Whitney off normative questions as positive ones Ronald Youngdahl Corporate 4 is rather sinister. To me, it seems like an Keith Kostuch attempt to take a major policy decision Ben Wilmoth Heidrick & Struggles and pretend that it isn’t up for democrat- ic debate, that “the science” has spoken and so we should all shut up and do as we’re told or risk being accused of “de- nying science.” It is an attempt based on error and with very dodgy ramifications. It ought to be resisted. —John Phelan

THINKING MINNESOTA SUMMER 2020 11 Policing

Serve and Protect ers, M16s, helicopters, and weaponized vehicles—to help local departments fight Several factors affect the levels of police brutality. the war on drugs. With this equipment, even small towns created SWAT teams. And they use them. The aftermath of George Floyd’s tragic (See the recent Thinking Minnesota Poll death while in police custody is filled with on page 30 of this magazine.) Observ- Use-of-force policies stories and videos of other people dying ers increasingly agree that the system Use-of-force policies spell out what at the hands of the police. encourages the use of force or does not kind of force can be used in specific Some of these deaths may be justified. discourage officers from using excessive circumstances. Usually, strict use-of-force But compared with the low fatalities in violence. They point to contributing fac- policies reduce incidents of excessive other countries, the high numbers point to tors such as the following. force by police. Research by Campaign Zero illustrates how the largest police departments differ significantly in how they restrict officers from using force against civilians. Departments with more restrictions on police killed significantly fewer civilians. And contrary to opinion, officers in departments with more restric- tive policies were actually less likely to be killed in the line of duty, less likely to be assaulted, and have a similar likelihood of sustaining an injury during an assault.

In Germany, police officers receive The police are tasked three years of training for which with doing too much they earn a bachelor’s degree. In 2019, 142 of the 752 people shot and killed by the police suffered from a men- tal illness. a big problem in the system. Training The police generally have little training Between 2000 and May 2020, Minne- Inadequate training and an emphasis on in crisis intervention, yet their respon- sotans experienced 195 police encounters “warrior-style training” likely contribute sibilities require them to deal with drug that turned fatal. In the United States, to police brutality. In Germany, police overdose patients, homeless issues and the total number of people killed by the officers receive three years of training for mental illness issues. It is not a surprise police between 2015 and 2020 is about which they earn a bachelor’s degree. In that some of these interactions turn vio- 5,400. This year alone (January to June), contrast, U.S. training lasts on average lent when they do not need to be. 473 people have been killed by the police. 19 weeks, and in some cases emphasizes For other countries, these numbers are defense mechanisms—warrior-style People’s perception much lower, even after accounting for training—that underscores that every of the level of crime differences in population. In 2015, the interaction is seen as a threat to an of- When people believe crime is down, they German police fired just four fatal shots, ficer’s safety. are less likely to support policies that are while in the U.S. that number was more tough on crime; when people believe than 900. As of 2019, the rate of civilians Militarization of the police crime is high or rising, they support killed by police in the U.S. was 33.5 per Many people have grown accustomed policies that come down tough on crime. 10 million. Canada, Germany, and Eng- to seeing police officers geared up like People in the United States believe crime land and Wales had rates of 9.8, 1.3 and they’re going to war. This is because is rising, even though the data say violent 0.5 per 10 million, respectively. Congress created a federal program that and nonviolent crimes have been decreas- Generally, a majority of people agree enabled the Pentagon to donate surplus ing since 1994. that the police system needs to change. gear—armored vehicles, grenade launch- —Martha Njolomole

12 SUMMER 2020 THINKING MINNESOTA THINKING MINNESOTA

Public Employees

Making the later reinstated. When a bad cop, teacher, process for police officers, according to or state worker gets his or her job back, the Journal. “If the legislature is serious Punishment we all lose. about deep, structural police reforms, this The Wall Street Journal recently is the most impactful change they could Stick reviewed data from the past 15 years that make,” Frey said in a recent statement. showed half of Minnesota law enforce- Will Mayor Frey’s DFL-allies heed A legislative proposal would ment officers who were fired for miscon- his advice? duct but appealed their terminations were —Catrin Wigfall keep friendly arbitrators from reinstated. Seven out of nine officers reversing public employee terminated for violating use-of-force poli- cies were reinstated, including two from reprimands. the Minneapolis police department. And What’s less well known half of Minneapolis police officers who is that even when “bad faced criminal charges are still working apple” public employees The recent death of George Floyd has for the department today. highlighted the issue of police discipline Former Minneapolis Police Chief are disciplined, there is and how “bad apple” public employees Janee Harteau recently told Kare 11 news a good chance their must be held accountable for their bad that she has seen this problem firsthand acts. What’s less well known is that even numerous times throughout her career. punishments will when they are disciplined, there is a “When I terminated Blayne Lehner be overturned. good chance their punishments will be [for using excessive force pushing a overturned. This isn’t limited to police of- woman to the ground in 2016] he was ficers—it spans across all professions. reinstated with 40 hours of time New legislation introduced by State off without pay and he came Rep. Patrick Garofalo (R-Farmington) back to the department,” during the Legislature’s special session Harteau said. in June would eliminate the state law An arbitrator disagreed that mandates binding arbitration for with the city of Min- terminated public employees and would neapolis firing him and replace it with a process that puts an ordered the city to rehire administrative law judge in charge of him. But he never went adjudicating appeals. back to work, remaining “This reform would be a step in the on paid administra- right direction as policymakers deter- tive leave until he got mine ways to increase transparency and fired again in 2019 for a accountability for public employees who separate use-of-force case that serve our communities,” Rep. Garofalo happened six years earlier. said in a press release. “The current arbi- Garofalo says arbitrators of- tration process…is why some bad apples ten feel pressure to please both have not been fired.” sides involved in the process The majority of public employees and and maintain an unbiased track professionals who serve our communities record, which can allow bias to do so with honor and dignity. But there influence decisions over facts. A are those who are problem-prone who judge, on the other hand, would be unfortunately discredit their professions. free to make an independent ruling. Terminating these employees is difficult Both Minneapolis Police Chief under the current arbitration process em- Medaria Arradondo and Minneapolis bedded in state law, and too often a public Mayor Jacob Frey have recently called on employee fired for serious misconduct is the Legislature to change the arbitration

THINKING MINNESOTA SUMMER 2020 13 Education

COVID Legacy pay for education-related products and services. The government already sets SPRING Emergency Education aside tax dollars for every child’s educa- tion, but in an ESA, the money is able Savings Accounts would help to follow the child. Given the numerous OPEN families and school districts. COVID-19 related concerns facing edu- cation, ESAs could be a solution to ad- dress a variety of these concerns, ensure HOUSE In order to address the unexpected students can continue learning safely, and expenses related to the COVID-19 help with learning losses that could carry shutdown, policymakers should provide over into the next school year. THURSDAY | APR 9 families with K-12 emergency education ESAs could also help private schools 9:00- 11:00 AM savings accounts (ESAs). These would survive the coronavirus and prevent an not only assist families and students influx of students into public schools with at-home learning during extended that may already be struggling with school closures but also help parents ad- oversize classrooms. Giving parents the dress any unsatisfactory instruction and opportunity to choose their preferred access alternative educational options education setting for their child would for their child. help enable smaller classes and reduce As Minnesota’s once-forecasted transmission of the virus. If 20 percent budget surplus has turned into a multi- of private school students have to be billion-dollar deficit, schools will face reabsorbed into the public system, that budget challenges in a post-COVID will cost the public system roughly $15 economy, especially given many were billion nationwide, according to The already in the red before the pandemic Foundation for Excellence. hit. And private schools face an even Minnesota could fund ESAs by using higher risk of closing altogether. some of the education allocations from ESAs would help school districts save the CARES Act, of which the state thousands of dollars without asking for qualifies for around $91 million. spending increases that the state can’t af- The coronavirus pandemic has ford. For one, ESAs are usually funded confirmed there are glaringly obvious significantly below per-pupil spending gaps and inequities in different forms at district schools because the funds are in our education system. In response, typically a percentage of what the state policymakers have the opportunity to would have spent to educate the student address these disparities and shake up in a public school. the status quo instead of simply rushing Eligible families receive these funds— to restore it. often in the form of a debit card—to help —Catrin Wigfall

ESAs could help private schools survive the coronavirus and prevent an influx of students into public schools that may be struggling with oversized LEARN MORE classrooms. LIBERTYCLASSICALACADEMY.ORG

14 SUMMER 2020 THINKING MINNESOTA THINKING MINNESOTA

Programming

Chattering As COVID-19 shut down Ameri- watched recorded versions of the can Experiment’s typical menu of events available on AmericanExperi- Classes live events this spring, the Center ment.org. launched a series of “Master Class” The Master Class concept was American Experiment finds online events featuring presentations originally intended as a five-week from its policy experts and other series of lunch-hour Zoom webinars, substantial audience for original special guests. So far, 4,489 people moderated by John Hinderaker, pres- online policy discussions. either watched the live events or ident of American Experiment.

Past Seminars: April 1: John Phelan on What can state governments do to influence the economy? April 8: Catrin Wigfall on How good are Minnesota’s public schools, really? April 15: Isaac Orr on Everything wrong with the Green New Deal. April 23: Martha Njolomole on How regulation affects your everyday life. April 29: Jeff Johnson on Why is housing so expensive in the Twin Cities?

THE PATRIOT HAS A NEW SISTER STATION THE ALL NEW

ON AIR AT AM 1570 OR ONLINE AT FREEDOM1570.COM

THINKING MINNESOTA SUMMER 2020 15 Energy

Shades of Green Other states have reduced their coal consumption by developing low-cost Minnesota is slow to quit coal, despite surging natural gas. For example, thanks to hy- draulic fracturing, Pennsylvania became prices for electricity. the second-largest natural gas producing state in the country. Its coal consump- tion reduced by 50 percent—double the Data from the U.S. Energy Information Despite this, Minnesota’s electricity rate of the coal reduction we’ve seen in Administration (EIA) goes a long way prices have increased much faster than Minnesota. to debunk the myth that Minnesota is a the national average. EIA data show mas- Not only has Pennsylvania doubled “green” state. The EIA shows that from sive increases in electricity prices in Min- Minnesota’s reduction in coal consump- 2001 to 2018, the state has reduced its nesota since 2007, when then-Governor tion, the Keystone State has done so at a coal consumption slower than the nation Tim Pawlenty signed the Next Genera- fraction of the cost. Since 2005, Penn- as a whole and by a smaller margin, but tion Energy Act (NGEA) into law, which sylvania has seen its electricity prices its electricity prices have increased far mandated that renewable energy sources increase by only 18.5 percent, which is faster than the national average. generate 25 percent of Minnesota’s elec- 41.4 percent less than the price hikes In essence, Minnesota’s energy tricity by 2025. we’ve seen in Minnesota. policy has been a massively-expensive Before the NGEA, Minnesota law- Minnesotans have watched their failure, and proposals to shut down makers required Xcel Energy to build electricity prices surge because politicians the remainder of the state’s coal plants wind turbines as part of a 2005 deal to and utility companies want to replace re- and replace them with wind, solar, and continue operating the electric services liable, affordable coal-fired power plants natural gas will cause electricity prices to company’s fleet of nuclear power plants. with weather-dependent resources like skyrocket even more. Since that time, our electricity prices wind and solar, which will require bil- The nearby graph from the EIA shows have increased almost twice as much as lions of dollars of expensive transmission that Minnesota has reduced its coal con- the national average. lines to accommodate, as well as large sumption by 25 percent since 2001—nine This means Minnesota families and quantities of natural gas fired electricity. percent slower than the nation as a whole. businesses have seen their electricity pric- es increase much faster than the national What’s to come average for results that have been in the future? significantly worse, to date. Renewable energy advocates will Minnesota’s electricity argue that Minnesota’s future coal prices have increased reductions will be above average much faster than the when Xcel Energy enacts its plan to prematurely retire its coal-fired power national average. plants over the next decade. This claim will likely be true if Xcel is allowed to shut down these affordable, reliable sources of electricity, but it will come at a great cost. American Experiment’s Mitch Roll- ing recently wrote an article explaining that Xcel’s plan to shutter its coal plants and replace them with a combination of wind, solar, and natural gas will cost its customers $46 billion through 2050 and cause electricity prices to rise by about 30 percent relative to today’s prices. This means the average Xcel Energy customer in Minnesota will pay nearly $1,200 in

16 SUMMER 2020 THINKING MINNESOTA THINKING MINNESOTA

Coal Consumption, Annual Indexed to 2001 as percent 25%

0%

-25%

-50%

-75%

-100%

-125% 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

United States electric power Minnesota electric power

Coal Consumption, Annual Indexed to 2001 as percent 25%

0%

-25%

-50%

-75%

-100%

-125% 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

United States electric power Pennsylvania electric power Minnesota electric power

Average Retail Price of Electricity, All Sectors, Annual Indexed to 2005 as percent 80% American 60% Minnesota Year: 2019 59.91 Percent 40%

Pennsylvania Experiment Year: 2019 20% 18.50 Percent 0% .org -20% 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

United States Pennsylvania Minnesota additional costs per year, every year lights on. through 2050. And the enormous costs Instead of closing down our coal-fired associated with Xcel’s plan would avert power plants before the end of their use- just 0.0003 degrees Celsius of future ful lifetimes, Minnesota utilities should global warming by 2100—an amount far continue to use these affordable, reliable too small to measure. plants until it no longer makes economic Minnesota’s rush to renewables has sense to keep repairing them. Then, tran- resulted in skyrocketing electricity sitioning to reliable, low carbon sources prices for lackluster results. Repeat- of electricity such as nuclear and hydro ing this mistake will continue to harm power will yield the greatest reduction Minnesota families and businesses by in carbon dioxide for the lowest cost. making it more expensive to keep the —Isaac Orr

THINKING MINNESOTA SUMMER 2020 17 SPECIAL REPORT A FAILURE TO LEAD

How Minneapolis voluntarily relinquished its streets to a mob of vandals, thievesand arsonists.

18 SUMMER 2020 THINKING MINNESOTA he video of George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis on Memo- rial Day is sickening. There is no way that arresting a man for an alleged minor infraction should involve a police officer Tputting his knee on that man’s neck for nearly eight minutes while he cries out, “I can’t breathe” and then goes silent. The police are there to maintain law and order and protect the public. Those laws apply to the police, and George Floyd was a member of that public. George Floyd’s death was bound to provoke a strong reaction, especially as rela- tions between police and African Americans have been particularly fraught in recent years. John Phelan The peaceful protests that followed saw By & Tom Steward people exercising their rights under the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. Authorities should protect that consti- tutional right as doggedly as any other. It is an

THINKING MINNESOTA SUMMER 2020 19 SPECIAL REPORT A FAILURE TO LEAD indispensable part of a free country. added, “Being black in America should But these protests were shoved off the not be a death sentence.” Walz followed front pages by four nights of violence suit, issuing a statement at 9:46 a.m. in the Twin Cities that spread across the “The lack of humanity in this disturbing Why did the authorities— country and even across the planet. Time video is sickening,” he said. “We will get particularly Jacob Frey, and again, city and state government answers and seek justice.” the 38-year-old rookie failed in their central task of protecting The FBI had joined the Minneapolis Minneapolis Mayor, and life and property. They failed people Police Department investigation at 3:11 Minnesota Governor across the cities, disproportionately those that morning, and at 11 a.m., the Hen- Tim Walz—fail so in lower-income neighborhoods with nepin County Attorney’s Office launched spectacularly? Is it large immigrant communities, who saw an investigation into possible criminal because they couldn’t their homes and livelihoods destroyed by charges. do anything to prevent mobs. And they failed George Floyd by During the afternoon, hundreds of pro- the cities sliding into allowing the peaceful protests in his name testers blocked traffic at the intersection chaos, a worrying enough possibility in to be hijacked and overwhelmed by loot- of 38th and Chicago Avenue South, near itself? Or is it because, ing and rioting. the Cup Foods store that called in the out of sympathy with Why did the authorities—particularly original police complaint against George even the more extreme Jacob Frey, the 38-year-old rookie Min- Floyd. By that evening, the crowd of elements responsible neapolis Mayor, and Minnesota Governor protesters, now numbered in the thou- for this mayhem, Tim Walz—fail so spectacularly? Is it sands, marched to the Minneapolis Police they wouldn’t act as because they couldn’t do anything to Department’s Third Precinct station at needed? prevent the cities sliding into chaos, a Minnehaha Avenue South and Lake Street East. It began peacefully, but as the evening wore on, some protesters tore down fences, smashed windows, attacked The government had squad cars, and threw water bottles at of- collapsed in Minneapolis ficers. After police responded with rubber minutes as a white officer firmly pressed bullets and tear gas and rain began to fall, his knee into the neck of an unarmed, once again, this time demonstrators eventually fell back. handcuffed black man,” he said, emotional under the leadership once again. “If you had done it, or I had WEDNESDAY, MAY 27 of Governor Tim Walz. done it, we would be behind bars right Tensions remained high after the con- now.” Frey, a former lawyer, declined to frontation at the Third Precinct. During say what specific charge he wanted to see a Wednesday morning news conference, brought against Chauvin. worrying enough possibility in itself? Or longtime Minneapolis civil rights activ- Frey’s outburst prompted Hennepin is it because, out of sympathy with even ist Spike Moss pleaded for protesters to County investigators to issue a sharp the more extreme elements responsible keep their cool. “You have to be patient rebuke against the Mayor, warning him for this mayhem, they wouldn’t act as and strong and be determined with the against violating Chauvin’s right to due needed? rest of us,” he said. “You don’t have to process. “In order to bring charges and An examination of the events of those waste your life in the street, go to jail, obtain a guilty verdict, there are very four days in May reveals the total failure get shot down. Understand people here specific parts of the law which must be of city and state officials. care enough about you to fight for you met in prosecuting any crime of violence,” is the reason this press conference is so the Hennepin County Attorney’s office TUESDAY, MAY 26 important.” statement read. “The Minnesota Bureau Shortly after Floyd’s death at 9:25 p.m. But, instead of echoing calls for calm, of Criminal Apprehension is working as on Monday, May 25, a video of his arrest Frey used his own morning press confer- quickly as possible to gather the neces- began circulating on social media and ence to pour fuel on the smoldering sary evidence, and we will expeditiously quickly went viral. embers. Disregarding the fact that Minne- review the case when we receive the case Frey called a 6:45 a.m. news confer- apolis police officer Mohamed Noor was file and make our decision.” ence with Minneapolis Police Chief not arrested and charged for eight months Hamline University political science Medaria Arradondo. “What we saw was following the 2017 shooting death of Jus- professor and author David Schultz argues horrible,” said Frey, who appeared on the tine Ruszczyk Damond, Frey demanded Frey missed a critical opportunity on verge of losing control of his emotions. Officer Derek Chauvin’s immediate arrest. Wednesday morning to get out in front of “Completely and utterly messed up.” He “We watched for five whole, excruciating the agitators bent on exploiting protesters

20 SUMMER 2020 THINKING MINNESOTA At a late-night press conference, a reporter asked Frey, “What’s the plan here?” Frey struggled to answer.

for their own aims. protesters for their commitment to safely THURSDAY, MAY 28 “There is no question that there is a protest during this pandemic.” On Thursday, Frey declared a state of legitimate space and place for appropri- The protest continued through the emergency in Minneapolis, and the ate First Amendment expression and day, again starting at 38th and Chicago Minnesota National Guard deployed 500 mourning. No one doubts or debates that,” Avenue South and moving on to the troops to the Twin Cities area. Schultz said in an email. “The problem we Third Precinct. There, the crowd became But even this sparked no immediate saw was that when it became clear after more violent. Bottles and rocks rained urgency in the authorities’ attempts to the first night [that] protests might turn down on the Third Precinct building. gain control of the situation. Instead, bad or that there might be some provoca- Around 6:00 p.m., officers used rubber Frey and Arradondo decided early that teurs involved who wanted to exploit the bullets, tear gas, and flash-bang rounds afternoon to “significantly reduce our situation, more decisive action needed to to disperse the rioters, but the violence footprint in the Third Precinct,” Frey said be taken. I am not arguing for a military simply escalated. Somebody set fire to later. “We also decided early that the op- presence or crackdown, but an earlier the AutoZone on East Lake Street, and a tion to vacate the Third Precinct needed call for a curfew or more decisive action crowd of at least 100 people started loot- to be on the table as a way to both help to condemn looting and violence was ing a nearby Target store. Video circulated de-escalate and prevent hand-to-hand needed.” of looters punching a woman in a wheel- combat.” Up to now, Walz had been keen to use chair. A pawnshop owner shot and killed Walz later confirmed that he had the coercive power of the state govern- a man who he allegedly thought was received real-time briefings on Thurs- ment to enforce his anti-COVID-19 burglarizing his business. The violence day that Frey was openly considering measures. But as of his Wednesday press continued throughout the night. Rioters abandoning the Third Precinct station. conference, Walz’s ban on large gather- ignited fires and looted stores all the way It marked another missed opportunity to ings effectively disappeared. Instead, he to Uptown. Arsonists set at least 30 fires step in to prevent the complete break- warned protesters to be careful. “I was along the way, including a towering blaze down of law and order that soon left the saddened to see that some of the protest- that gutted a six-story affordable housing Governor no choice but to take command ers were in harm’s way last night,” he told apartment building still under construc- and control belatedly. reporters. “And I just want to encourage tion. A thick curtain of smoke lingered “I will assume responsibility,” Walz everyone to be safe, especially in light of over Lake Street as dawn broke on Thurs- admitted the next day. “I, if the issue was the COVID-19 pandemic, and thank the day morning. the state should’ve moved faster, yeah,

THINKING MINNESOTA SUMMER 2020 21 SPECIAL REPORT A FAILURE TO LEAD that is on me.” continuous live local television coverage As the day progressed, looting and of the mayhem. They watched as a mob rioting spread along University Avenue of thieves and arsonists now apparently Walz explained that he deferred to into St. Paul. The St. Paul Police Depart- governed the streets of Minneapolis. local officials, stressing his fears that ment said that thieves and arsonists They were hard-pressed to find any the sight of the Guard—soldiers with looted and damaged more than 170 police or the fire department anywhere Humvees in combat fatigues—might businesses. Fires continued to burn early on the scene, undoubtedly forced to further inflame on Friday morning, with the largest one abide by the Mayor’s dictate that they the situation. at Big Top Liquor near Snelling and run away. The coverage was interrupted University avenues. As with Lake Street by an early-morning news conference the previous night, lower-income, minor- convened by the haggard-looking Min- ity neighborhoods bore the brunt of the neapolis mayor. rioters’ assault. One reporter asked Frey, “What’s the Just like his Minneapolis counterpart, plan here?” Frey struggled to answer. St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter failed to At around midnight, Frey finally anticipate and contain the intensifying requested the National Guard’s help in violence. restoring order around the Third Precinct. Former U.S. Senator and St. Paul The state formally assumed control, and Mayor Norm Coleman took to Facebook forces began to enter the city. Still, the to decry the ineptitude of the two mayors. contingent of several hundred from the “As rioters—criminals disguised as pro- State Patrol and National Guard didn’t testers—drove through the streets of their actually begin to retake ground until city terrorizing law-abiding citizens— around 3 a.m. Frey and Carter were silent,” he said. FRIDAY, MAY 29 One puzzling question raised by the Frey and Walz looked unprecedented devastation is why Walz, governor of Minnesota just showed what a 23-year veteran of the Minnesota Na- leadership in a crisis looks like.” With the and sounded like broken tional Guard, failed to decisively deploy state now in control, Friday would show men, baffled that their the national guard units, whose capa- Minnesotans exactly what that leadership bilities he was so familiar with, much meant. repeated statements sooner. Yet this isn’t the first time Walz Walz began his Friday morning press in support of the protests has faced controversy over deployment conference by validating anger towards had brought them no issues with the Minnesota Army National the police: “The very tools that we need Guard. When Command Sergeant Major to use to get control, to make sure that goodwill on the streets. Walz faced certain call-up for duty in buildings aren’t burned and the rule of Iraq with the 1-125th Field Artillery law collapses, are those very institutional Battalion in 2005, he retired to run for tools that have led to that grief and pain.” Rioters repeated the previous day’s Congress. Walz’s departure left his unit He then launched a stinging attack on pattern in south Minneapolis. They without its senior Non-Commissioned Frey’s “abject failure” in handling the cri- massed at the Third Precinct building, Officer at a critical time, according to sis. Major General Jon Jensen, adjutant and that evening torched nearby build- two other officers. “For Tim Walz to general of the Minnesota National Guard, ings on two sides. When they tore down abandon his fellow soldiers and quit explained that guardsmen under his com- fencing surrounding the facility, police when they needed experienced leadership mand had been mustered that evening responded with tear gas. “[A]t roughly most is disheartening,” retired Com- and were awaiting orders—which should 9:25 p.m.,” Frey explained later, “when mand Sergeant Majors Thomas Behrends have come from Frey—but no orders it became clear we needed to divert and Paul Herr wrote in a West Central came. Walz explained that he deferred to resources from the Third Precinct to help Tribune op-ed. local officials, stressing his fears that the provide a response to activity downtown, Friday got off to a chaotic start when sight of the Guard—soldiers with Hum- I made the decision [to abandon the troopers arrested CNN correspondent vees in combat fatigues—might further Third Precinct]. I notified the Chief, then Omar Jimenez and his crew live on air. inflame the situation. the Governor shortly after.” Police released Jimenez before 7 a.m., “That was the turning point,” Walz As Thursday turned into Friday, and Walz personally apologized to the said of the fall of the Third Precinct, worried Minnesotans were glued to network’s president. CNN reported: “The “where we were prepared, and that’s

22 SUMMER 2020 THINKING MINNESOTA Looking to Friday night, Walz adopted a Churchillian pose: “There will be no lack of leadership and there will be no lack of response on the table,” he promised. The Governor’s deeds did not match his bravado.

where we moved in, and we did not and on widespread pleas for forbear- mez tweeted that she and a fellow state believe the Third should be given up and ance and peace, rioters rampaged across representative had “spent 90 minutes that area was taken back.” He went on: Minneapolis for a fourth night Friday and trying to get a gas station fire put out. A “If this would have been executed cor- into early Saturday, creating unprec- basic city service. When I have time and rectly, the state would not lead on this.” edented havoc as they set towering fires, our community isn’t burning I will ex- Looking to Friday night, Walz adopted looted and vandalized businesses and plain the dizzying game of jurisdictional a Churchillian pose: “You won’t see that shot at police officers,” the Star Tribune hot potato we experienced.” Minneapolis tonight,” he promised. “There will be reported. City Council member Jeremiah Ellison no lack of leadership and there will be A crowd gathered outside the Fifth tweeted: “I did not want to defy curfew, no lack of response on the table.” When Precinct, chanting and throwing fire- but I also do not understand the plan and asked if he would consider imposing works at the building. Fires erupted no one can explain it to me.” And later: martial law, he said, “Certainly, all those across the city’s south side, including at a “Communication among officials is not tools are there.” That afternoon, Walz Japanese restaurant, a Wells Fargo bank, fluid, to say the least. I am trying to get declared an 8:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. curfew and an Office Depot. Many burned for answers re: national guard/MPD. MFD is for both Minneapolis and St. Paul that hours, with firefighters unable to reach over north successfully putting out fires.” would be in effect on Friday, May 29 and them because the areas weren’t secure. The government had collapsed in Min- Saturday, May 30. “This is a very difficult night for neapolis once again, this time under the The Governor’s deeds did not match everybody in Minnesota, everybody leadership of Governor Tim Walz. his bravado. Charges of third-degree in Minneapolis and St. Paul,” WCCO- Finally, just before midnight and murder and second-degree manslaughter TV reporter Pat Kessler said on the air. into early Saturday, hundreds of police brought against Chauvin that after- “We’ve watched these protests grow, and officers, state troopers, and National noon did nothing to calm the protests I think one of the big questions is why Guard troops, some in armored vehicles, and crowds assembled as they had on isn’t the city of Minneapolis and St. Paul fanned out into troubled areas, confront- previous days. When the 8 p.m. curfew stepping in, why isn’t the state stepping ed rioters with mass force, tear gas, and arrived, no one attempted to enforce in to stop this violence?” orders to disperse, issued via bullhorn. it. Rioters quickly repeated the pattern As the violence spiraled, the authori- Their efforts belatedly restored some or- of previous nights. “Heaping violent ties’ ability to coordinate a response col- der, but not before rioters exacted much contempt on an 8 p.m. curfew declaration lapsed. State Representative Aisha Go- more damage.

THINKING MINNESOTA SUMMER 2020 23 SPECIAL REPORT A FAILURE TO LEAD

At 1:30 a.m., Walz and Frey held an emergency press conference. Gone was the confidence of the morning. Frey and City and state leaders failed George Floyd by allowing the peaceful Walz—who had been lauded for his protests in his name to be hijacked and leadership by CNN just that morning— overwhelmed by looting and rioting. looked and sounded like broken men, baffled that their repeated statements in support of the protests had brought them no goodwill on the streets. They begged rioters to stop wrecking the cities. “You need to go home,” Walz pleaded. “If you have a friend or a family member that is out there right now, call them and tell them to come home,” Frey implored. “It is not safe. It is not right,” he added, leaving immediately after finishing his remarks and before any journalists could question him. Sounding a desperate note, Walz repeatedly said that the sheer size of the crowds and intensity of the violence had been so shocking that there was no way for authorities to anticipate or prepare for such an onslaught—this, after three ing at home understood the reality that neapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. But no clear nights of rioting. With the force on the their state government wasn’t going to plan of action detailed for how they will streets now three times what it was dur- protect them. Indeed, in armed groups in stop riots in the coming days, other than ing the 1960s race riots in Minneapolis, affected areas, many had already decided saying they are doing everything they Walz wailed: “There are simply more to defend themselves. can.” David Montgomery of MPR News of them than us.” In a far cry from the Minnesota’s media, usually a sympa- tweeted, “The thought that I can’t get bullishness of a few hours previously, thetic audience for its politicians, was past: this is the *fourth* night of protests “What you see tonight will replicate unimpressed. Ryan Faircloth of the Star in Minneapolis. Despite having a huge tomorrow unless we change something in Tribune tweeted: “Lots of wishful com- coordination edge over the decentralized what we’re doing.” Minnesotans watch- ments from Gov. Tim Walz and Min- crowds, and despite being able to learn from past nights, government forces have been repeatedly unable to get an edge.” John Phelan is an Economist at Center of the American MINNESOTA—FAILED STATE Experiment. He is a graduate of Birkbeck College, University Couldn’t or wouldn’t—this is the crucial of London, where he earned a BSc in Economics, and of the question. Were city and state authorities London School of Economics where he earned an MSc. John unable to protect Minnesotans from the has written for City A.M. in London and for The Wall Street destruction wrought by rioters? Is our Journal in both Europe and the U.S. He has also been published government truly that powerless? Or, in the journal Economic Affairs. instead, were they unwilling to apply the force necessary to protect the lives and property of the citizenry? Tom Steward is Center of the American Experiment’s Early Saturday morning, the Guard Government Accountability Reporter, where he focuses on announced it had just enacted the most government waste, spending, transparency and policy issues. massive domestic deployment in its He is a veteran broadcast journalist, documentary filmmaker 164-year history: More than 1,000 and communications strategist. His television and radio special additional citizen-soldiers and airmen reports and documentaries were broadcast on local, national and would now join the 700 that had been on international media outlets. duty the day before. That number was soon increased to a mobilization of 2,500 personnel by midday on Saturday. “The

24 SUMMER 2020 THINKING MINNESOTA governor just announced best estimate of what we the full mobilization of heard are about 20 percent the Minnesota National are Minnesotans, and 80 Guard for the first time percent are outside.” Frey since World War II,” said: “I want to be very, Jensen said. “What does very clear…The people that mean? It means we’re that are doing this are not all in.” Minneapolis residents. It had taken four nights They are coming in largely of unprecedented rioting from outside of this city, to force this decision on outside of the region.” St. the Governor. His action Paul Mayor Melvin Carter came too late to save the said: “Every single person destroyed homes and live- “This is a very difficult night for we arrested last night I’m lihoods for many in south Minneapolis or everybody in Minnesota, everybody told was from out of state.” St. Paul. Protests continued, but the night in Minneapolis and St. Paul,” WCCO- Arrest records showed that this was of Saturday/Sunday passed in relative TV reporter Pat Kessler said on the totally false. Of the 45 people arrested calm, demonstrating what Walz could air. “We’ve watched these protests for rioting, unlawful assembly, stolen have accomplished had he acted earlier. grow, and I think one of the big property, burglary, or robbery in Min- questions is why isn’t the city of “Once the violence began, any effort neapolis on May 29 and May 30, 84 Minneapolis and St. Paul stepping to ‘understand’ it should have stopped, in, why isn’t the state stepping in to percent (38 people) had Minnesota ad- since that understanding is inevitably ex- stop this violence?” dresses, according to publicly available culpatory,” wrote Heather Mac Donald, jail records. It was a similar story in St. a Manhattan Institute expert on policing Paul. Of the 18 people arrested between who’s familiar with the Minneapolis don’t protest or mourn a victim by steal- Thursday and Saturday morning, 67 per- Police Department. “The looters are ing oxycontin, electronics, jewelry, and cent (12 people) were from Minnesota. not grieving over the stomach-churning sneakers.” When Walz was confronted with these arrest and death of George Floyd; they Why didn’t Walz act sooner? Recall numbers on Sunday and asked about his are having the time of their lives. You his words in the Friday morning press claim that the vast majority of agita- conference: “The very tools that we need tors were from out of town, he said that to use to get control, to make sure that he wanted it to be true. buildings aren’t burned and the rule of The brutality and senselessness of Worried Minnesotans law collapses are those very institutional MPD Officer Derek Chauvin’s excessive were glued to continuous tools that have led to that grief and pain.” use of force caught on camera guaranteed live local television Recall, also, how on Thursday, he re- there would be a widespread, emotional spected a sentiment of some that the sight reaction that would drive thousands to the coverage of the mayhem. of the Guard—soldiers with Humvees in streets to exercise their legitimate First They watched as a mob combat fatigues—might further inflame Amendment right of free expression. Not of thieves and arsonists the situation, as if it could have been fur- that the protests that broke out the day ther inflamed. Quite simply, Walz didn’t after George Floyd’s death were inevita- now apparently governed want to act. bly going to turn violent. the streets of Minneapolis. Why not? Fundamentally, Walz, Frey, Yet once violence did erupt, the devas- and much of the rest of the city and state tating riots, looting and arson that gutted They were hard-pressed leadership agree with the protesters’ vast swaths of Minneapolis and destroyed to find any police or the aims. But they struggle to differentiate sections of St. Paul were all but inevi- fire department anywhere between the protesters exercising their table. Not because the level of danger First Amendment rights and the hardcore exceeded authorities’ capacity to main- on the scene, undoubtedly troublemakers looking for violence. tain law and order, but rather due to the forced to abide by An example of this struggle manifested indecisiveness, ineptitude, inexperience the Mayor’s dictate that itself on Saturday morning as Walz, Frey and ideology of the three highest-profile and Carter all sought to pin responsibil- elected officials in Minnesota state and they run away. ity for the mayhem on “white suprema- local government—Governor Tim Walz, cists” and “out-of-state instigators.” At a Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and St. press conference, Walz said: “I think our Paul Mayor Melvin Carter.

THINKING MINNESOTA SUMMER 2020 25 SPECIAL REPORT A FAILURE TO LEAD

‘ABJECT

FAILURE’— GOVERNOR TIM WALZ The morning after Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey forced his officers to turn and run as rioters torched the Third Precinct police headquarters, Governor Tim Walz Photos described the situation as an “abject failure” by Paula —even though he stood by and allowed it to occur. Primeau We thought we should use images to memorialize the steep price of disastrous leadership.

26 SUMMER 2020 THINKING MINNESOTA THINKING MINNESOTA SUMMER 2020 27 SPECIAL REPORT A FAILURE TO LEAD

When it was over, rioters had vandalized and/or looted around 1,500 buildings along a five-mile stretch of Lake Street in South Minneapolis and 3.5 miles along University Avenue in St. Paul’s Midway neighborhood. Some public estimates predict the cost of repairing the damage might exceed $500 million, making the Twin Cities riots the second costliest in American history, behind only the 1992 “Rodney King” riots in Los Angeles.

28 SUMMER 2020 THINKING MINNESOTA THINKING MINNESOTA SUMMER 2020 29 The THINKING MINNESOTA POLL SPECIAL REPORT A FAILURE TO LEAD

AFTERCALM THE STORM In the midst of the overheated political responses to the Twin Cities riots, Minnesotans steadily support their cops but overwhelmingly expect reform.

fter absorbing the shocking death of George Floyd in the protests after George Floyd’s death were largely justified, Apolice custody, five days of riots, and then the response and—in an exhibition of remarkable nonpartisanship—they of the Minneapolis City Council to defund the police, Minne- expect policymakers to reform policing. Dismantling the po- sotans in the new Thinking Minnesota Poll have stepped back lice department, however, is not a viable alternative, they say. and asserted a calm perspective over the whole situation. And, in a pointed message to the Minneapolis City Council, For the current Thinking Minnesota Poll, Meeting Street respondents say they will reduce their visits to Minneapolis Insights interviewed 500 registered Minnesota voters be- restaurants and sports-and-entertainment venues if the police tween June 15-17, via cell phones (40 percent) and landlines are defunded. (60 percent). The survey tested Minnesotans’ attitudes toward local law Minnesotans said they support law enforcement but thought enforcement. The results were overwhelming: 85 percent say

30 SUMMER 2020 THINKING MINNESOTA FIGURE 1: MINNESOTANS ARE LARGELY CONFIDENT THAT THE POLICE IN THEIR COMMUNITY ARE ACTING IN THE PUBLIC’S

INTEREST AND MAKE THEM FEEL MOSTLYTHINKING SAFE. MINNESOTA: JUNE 2020 POLL | 1 Minnesotans“Thinking about are largely the police confident in that the“And, police how in would their communityyou describe are your ownacting community, in the public’s how interest much and yourmake feelings them feel about mostly the safe. police in confidence, if any, do you have in the your community? Would you say “Thinking about the police in your own community, how “And, how would you describe your feelings about the policemuch confidence, in your if any, community do you have in the police to inact your in theypolice make in your community? you feel Would mostly you say they safe make youor thecommunity best to interestact in the best ofinterest the of the public?” public?” feelmostly mostly safe anxious?” or mostly anxious?”

85% 85% Confident

53%

32%

11% 12% 3% 2%

A Great Deal Of Confidence A Fair Amount Of Confidence Not Too Much Confidence No Confidence At All Mostly Safe Mostly Anxious Don't Know

FIGURE 2: LARGE MAJORITIES IN EVERY REGION OF THE STATE HAVE CONFIDENCE THINKING MINNESOTA: JUNE 2020 POLL | 2 IN THEIR POLICE AND SAY THE POLICE Large majorities in every region of the state have confidence in theirMAKE police and THEM say the policeFEEL make MOSTLY them feel SAFE. mostly safe. Confidence In Police To Act In Public’s Interest By Region % WhoConfidence Say They Feel Safe In Police To Act In Public’s Interest By Region 76% 85% 86% 92% 94% 97% 90% 90% 86% Eighty-five percent of 75% Minnesotans say the presence of 24% 14% 10% 10% police makes them feel safe. 3% +51 +72 +80 +80 +94 Hennepin/Ramsey Suburban Counties Northeast South West/Northwest CALM Total Confidence Total Not Confident they have confidence in the police in their community to act in the best interest of the public. Activists often say that the FIGURE 3: THERE IS STRONG OPPOSITION TO presence of police makes them feel unsafe, but if so, they are DEFUNDING AND DISBANDING THE POLICE. a very small minority. In keeping with the confidence Min- “As you may have seen, read, or “And, would you SUPPORTTHINKING MINNESOTA: JUNE 2020 POLL | 3 nesotans express in local law enforcement, 85 percent say the heard, a majority of members on the or OPPOSE a plan presence of police makes them feel safe, with only 12 percent MinneapolisThere is strong City Council s=opposition have cometo defunding and todisbanding defund and the police. out in support of a plan to defund disband your local saying police make them anxious. (Figure 1) “As you may have seen, read, or heard, a majority of members “And, would you SUPPORT or OPPOSE a plan to defund and andon the Minneapolisdisband City the Council Minneapolis have come out in support Police of a disbandcommunity your local community police police department ?” Department.plan to defund and Is disband that the a Minneapolisplan you Police would department?” The poll found little difference between Twin Cities metro Department. Is that a plan you would SUPPORT or OPPOSE?” SUPPORT or OPPOSE?” 76% residents and those who live in Greater Minnesota. Three quar- 68% ters of residents in Hennepin and Ramsey Counties expressed

confidence in their police departments. On this and other 67% 54% Strongly Strongly 27% 20%

14% 11% About the pollster Strongly 5% Strongly 3% Rob Autry, founder of Meeting Street Insights, is one of the -41 -56 nation’s leading pollsters and research strategists. Minneapolis Police Department Your Police Department Support Oppose Don't Know

THINKING MINNESOTA SUMMER 2020 31 FIGURE 4: A MAJORITY OF VOTERS IN EVERY REGION OF THE STATE OPPOSE DEFUNDING AND THINKING MINNESOTA: JUNE 2020 POLL | 4 DISBANDING THE POLICE DEPARTMENT IN A majority of voters every region of the state oppose defunding and disbandingMINNEAPOLIS the police department AND IN in THEIRMinneapolis COMMUNITY. and in their community. Defunding & Disbanding Defunding & DefundingThe Minneapolis & Disbanding The Disbanding Your Police Department PoliceDefunding Department & Disbanding Minneapolis Police Department Your Police Department

Support Oppose Support Oppose

Hennepin/Ramsey 41% 53% 32% 63%

Suburban Counties 24% 72% 18% 80%

Northeast 16% 78% 6% 90%

South 24% 69% 18% 77%

West/Northwest 14% 81% 11% 87% “Defund the police,” a rallying FIGURE 5: NEARLY THREE IN FOUR SAY THEY cry on the Left, finds little WOULD BE LESS LIKELY TO TRAVEL TO MINNEAPOLIS IF THE POLICE DEPARTMENT IS DISBANDED. support in Minnesota. “And, if the City of Minneapolis did away with their police department, how would that impact your likelihood to want to THINKING MINNESOTA: JUNE 2020 POLL | 5 travel to Minneapolis to eat out or attend an athletic event or otherNearly gathering? three-in-four Would say they that would make be less you likely more to travellikely to or Minneapolis less likely questions, the Twin Cities suburban counties look very much if theto policetravel department to Minneapolis?” is disbanded. “And, if the City of Minneapolis did away with their police department, how would that impact your likelihood to want to travel to Minneapolis like Greater Minnesota in their support for law enforcement. to eat out or attend(Asked an athletic eventonly or other among gathering? Wouldnon-Minneapolis that make you more likely or lessvoters.) likely to travel to Minneapolis?” (Asked Only Among Non-Minneapolis Voters) (Figure 2) 82% 77% “Defund the police,” a rallying cry on the Left, finds little 72% 71% 66% support in Minnesota. By 68 percent to 27 percent, Minnesotans oppose the defunding or disbanding of the Minneapolis Police Department. And when asked about defunding or disbanding 5 1 % 13% 13% 12% 12% 10% 9% 10% 11% their own police department, the results were even more over- 4% -60 -56 -68 -55 -78 whelmingly negative: Minnesotans are opposed by 76 percent to Overall Twin Cities Suburbs Northeast South West/Northwest 20 percent, with 67 percent strongly opposed. (Figure 3)

More Likely Less Likely No Difference Here again, Minnesotans do not divide by geography. There is no county in the state where anywhere near a majority wants to defund or disband the police, and the suburban counties FIGURE 6: MOST EXPECT REFORMS AND POLICY around the Twin Cities are nearly as firmly opposed as resi- THINKING MINNESOTA: JUNE 2020 POLL | 6 CHANGES TO OCCUR AS A RESULT OF FLOYD’S DEATH. dents of Greater Minnesota. In fact, there is no majority in any Most expect“How reforms likely and is it policy that we changes are going to occur to see as real a result police of reform Floyd’s and death. demographic, regardless of age, gender, party, or region, that is policy changes as a result of the death of George Floyd? “How likely is it that we are going to see real police reform and policy changes as a result of the death of George in support of defunding their local police department. (Figure Floyd? Do youDo think you it isthink very likely, it is somewhat very likely, likely, not somewhat that likely or not likely, likely at not all likely?” that 4) likely or not likely at all?” The Thinking Minnesota Poll should serve as a warning to 85% Minneapolis politicians who say they want to do away with the Likely 55% Minneapolis Police Department. It asked respondents whether such a move would make them more likely or less likely to come to Minneapolis to visit restaurants and bars, or to attend 29% sporting events, concerts or other gatherings. The results were stark: fully 72 percent say doing away with the Minneapolis 9% Police Department would make them less likely to visit the 5% city. Only 12 percent say that such a move would make them

Very Likely Somewhat Likely Not That Likely Not Likely At All Don’t Know/Refused more likely to come to Minneapolis. Again, that sentiment is

32 SUMMER 2020 THINKING MINNESOTA FIGURE 7: MOST MINNESOTA VOTERS BELIEVE THE PROTESTS WERE JUSTIFIED, WHILE MOST DON’T BELIEVE THE BURNING AND LOOTING WERE. Most Minnesota voters believe the protests were justified, “Do you think the protests and “Do you think the burning and while most don’t believe the burning and looting were. demonstrations in Minneapolis looting of buildings and businesses were fully justified, partially justified in Minneapolis were fully justified, “Do you think the protests and demonstrations in Minneapolis Do you think the burning and looting of buildings were fully justified,or not partially at all justified justified?” or not at all justified?” and businessespartiallyin Minneapolis justified were fully justified, partially justified or not at all justified? or not at all justified?” 77% Justified 78%

51% 21% Justified

26% 21% 17%

4% 2% 1%

Protests & Demonstrations Burning & Looting

Fully Justified Partially Justified Not At All Justified Don't Know

FIGURE 8: MOST MINNESOTANS, INCLUDING THOSE IN AND AROUND THE TWIN CITIES, WERE NOT CONCERNED ABOUT THEIR OWN PERSONAL SAFETY DURING THE DEMONSTRATIONS. Most“How Minnesotans, worried were including you aboutthose in your and around own personal the Twin Cities,safety were during not theconcerned riots, protests, about their and own demonstrations? personal safety during Were the you demonstrations. very worried, virtually uniform across the state. (Figure 5) “How worried were you about your own personal safety during the riots, protests, and demonstrations? Were you very somewhat worried,worried, somewhat not worried, that not worried that worried or notor at not all worried?” at all worried?” Some politicians on the left say that they want to disband the 86% 85% 78% Minneapolis Police Department, and in some cases other de- 73% 68% partments as well, on the ground that racism is “systemic” and 66% therefore reform is impossible. This defeatism flies in the face 34% 32% of the civic-minded optimism that generally has characterized 26% 19% 12% 14% Minnesota’s history. Not surprisingly, it is overwhelmingly 6% Very 2% Worried 1% 0% 0% 1% 1% rejected by the respondents in our survey. -47 -32 -36 -74 -71 -59 Overall Hennepin/ Suburban Northeast South West/Northwest In fact, Minnesotans are highly optimistic about the direction Ramsey Counties in which policing will move in the future. A remarkable 85 per- Total Worried Total Not Worried Don't Know cent say it is likely that “real police reform and policy chang- es” will occur as the result of the death of George Floyd while in police custody. It is noteworthy that there is no significant FIGURE 9: BY A TWO-TO-ONE MARGIN, difference based on party affiliation: 87 percent of Democrats VOTERS STATEWIDE THINK THE NATIONAL and 84 percent of Republicans are optimistic about the chances GUARD SHOULD HAVE BEEN DEPLOYED for reform. (Figure 6) SOONER AND IN GREATER NUMBERS. The news media often blur the difference between protests “After the third straight night of protests, the Governor of and demonstrations on one hand, and riots, looting and arson MinnesotaBy a two-to- onedeployed margin, the voters National statewide Guard think tothe the National streets Guard of Minneapolis.should Dohave you been think deployed the Nationalsooner and Guard in greater should numbers. have been on the other. But Minnesotans are subject to no such confusion. “After the deployedthird straight night ofsooner protests, the andGovernor in of Minnesotagreater deployed numbers?” the National Guard to the streets of Minneapolis. Do you think the National Guard should have been deployed sooner and in greater They understand the difference between demonstrating and numbers?” looting, and their attitudes toward these activities are entirely 91% different. 65% 66% Minnesotans strongly support the right to protest and dem- 55% onstrate; in fact, 77 percent say these activities were justified 42% 32% as the result of George Floyd’s death. But attitudes toward 28% riots are precisely the opposite. Fully 78 percent say that the 7% 3% 2% 4% 4% “burning and looting of buildings and businesses in Minneapo- +33 +84 +38 -13 lis” were unjustified, while only 4 percent say the burning and Overall Republicans Independents Democrats Yes No Don't Know

THINKING MINNESOTA SUMMER 2020 33 looting were fully justified, with 17 percent considering such activities partially justified. (Figure 7) Once again, this issue FIGURE 10: VOTERS ARE SPLIT BETWEEN HAVING does not deeply split Minnesotans. A majority in every demo- THE STATE PAY PART OF THE DAMAGES graphic regardless of age, gender, party, or region believes the OR NOT PAY FOR ANYTHING AT ALL. riots were not justified. “More than 500 shops and restaurants in Minneapolis and St. Paul have Voters are split between having the state pay part of the damages While rioters destroyed substantial areas of Minneapolis and reported damage whenor not protests paying turned for anything violent at over all. the death of George Floyd. Experts estimate the costs of the damage could exceed 500 million “More than 500 shops and restaurants in Minneapolis and St. Paul have reported damage when protests turned St. Paul, most Minnesotans, including most in Hennepin and violent over thedollars. death of George Should Floyd. the Experts state estimate of Minnesota the costs of the use damage taxpayer could exceed dollars...” 500 million dollars. Should the state of Minnesota use taxpayer dollars...” Ramsey Counties, did not feel personally endangered. Overall, Hennepin/ Suburban West/ Northeast South Ramsey Counties Northwest 73 percent of Minnesotans say they did not feel threatened. But

To Pay For Part Of The Damages, With The Rest Covered By perhaps the more telling finding is that more than 30 percent of 39% 52% 40% 25% 38% 26% The City, The Federal Government, And Private Donors respondents in Hennepin, Ramsey, and the surrounding Twin To Loan The Twin Cities The Money To Pay For The 8% 8% 8% 13% 8% 2% Damages Cities suburban counties did worry about their own personal

To Pay For All Of The Damages To The Twin Cities 5% 6% 8% 0% 7% 4% safety. (Figure 8) Elsewhere in this issue of Thinking Minnesota, John Phelan To Not Use Minnesota Taxpayer Dollars At All 39% 25% 35% 48% 40% 65% and Tom Steward detail the response of the responsible au- Don’t Know 7% 8% 7% 12% 5% 3% thorities—including Mayor Jacob Frey and Governor Tim FIGURE 11: MINNESOTANS ARE MOSTLY DISGUSTED, Walz—to the riots, A majority in every ANGRY OR SAD ABOUT THE PULLING DOWN looting and arson Minnesotans are mostlyOF THE disgusted, CHRISTOPHER angry COLUMBUS or sad about STATUE. the pulling downin Minneapolis and demographic “And,of as the you Christopher may have seen, Columbus a group of protestersstatue. and rioters St. Paul. One issue pulled down a statue of Christopher Columbus outside the with that reaction believes the riots “And, as you may haveMinneapolis seen, a group State of protestors Capitol and without rioters pulledany legaldown aconsequence. statue of Christopher was that the National Columbus outside the MinneapolisKnowing State Capitol this, without does any that legal make consequence. you feel…” Knowing this, does that were not justified. make you feel…” Guard was not called Disgusted 34% out until several Angry 20% nights of rioting had Sad 20% already taken place, and even then, in insufficient numbers. Hopeful 13% By a two-to-one margin, Minnesotans agree with that critique. Satisfied 10% Sixty-five percent say that “the National Guard should have Happy 6% been deployed sooner and in greater numbers,” while only 32 Anxious 6% percent disagree. (Figure 9) Relieved 4% With the damage caused by looters and arsonists estimated Safe 3% at $500 million or more, the question whether state funds Fearful 3% should be used to pay for the damage inevitably arises. This None Of These 5% proposal is unpopular with most voters. Overall, 39 percent Something Else 5% don’t want any state dollars used to repair damages caused by rioters, while only 5 percent want the state to pick up the whole tab. The farther one gets from the urban cores of Minneapolis FIGURE 12: REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATSTHINKING MINNESOTA: JUNE 2020 POLLand | 1 St. Paul, the less support for using state funds. (Figure 10) FIGURE 12: REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS REACTED DIFFERENTLY TO THE REACTED DIFFERENTLY TO THE DESTRUCTION OF Vandals tore down the statue of Christopher Columbus on DESTRUCTION OF THE CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS STATUE. THE CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS STATUE. the grounds of Minnesota’s Capitol, apparently with the bless-

Republicans Democrats ing of state authorities. This action was deeply unpopular with Disgusted 56% Hopeful 29% Minnesotans. Seventy-four percent say it inspired negative Angry 37% Satisfied 19% feelings in them: disgust (34 percent), anger (20 percent) and Sad 27% Disgusted 16% Anxious 7% Sad 13% sadness (20 percent). Only a small minority report positive Fearful 7% Happy 11% feelings about the lawless destruction of the Columbus statue. Safe 5% Angry 8% (Figure 11) This is perhaps another issue on which some of Happy 1% Relieved 8% Minnesota’s politicians are out of step with the views of the Hopeful 0% Anxious 6% Satisfied 0% Safe 3% state’s voters. However, it is also true that Republicans and Relieved 0% Fearful 0% Democrats reacted dramatically differently to the destruction None Of These 3% None Of These 6% Something Else 1% Something Else 8% of the Columbus statue. (Figure 12)

34 SUMMER 2020 THINKING MINNESOTA MORNING IN MINNESOTA

SERIES American Experiment’s 2020 Breakfast Series

to attend

St. Cloud Marshall Duluth Owatonna Mankato Fergus Falls Rochester

For more information contact our Greater Minnesota Outreach Director AMERICAN Micah Olson. 612-801-4214 EXPERIMENT [email protected]

Visit AmericanExperiment.org for all event details. SPECIAL REPORT A FAILURE TO LEAD FALSE ALARM Using a preposterously flawed scientific model, Gov. Tim Walz waged a campaign of fear to shut down Minnesota’s economy.

BY SCOTT W. JOHNSON AND KEVIN ROCHE

36 SUMMER 2020 THINKING MINNESOTA fter Minnesota Governor significant phenomena occurring across Tim Walz first declared a the country concerning the epidemic. Apeacetime emergency on March 13 and Combining our interests in politics, pub- signed his sweeping state shutdown order lic policy, media, and the health care in- on March 25, we both started paying dustry, we seek to do the same here, with Governor Walz close attention to developments related a longer look back. We hope to clarify a announced his sweeping to the COVID-19 epidemic in Minnesota. few of the big-picture conclusions that executive order on As we followed the news daily on Power have emerged from the data and yet March 25, four days after Line (powerlineblog.com, where Scott remain obscured in the public relations Minnesota recorded its regularly contributes) and on Healthy of the responsible public officers and the first death attributed to Skeptic (healthy-skeptic.com, where mostly-sycophantic press coverage of the virus. Walz chose to Kevin writes), we hoped that our focus their efforts. set forth an apocalyptic vision of doom. on Minnesota might help illustrate more Before looking back, we would like to highlight 10 conclusions.

(1) It became apparent early on that the epidemic presented a risk of fatality to elderly nursing-home residents with serious medical conditions. They represent some 80 percent of all Minnesota COVID-19 fatalities and have done so since the start of the epidemic. Yet Walz’s administration sent recovering coro- navirus patients from hospitals to nursing homes, which exacerbated an already bad situation.

(2) Others who died with seri- ous medical conditions outside long-term care facilities account for almost all the rest of the fatalities. Those with serious underlying medi- The Minnesota Model cal conditions—both in and out of congregate living settings—account touted by Walz quickly for roughly 98 percent of all deaths proved to be a farcical attributed to the disease. By our calculation, these conditions affect embarrassment. There approximately 15 percent of Min- is no conceivable set of nesotans. circumstances in which (3) The median age of all decedents the projection of 74,000 is approximately 83. The disease deaths was reasonable, and presents almost no risk of death to that should have been clear the relatively young and the relatively healthy. As we write, only two per- when Walz asserted it. sons under the age of 30 and 10 under the age of 40 have died of the disease in Minnesota.

THINKING MINNESOTA SUMMER 2020 37 SPECIAL REPORT A FAILURE TO LEAD

(4) If those with serious medical condi- (9) The Governor’s shutdown led to ing,” Walz asserted, “upwards of 74,000 tions were warned of the risk and the loss of 800,000 jobs in Minne- Minnesotans could be killed by this.” encouraged to act appropriately, the sota, seriously damaged our health And Walz emphasized that all age groups rest of the state could be set free to go care system and harmed the health of are at risk: “Here in Minnesota, our cases about its business. many of our residents. With no basis range from six months to 94 years.” in science or data, children have been We’ve all heard about “flattening the (5) Walz has rejected this option, assert- held out of school and activities. Mi- curve.” It’s become a cliché. According ing that the disease places everyone at norities and low-income persons have to Walz, however, it was already too late significant risk. This statement is false, been especially hard-hit, with frustra- to flatten the curve in Minnesota. The based on the data from Minnesota and tion resulting from the shutdown best we could do was “move the infec- across the country, and based on the contributing to the rioting and looting tion rate out, slow it down, and buy time” risk relative to many other causes of following George Floyd’s death. to build up the availability of intensive death. care units and hospital capacity. Ac- (10) The print and broadcast media cording to Walz, only 235 intensive care (6) Most Minnesotans who contract the in Minnesota have failed in their units were available in the state. “Buy- virus are asymptomatic or have mild essential obligation to challenge gov- ing time” became a recurring theme of illness. Testing of the exposed popula- ernment assertions on behalf of the the shutdown. Walz said he needed two tion at the Worthington meatpack- public and to ensure the presentation weeks. (As we write this article in late ing plant showed that 90 percent of of accurate and complete data. June, let it be noted, we are still “buying employees who tested positive were time,” and we will be paying for it for a asymptomatic. Walz jumps in long time to come.) Governor Walz announced his sweeping “So the attempt here is to strike a (7) Although it gets lost in the torrent of executive order on March 25, four days proper balance of making sure our words in his public comments, Walz after Minnesota recorded its first death economy can function, we protect the has asserted that the measures he has attributed to the virus. While the future most vulnerable, (and) we slow the rate taken only delay the inevitable. Ac- course of the epidemic was uncertain, (of infection) to buy us time to build our cording to former state epidemiologist it was already apparent that the greatest capacity to deal with this,” Walz said. Michael Osterholm, whom Walz has risk was among the elderly. But Walz advertised among his brain trust, the chose to set forth an apocalyptic vision Buying time virus will infect some 60-70 percent of doom. Walz’s speech implied that we needed to of Minnesotans. The virus will contin- “To battle COVID,” he vowed, “we’re “buy time” to ward off the huge human ue to spread until a critical mass—that going to make sure that we reduce the toll he depicted. The Minnesota Model 60-70 percent—reaches immunity. said so. Reading Walz’s speech closely, Epidemiologists debate what level of one might reasonably have wondered infection is needed to achieve popula- what “buying time” would buy us, tion immunity, but whatever the level, Later versions of the whether the time we were paying for we have only delayed the inevitable, model have continued to was a good deal, or whether it would at great cost. buy us anything good at all. Holding out ignore clinical realities and the prospect of 74,000 deaths without (8) Walz imposed his statewide shut- to project unreasonably the “significant mitigation” imposed by down on the assumption that 74,000 high deaths. the terms of his executive order, Walz Minnesotans would die of COVID-19 left us hanging. How many lives would without it. He based this assertion on a be saved by buying time? Walz didn’t “Minnesota Model” that was allegedly say exactly or explain how he arrived at customized to fit Minnesota data. He impact, especially deaths of our neigh- a given number. The infection rate might should have regarded the model—at bors.” Walz touted his reliance on “the be slowed, but that meant only that the best, an extreme outlier in its predic- best data possible” as projected by a progress of the disease would be spread tions—as highly suspect and discarded tailor-made model produced by experts out over time. Walz’s own charts showed it as a ground for any serious action. at the University of Minnesota and the no practical effect. Most of us would be Despite having been revised twice, the Minnesota Department of Health. “We’re exposed to the virus. How many lives model continues to be grossly inac- using the best scientific data,” Walz were to be saved by slowing it down? curate in its projections. Estimates pro- assured Minnesotans, and then issued a Walz didn’t say. duced by any version of the model are warning based on the model. “If we just The Minnesota Model touted by Walz not even close to the actual numbers. let this thing run its course and did noth- quickly proved to be a farcical embar-

38 SUMMER 2020 THINKING MINNESOTA that the health care resources to treat all potential cases of serious illness would prove inadequate. There were worries in particular about shortages of personal protective equipment, ICU beds, and ventilators. Walz predicated his March 25 shutdown order on an anticipated lack of hospital capacity and ICU avail- ability. Yet even at the time of the shut- down order it was apparent that there was enormous flexibility in making ICU beds and ventilators available for patients who needed them (as in hard-hit New York City). We saw this in Minnesota as well, as After the absurdity of the Minnesota Model projections became somehow between the initial and second glaringly apparent, Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm offered this explanation: versions of the Minnesota Model, the “(The model numbers) are not about specific point-in-time estimates. state’s estimated ICU capacity grew by They are about directional changes.” over 10 times. There is nothing magi- rassment. As we write, the authorities have not matched those estimated by the have attributed nearly 1,400 deaths model at any point. to COVID-19 in Minnesota. We will After the absurdity of the model There is nothing magical undoubtedly exceed this number by the projections became glaringly apparent, about an “ICU” bed; time this article reaches print. There Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm is nevertheless no conceivable set of offered this explanation: “(The model a patient with severe circumstances in which the projection numbers) are not about specific point-in- illness can have his of 74,000 deaths was reasonable, and time estimates. They are about direc- that should have been clear when Walz tional changes.” No one has explained needs met in any asserted it. how a number (e.g., 74,000 deaths) can number of hospital The following week it was reported be anything other than a number. wards without regard by Jeremy Olson in the Star Tribune that Walz has never acknowledged that he with “significant mitigation,” the model may have placed undue reliance on the to its designation as projected 50,000 deaths. “Buying time” Minnesota Model to shut down the state an ICU ward. over two weeks or longer was projected following his speech. With hindsight, it to save 24,000 lives by freeing up in- is undeniable that reliance on the model tensive care units and hospital capacity. was misplaced. Walz, however, has never Walz somehow omitted this refinement, been called to account for this shortcom- cal about an “ICU” bed; a patient with perhaps in the interest of plausibility. ing by the media. On the contrary, the severe illness can have his needs met in The model, it turns out, was the prod- Star Tribune, for example, supported any number of hospital wards without uct of a weekend’s work of back-of-the- the Walz administration’s after-the-fact regard to its designation as an ICU envelope calculations by young research explanation that the data produced by the ward. And ventilator need was substan- assistants working for the University Minnesota Model were not to be taken tially overestimated due to changes in of Minnesota School of Public Health. literally, but rather taken figuratively to care guidelines resulting from ventilator The School of Public Health posted an point the way. use actually worsening the condition of April 6 profile of the assistants crowing If the Minnesota Model pointed the many patients. about their work: “I don’t think a lot of way, however, it pointed in the wrong It is highly unlikely that Minnesota researchers get to work on something direction. ever was or ever will be in any real dan- over the weekend and have public figures ger of insufficient treatment resources. talk about it and make decisions based on The hospital The third and most recent iteration of the it three days later.” Later versions of the capacity rationale model adds yet another mystery to the model have continued to ignore clinical One concern expressed by experts in the mix, as it has 70 percent of elderly pa- realities and to project unreasonably high early stages of the epidemic—and sup- tients dying at home, thus never needing deaths. The number of cases and deaths posedly validated by the model—was hospitalization (apparently based on the

THINKING MINNESOTA SUMMER 2020 39 SPECIAL REPORT A FAILURE TO LEAD

Minnesota data). Given the heavy skew- weeks, hospitals were suffering mas- ing of serious illness toward the elderly, sive losses, laying off or furlough- how would anyone therefore expect that ing employees, and closing wings. hospitals might be overwhelmed? Something didn’t compute. Hospitals went begging for patients, To take just one prominent and the asserted 235 available ICU example: On April 10, the Mayo rooms quickly morphed into more than Clinic announced a series 2,000—yet the shutdown continued for of cost-cutting measures to months. We won’t try to work out the address a projected $3 billion math underlying the alleged 24,000 lives loss in 2020, half of it due to Since the issuance of the saved by the shutdown through the free- the effects of the shutdown. “battle plan,” long-term care ing up of hospital capacity because it was Mayo announced furloughs facility deaths have continued to never more than a nightmarish fantasy. and pay cuts affecting a third of its workforce, some 20,000 represent 80 percent or more of all At what price? employees. The shutdown deaths, week after week after week. Public policy is the realm of costs and inflicted enormous damage benefits of government actions. Tradeoffs to hospitals and health care This is an obvious failure that rests are the name of the game. Yet recently systems across the state. largely with the Governor. disclosed documents show that Walz In addition, Walz has yet issued his drastic shutdown order before to acknowledge the health he had received any assessment of its problems that his shutdown economic consequences. The Depart- created. These problems derive been eviscerated. ment of Employment and Economic from canceled appointments, missed vac- Walz asserted that consumers wouldn’t Development delivered its initial report cinations for children, increased mental return to business-as-usual as long as on economic impacts to Walz on April 3. health issues, increased drug and alcohol they feared contracting COVID-19, Unlike the COVID model, this projec- addiction, and other recognized conse- yet he used his daily press briefings to tion was eerily accurate. DEED said that quences of unemployment. stoke their fears. He seems to have been Walz’s shutdown could cost 805,656 The economic damage done by the waging a campaign of fear to support the Minnesotans their jobs, almost exactly shutdown announced in Walz’s March merits of his shutdown orders. Consum- equal to the current total of new jobless 25 order is shocking. Around 800,000 ers are indeed fearful. Their fear should claims. Yet this sobering forecast appar- Minnesotans have filed unemployment be assuaged with accurate information, ently had no impact, as Walz repeatedly claims. They represent the job losses and and they should be trusted to manage extended his shutdown order. small-business closures that have yet to their behavior appropriately when armed One perverse cost of the shutdown be fully accounted for. Consumer spend- with the facts. quickly became obvious. Within two ing, the true engine of the economy, has The nursing home crisis The crisis located in the nursing homes and congregate care settings was evident On April 10, the Mayo Clinic announced it would offset a projected $3 billion loss in 2020—half from the early days of the epidemic in of it due to the effects of the shutdown—with Minnesota. Beginning at about two- furloughs and pay cuts affecting a third of its thirds, the share of all such deaths workforce, some 20,000 employees. attributed to the disease rose steadily to 80 percent by mid-April. On April 27, before the media took notice of the is- sue, we asked Commissioner Malcolm: “Referring to the 286 total deaths to date, (we note that) every decedent under age 70 has died in long-term care or a similar setting. The youngest person to die outside long-term care was in his 70s. Why is it necessary to close the schools and shut down the state to protect the at- risk population?” Malcolm responded through Depart-

40 SUMMER 2020 THINKING MINNESOTA long-term care had come to dominate deaths, including fewer deaths among the fatality data in Minnesota, Chris long-term care residents, while conduct- Serres reported in the Star Tribune that ing the same number of tests. Wisconsin the Minnesota Department of Health demonstrates the lack of necessity for had evacuated COVID-19 patients from extreme shutdowns, and the ability to hospitals to nursing homes early in the trust citizens to make their own decisions epidemic. “Minnesota hospitals have on their risk and how to protect them- since discharged dozens of infected pa- selves. Walz suggested that the science of tients to nursing homes, including facili- the epidemic was somehow different in ties that have undergone large and deadly Wisconsin and has refused to relinquish outbreaks of the disease, state records his dictatorial emergency powers and show.” While the Walz administration show trust in Minnesotans. has somehow escaped criticism in the But it isn’t just Wisconsin—Minnesota local media, Minnesota’s nursing home has performed poorly in comparison crisis has become a national disgrace. with all five Upper Midwestern states. The Walz administration has managed to What is to be done? achieve both the highest rate of jobless Neither Walz nor Commissioner Mal- claims and the highest COVID-19 death colm responded to our request for an rate of any Upper Midwestern state. interview in connection with this article. Early on in the course of the epidemic Three months after Walz began issu- and more so with each passing week, it ment of Health press officer Doug ing shutdown orders, it seems clear that became apparent that there is little risk of Schultz: “We have had deaths in people they went much too far, failed to protect serious illness or death to the vast major- younger than 70 and certainly many ity of Minnesotans from COVID-19. By cases in all age groups. It is necessary to contrast, there is a significant risk to the take the community mitigation measures infirm elderly and others with serious we have because all Minnesotans are at Within two weeks of the medical conditions. The protection of risk from COVID-19, as none of us has shutdown, hospitals were those living in congregate care settings immunity. Some people, like those in should not be difficult. long-term care and those with underly- suffering massive losses, We agree with Walz in one respect. ing health conditions, are far more at laying off or furloughing The best course is one that has certainty risk than others. But if we didn’t reduce in ending the epidemic, which is letting transmission in the community as we employees, and closing the virus burn itself out by infection of a have with the stay-at-home order, we wings. Something critical mass of the population, while pro- would see far more disease circulating didn’t compute. tecting the high-risk population. As Walz and many times more serious cases that acknowledged at the outset, this is a con- would quickly overwhelm our health cession to the inevitable. The course he care system....” has chosen only protracts the process and When the issue of nursing home fatali- Minnesota’s most vulnerable citizens, did aggravates the adverse consequences. ties became impossible to ignore, the Walz vast and needless damage to the state’s The spread of the virus leads to asymp- administration promulgated a “5-point economy, and were at all times unsup- tomatic or mild illness in over 95 percent battle plan” to address it. Acknowledg- ported by the data. It is not apparent that of the population. Achieving population ing the focus of the crisis in long-term Walz has sought advice beyond a small immunity will reduce transmission and care facilities, Commissioner Malcolm circle of supposed experts or his own protect all remaining uninfected persons, announced the “battle plan” on May 7. partisan colleagues. The lack of a critical including the vulnerable elderly. That She summarized the plan in 15 Power- press has served him especially poorly in is the course on which we should have Point slides. One can only wonder why this respect. embarked and can still elect. It gets us to it came so late. And since the issuance of Minnesotans often feel a keen rivalry safety in a reasonable time, with far less the “battle plan,” long-term care facility with Wisconsin, a state with similar pop- economic devastation, adverse health deaths have continued to represent around ulation size, composition and density. On effects, and other harms. And we need to 80 percent of all deaths, week after week May 13, that state voided its shutdown reopen our economy as quickly as pos- after week. This is an obvious failure that order. There was no uptick in cases or sible if we will have any reasonable hope rests largely with the Governor. deaths. In fact, throughout the epidemic, of reversing the considerable damage that On May 19, well after deaths in Wisconsin has had fewer cases and has already been done.

THINKING MINNESOTA SUMMER 2020 41 CAMPUS ‘RELIGION’ MACALESTER, THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS How Macalester College indoctrinates its students into a militant new secular faith.

his new religion lacks one thing: It has no God. letin boards, extra-curricular activities, student clubs, course TPuritan theology divided human beings into two groups: descriptions—all reflect a cardboard cut-out world of hackneyed, Saved and Damned, saints and sinners, sheep and goats. The ideologically charged platitudes. Tolerance, though often invoked, “Elect” were redeemed through a predestined grace. Macales- seems in strikingly short supply. ter’s secular religion also divides human beings into two groups: We’ve come to expect this sort of thing at American institu- oppressors and victims. Its “Saved” are the sinless victims tions of higher education, of course. But after decades, it remains of white supremacy and the patriarchal power structure. Its puzzling why the most privileged generation in American history “Damned” are oppressors—first and foremost straight, white should be so cramped and one-dimensional in its thinking, and males—along with members of other groups who victimize those so hostile to the priceless heritage its forebears have bequeathed. below them in the “intersectional” hierarchy of power. Macalester provides a fascinating perspective on the answer to this Macalester College in St. Paul, with its classic Georgian build- question. Though its students may fancy themselves free-thinkers, ings and leafy quad, is one of the nation’s elite liberal arts colleges. most appear in thrall to a new lockstep orthodoxy that, while gen- The total cost of a Macalester education is more than $70,000 a erally traced to the 1960s, has links to movements in America’s year, according to U.S. News & World Report. The college prom- past that would likely appall and astonish them. ises students an education that will expand their horizons, cultivate The ideology that undergirds life at Macalester is grounded in “intellectual breadth and depth” and “logical thinking,” and ensure a simplistic, but fervently held, article of faith: Life is a power tolerance for “many perspectives.” struggle between oppressors and their victims. A hierarchy—a But a stroll through the campus, and a ladder of “intersectionality” based on scroll through the course catalog, reveal group identity (the familiar trinity of a starkly different reality. Flyers on bul- By Katherine Kersten race, class and gender)—explains all

42 SUMMER 2020 THINKING MINNESOTA Authentic examples of inequality and unfair treatment are in egregiously short supply MACALESTER, at Macalester. The result is an often-amusing spectacle: an Alice-in-Wonderland world of “implicit biases” and “micro-aggressions,” where students conjure up and inflate oppression as they scramble to position themselves at the bottom of the hierarchy-of- power heap.

THINKING MINNESOTA SUMMER 2020 43 social relations and outcomes. the beginning of a broader At the top are powerful, institutional effort” to “make straight white males. At the amends for [Macalester’s] bottom are oppressed trans role in the historic and “people of color.” continuous displacement of In this binary universe, indigenous people.” The col- students who want to align lege’s president and trustees with the angels go through a overwhelmingly approved the kind of conversion that “wakes name change, without serious them up” to the injustice debate. and inequality that allegedly One month later, Macal- pervade society. They become ester’s creed was on display “woke”—and so, driven to again, as The College Fix denounce and resist it. interviewed students before Recent events at Macales- Thanksgiving about whether ter reveal this new creed in The College Fix interviewed Americans should celebrate action. In October 2019, for example, the students before Thanksgiving the holiday. In a video entitled “No Macalester Weekly newspaper devoted about whether Americans Thanks at Thanksgiving,” many students should celebrate the holiday. In an entire issue to exposing the social a video entitled “No Thanks at said no, citing what one called the “really evil from which all others are presumed Thanksgiving,” many students awful oppression of indigenous peoples.” to flow: “the white supremacy endemic said no, citing what one called Another rejected Thanksgiving as “capi- to Macalester and Minnesota’s past and the “really awful oppression of talist bullsh*t.” indigenous peoples.” Another present.” rejected Thanksgiving as It’s difficult to exaggerate the power- The issue, titled “Colonial Macalester,” “capitalist bullsh*t.” ful allure of victim status at Macalester. impugned the white male benefactors— Much of campus life seems to revolve “the men Macalester immortalized”— around the quest to secure and exhibit it. whose efforts and fortunes helped make U.S. Presidents, he was Minnesota’s first The process is marked by extensive moral the college the elite institution it is today. superintendent of public education, the preening. Victimhood confers power, They included DeWitt Wallace, the first chancellor of the University of Min- the cloak of moral righteousness, and an founder of Reader’s Digest, business- nesota, and a founder of the Minnesota automatic right to special treatment. But man Franklin Olin and lumber magnate Historical Society. there is a way out for students (and fac- Frederick Weyerhaeuser. All, it seems, fell But the Mac Weekly contemptuously ulty) whose Y chromosome or skin color far short of contemporary Macalester stu- brushed aside Neill’s remarkable ac- doesn’t qualify them for victim status—in dents’ lofty moral standards: Wallace was complishments. He was, it declared, a particular, straight white males. They can “fiercely anti-communist,” Olin manufac- “white supremacist,” a “misogynist” who still display their “woke” credentials by tured ammunition, and Weyerhaeuser’s opposed co-education, and a “settler- denouncing “oppressors” like Neill and family supported compulsory attendance colonialist who advocated the genocide of becoming “allies” to women, “people of at weekly chapel services. the Dakota” Indians and built Macalester color” and sexual minorities. But the man truly in the crosshairs was on land stolen from them. His crimes Yet here’s the irony. Today, authentic Macalester’s first president: the Rev. Ed- demonstrated that Macalester College was examples of inequality and unfair treat- ward Duffield Neill. Neill, a Presbyterian morally corrupt from the outset. ment are in egregiously short supply at minister who founded the college in 1874, The paper intoned the charge against Macalester. The result is an often-amusing was one of early St. Paul’s most eminent Neill: “His sins are legion, and they are spectacle: an Alice-in-Wonderland and public-spirited citizens. Not only an unforgivable.” Stripping his name from world of “implicit biases” and “micro- outspoken abolitionist who served three the humanities building, it said, “must be aggressions,” where students conjure up

Katherine Kersten, a writer and attorney, is a Senior Policy Fellow at Center of the American Experiment. She was a founding director of the Center and served as its chair from 1996 to 1998. Katherine has written on cultural and policy issues for a variety of publications, including The Wall Street Journal, The Weekly Standard, Christianity Today, Policy Review, and First Things. For two years, she served as a regular commentator for National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered.” She earned a B.A. from Notre Dame, an M.A. from Yale, and a J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School.

44 SUMMER 2020 THINKING MINNESOTA and inflate oppression as they scramble to Not surprisingly, during the 2019-20 position themselves at the bottom of the school year, the most powerful student at hierarchy-of-power heap. Macalester was student body president Take the “Naming Hate” campaign of Blair Cha, a “woman of color.” In her February 2020, organized after “racist campaign, Cha traded on her alleged graffiti” appeared on campus. The Mac underdog status, telling the Mac Weekly Weekly described it as “a three-day series she was driven to run by her “passion” of lectures, panels and workshops on the to “empower students” by “speaking up nature of hate and how to respond to man- about her experiences” as someone with a ifestations of hate on and off campus.” “marginalized” identity. She trounced her Here’s what passed for guilt-inducing white male opponent with 60 percent of “hate”: four of the college’s seven aca- the vote. demic buildings and six of its eight dorms After her victory, Cha made a play The Rev. Edward Duffield Neill, are named after white men, and only two to upgrade her victim status. At a fac- the Presbyterian minister who of these buildings after white women. ulty meeting in March 2020, she stood founded Macalester in 1874, “We don’t look up to the figures that up—surrounded by sign-waving female was one of early St. Paul’s most eminent and public-spirited are important in Macalester [history] as students—and accused one of her profes- citizens. Not only an outspoken anyone but white men, and that’s a big sors of discrimination on the basis of abolitionist who served three deal,” one of the event’s organizers com- “gender, race, ethnicity and national origin U.S. Presidents, he was Min- plained. It is “a way to keep people out of in the classroom.” During the nine-month nesota’s first superintendent of public education, the first spaces…by making them uncomfortable Title IX investigation that had followed chancellor of the University of her original accusation in Spring 2019, she Minnesota, and a founder of the said, “I struggled every day with extreme Minnesota Historical Society. But anxiety to the point where I could not the Mac Weekly contemptuously brushed aside Neill’s remarkable stand the pain.” accomplishments. He was, it The professor, who had already been declared, a “white supremacist,” officially exonerated, responded that Cha a “misogynist” who opposed had breached a confidentiality agreement co-education, and a “settler- colonialist who advocated the by discussing the matter publicly. He char- genocide of the Dakota” Indians acterized her conduct as “totally beyond and built Macalester on land the pale.” stolen from them. Cha’s inability to highlight real injustice during her run for office reveals how slim the pickings really are at Macalester. In an we have free tampons, but why don’t we interview with the Mac Weekly, here’s the have free menstrual cups, too?” Eide said Frederick Weyerhaeuser best she could do: “On the whole campus, in a Mac Weekly interview in November it still feels uncomfortable to talk about 2019. She decided to use menstrual cups intersectional topics such as menstrua- from OrganiCup, a “sustainability focused and by saying, ‘Our priority is to honor tion, being queer, being a POC, etc., at company,” noting “they had a lot less this bad person.’… It’s essentially saying, Macalester.” As a result, she said, she had waste in their packaging.” She dubbed the ‘We don’t want you here.’” “Macalester,” become a leader in initiatives like “Better project “SustainaCup.” the organizers charged, “must drastically Sex at Mac” (Title IX, “sexual violence”) “OrganiCups are reusable, vegan and change its priorities,” as the Mac Weekly and “the Menstrual Hygiene Project” (free cruelty-free, and they are made complete- put it. menstrual supplies as a human right). ly out of hypo-allergenic, medical-grade The claim that women and POCs Incidentally, “menstrual health”— or silicone,” according to the Mac Weekly. (people of color) are unwelcome at Macal- “menstrual equity”—is now one of the (You can’t make this up.) “Health and ester is, of course, absurd. The college’s hottest social justice issues on American inclusivity are also very important parts student body is 60 percent women, and campuses. Its appeal may arise from its of the program,” the paper noted, adding in 2019-20, four of the student govern- combination of two intersecting “woke” that according to Eide, “a lot of people ment executive board’s five members causes: feminism and Green activism. struggle with the chemicals in tampons.” were “women of color.” “Diversity, equity At Macalester, student Miriam Eide, a By the way, the word “woman” does and inclusion” permeate every aspect of “Zero Waste Project Coordinator” in the not appear in the Mac Weekly article about college life. But where zealotry rules, facts college’s Sustainability Office, was a lead- SustainaCup. These menstrual products, it are of no importance. er in the menstrual equity project. “I know seems, are not for women, but for “people

THINKING MINNESOTA SUMMER 2020 45 that have periods.” Presumably, it’s impor- sual Culture: Critical Prison Studies,” and Macalester abolished compulsory cha- tant not to exclude “trans women.” “Latinx in the Midwest.” pel decades ago. But today, it’s back—in Where do Macalester students get But the same blinkered ideology ap- a perverse and twisted form—in class- the preposterous ideas just described? pears to dominate mainstream disciplines rooms, public events, publications and They come from the top. President Brian such as history. student activities. Presumably, Macalester Rosenberg, who recently retired, appeared In the History department, the survey students, most of whom seem to know fully on-board. The college’s trustees courses necessary to understand history’s little of history and religion, don’t realize have named Dr. Suzanne Rivera as his fundamental events are lacking, or are they are being indoctrinated into what successor. Rivera will be the school’s “first haphazard and skewed. In general, course- amounts to a militant new secular faith. female President and first Latinx presi- work is organized around the holy trinity This faith is enshrined in the college’s dent,” according to a press release. Rivera curriculum and controls terms of discourse told the Mac Weekly she was “drawn to and frames of reference. It has its own Macalester” by its “deep commitments to dogma, rituals, saints and heretics. Intoler- social justice,” and highlighted her “pas- ance is its very essence. Its adherents are sion around the importance of equity and convinced they possess a Higher Truth inclusion.” and are zealously committed to imposing Most of Macalester’s faculty—at least their vision of virtue on others. This new in humanities and social science depart- religion lacks one thing: It has no God. ments—appear to be prodigiously “woke” But “the left has grown comfortable in themselves, to judge by the course catalog. practicing theology without benefit of That’s no surprise in “oppression stud- God,” according to Lance Morrow of the ies” departments, such as Women’s, Gen- Washington, D.C.-based Ethics and Public der, and Sexuality Studies (WGS), whose Policy Center. mission is to advance an activist, not an Macalester students would probably academic, agenda. The jargon that satu- indignantly reject a comparison of their rates these departments is mind-numbing. Tolerance, though new faith with that of our nation’s earliest In WGS, topics examined include “key often invoked, seems in religious zealots: the Puritans. Yet the questions raised within feminist and queer parallels are striking, as a number of think- theories and the fields of women’s, trans- strikingly short supply. ers have noted. “Puritanism in its negative gender, bisexual, lesbian, and gay studies.” sense is now less common among the Students “examine interlocking systems Protestant faithful than among Progres- of cultural and political difference based of race, class and gender. The “array of sives, who carry on the Puritan tradition on gender, sexuality, race, nation, class, fields” featured on the homepage are unconsciously,” wrote English journalist ethnicity, and ability.” Courses bear titles “the history of the Environment; Gender; A.N. Wilson. Commentator John Zmirak like “Comparative Feminisms: Whiteness Colonization and Empire; Law and Social put it succinctly: “Woke is the new saved.” and Postcolonialisms” and “Constructions Justice; Race and Indigeneity; and Public A core tenet of Puritan theology is “in- of a Female Killer.” History.” nate depravity”—the doctrine that human Macalester’s “Courses in the City” in- Course listings include offerings with beings are inherently wicked as a result clude “Energy Justice,” which “builds on” names like “Sex, Love and Gender in of original sin. Innate depravity has been the concept of “climate justice,” focusing History”; “History of U.S. Feminisms, “reborn in the 21st century and adapted to on “visible and invisible infrastructures” Gender and Sexuality in Colonial America the Left’s insistence on the innate deprav- including pipelines, Yucca Mountain and the Early Republic”; “Narrating Black ity of the ruling class: the wickedness nuclear storage and “issues around the Women’s Resistance”; “U.S. Environmen- of the patriarchy, of white privilege and fracking (sic).” tal History”; “Captives, Cannibals, and supremacy and of the nation’s entire past,” The American Studies department’s Capitalists in the Early Modern Atlantic according to Morrow. Recall the Mac home page features a photo of an artwork World” and “U.S. Imperialism from the Weekly’s words in consigning Edward entitled, “The [American] Flag is Bleed- Philippines to Viet Nam.” Duffield Neill to perdition: “His sins were ing.” The department describes race as legion, and they were unforgivable.” “the central dimension of U.S. social, What’s really going Puritan theology divided human beings cultural, political, and economic life,” and on at Macalester into two groups: Saved and Damned, proclaims that “we put the knowledge and Yet at the deepest level, something more saints and sinners, sheep and goats. experiences of marginalized people at the profound is amiss at Macalester, and its The “Elect” were redeemed through a center of our curriculum.” Courses include historical roots go back much farther than predestined grace. Macalester’s secular “Bruce Lee: His Life and Legacy,” “Vi- the 1960s. religion also divides human beings into

46 SUMMER 2020 THINKING MINNESOTA two groups: oppressors practice of what Morrow has and victims. Its “Saved” called making “a sacrament of are the sinless victims national self-accusation.” of white supremacy and The end-game is clear: If the patriarchal power “the entire American project structure. Its “Damned” was depraved from the begin- are oppressors—first ning—Columbus was a louse, and foremost straight, the Constitution countenanced white males—along with slavery, and Washington and members of other groups Jefferson owned slaves—then who victimize those below the whole thing may be, with- them in the “intersection- out qualms, damned absolute- al” hierarchy of power. ly and dismantled at will,” in Puritans believed those Morrow’s words. At Macalester, who profess false doctrine Students go through a by pronouncing anathema on the pose a danger to the larger community. kind of conversion that college’s founder and benefactors, stu- They often shunned, punished or drove dents declare their intent to wipe out the out dissenters who might mislead the “wakes them up” to the institution’s tainted heritage and construct Saved, for whom avoiding the occasion injustice and inequality their own utopian City on a Hill. of sin was imperative. Today, “‘bigot’ and that allegedly pervade Macalester’s new secular religion offers ‘hater’ are the new ‘wizard’ and ‘witch,’” “some of the same psychic rewards” that a as commentator Mary Eberstadt has society. They become “real religion would do,” to use Zmirak’s observed. Salem, Massachusetts had its “woke”—and so, driven phrase. For fervent adherents like Blair witch trials. Macalester has its “Colonial Cha, the rewards are many. As a certified Macalester” campaign, intended to brand to denounce and resist it. victim, she receives the “blessed assur- white male benefactors like Wallace ance” that she belongs to the Elect. She and Olin with Hester Prynne’s red “A” also receives gratifying confirmation that of shame, and to erase Edward Duff- beyond.” A Mac Weekly writer made the “she should feel virtuous for wallowing in ield Neill’s polluting presence from the same point: “[E]veryone, even those who anger and resentment,” as Zmirak puts it. campus. may think they don’t, must conduct some The new faith also offers a path to Yet in the new secular Puritan creed, level of self-inventory to root out internal power. For students like Cha, it provides a sinners can in fact join the Righteous. To microaggressions and attitudes (emphasis head start in the contest for campus influ- be saved, “you need first to confess, i.e., in original).” ence. For faculty, it offers the opportu- ‘check your privilege,’ and subsequently Other rituals are designed to atone nity—and the budget—to promote their live your life…in a way that keeps this for the college’s institutional sins. For own activist agenda in place of serious sin at bay,” writes Zmirak. “The price is example, the “Colonial Macalester” academics. And of course, it underwrites steep: a life of self-denial and penance,” campaign included a “land acknowledge- a phalanx of diversity coordinators, he notes. But those who choose to walk ment,” and called for renaming Neill Hall equity specialists and gender and sexuality this path “can attain justification.” Not by as part of “a broader institutional effort” counselors. “your own efforts,” he adds, to “make amends for [the college’s] role Macalester’s new, secular faith has but by the righteousness that suffering, in the historic and continuous displace- all the vices and none of the virtues of innocent victims (non-straights, non- ment of indigenous people.” The History historic Puritanism. Unrestrained by whites, non-males) can impute to you. department, too, contritely acknowledged Christian belief, “It replaces worship with As an ‘ally’ of the less privileged, you “the role that academic history has played protest. Spirituality with unhinged histri- earn the same right to despise the mass and continues to play in silence, oppres- onics. Examination of conscience with the of oppressors. sion, and cultural genocide,” and promised scapegoating of others conveniently dead At Macalester, confession and penance to “restore and honor” native cultures or out of power,” as Zmirak observes. are every-day occurrences. At the “Nam- going forward. Prospective students and parents ing Hate” event, for example, students The “Colonial Macalester” campaign is considering Macalester may recognize were instructed to acknowledge their guilt Macalester’s homegrown version of The they will be signing up for a heavy dose and reject future sin, i.e., “to write and New York Times’ notorious “1619 Proj- of Leftist ideology. They would likely be sign their own, individualized pledges ect,” which asserts that “nearly everything surprised to learn, however, that entering to continue educating themselves and that made America exceptional grew out freshmen may well graduate as Puritan- actively tackling hate in Macalester and of slavery.” Both exemplify the Left’s influenced “true believers.”

THINKING MINNESOTA SUMMER 2020 47 FAMILY MATTERS

By Martha Njolomole A CRISIS IN CHILDCARE The high cost of childcare in Minnesota—caused chiefly by government regulation—strains families and our economy, especially in Greater Minnesota.

hen Sarah Piepenburg and home a $244 paycheck after paying start up a business. They again struggled her husband had their first childcare expenses, which did not seem mixing full-time care for kids with man- Wchild, they tried their best to worth it. Things did not get better for her aging a business. Moreover, one of their juggle childcare and work. She delayed and her husband when they decided to best workers quit after they were offered work up until her child was phased out of start a small business, something that had a position with childcare benefits at some infant care, which is the most expensive been a long-time dream of theirs. Sarah other corporation. stage for childcare. However, when she quit her job and the couple used the Sarah Piepenburg’s story is just one did start working, she was merely taking $16,000 they would use for childcare to example that showcases the critical

48 SUMMER 2020 THINKING MINNESOTA childcare crisis affecting numerous working parents around Minnesota Total Childcare Capacity by License Type and around the country. Parents are forced to choose between staying 250,000 home to take care of their child or going 200,000 to work. This choice does not bode well 48% 50% 53% 56% for parents who cannot access childcare 150,000 58% either due to high cost or shortage, as research continues to show. In 2016, two 100,000 million parents of children age five and younger had to quit their jobs, not take a 50,000 52% 50% 47% 44% 42% job, or change their job due to childcare 0 issues. Things are worse for parents who FY2014 FY2015 FY2016 FY2017 FY2018 live in childcare deserts (i.e., regions with low childcare access). More mothers in FAMILY CHILD CARE CHILD CARE CENTER these regions end up staying home com- Source: Department of Human Services pared to mothers in non-desert areas. From high costs to critical shortage, Washington, D.C. where infant care is optimal time to have a baby with regard parents cannot catch a break when it more expensive than college. Minneso- to available childcare. This is due to the comes to childcare. But they are not the tans pay more for childcare than the aver- severe shortage of childcare services in only one’s suffering. Companies also age cost of rent. It is more than the entire Minnesota. There aren’t enough licensed have trouble attracting and retaining income of poverty-level parents. care spots for all children in need of care, Minnesota currently ranks as the 4th especially in Greater Minnesota. In 2017, most expensive state for infant care, Minnesota had 346,825 children age behind only California, Massachusetts birth to four years, but childcare capac- Minnesota is one of and Washington, D.C. According to the ity was only 227,792—a shortage of the 33 states and D.C. Economic Policy Institute, parents in 119,033. The number of children needing Minnesota pay about $16,087 per year childcare is expected to stay steady the where infant care or $1,342 per month to keep an infant in next 50 years. is more expensive childcare. The annual cost for a four- Between 2014 and 2018, overall than college. year-old is $12,252, or $1,021 per month. childcare capacity decreased 0.7 percent. The cost of infant care consumes about While the share and number of licensed 21.2 percent of the median Minnesota childcare centers has been growing, family income. But according to the family-based childcare centers have been working parents if they are situated in U.S. Department of Health and Human decreasing, leading to an overall capac- areas where childcare is expensive or Services guidelines, childcare is only af- ity decrease. The increase in childcare in short supply. They also face reduced fordable if it does not exceed 7 percent of centers has not been enough to offset the productivity when they have to deal with a family’s income. By looking at income, loss in capacity caused by loss of family worried parents or have workers who only 5.8 percent of Minnesota families childcare centers (FCCs). As shown in constantly miss work because they can- spend 7 percent or less of their income the figure above, family childcare provid- not find childcare. According to the ad- on childcare. The rest spend multiple ers comprised 42 percent of total capacity vocacy group Child Care Aware, during times higher, especially for infant care, in 2018 as compared to 52 percent of a six-month working period, 45 percent which is the most expensive. A child- total capacity in 2014. Overall, this rep- of working parents missed work at least care worker, for instance, would have to resents a loss in capacity of 1,671 slots in once due to issues with childcare. Ad- spend two-thirds of their earnings to put the whole industry. ditionally, despite the high costs of child- their own child through infant care. care, providers scarcely make profits and Childcare workers childcare workers remain among some The childcare shortage Childcare workers are among the lowest of the lowest paid workers in the country. Stories abound about parents who have paid professionals in Minnesota and na- These are issues plaguing everyone in the to commute 30 minutes or more to find tionwide. More than 85 percent of child- country, but Minnesota has it worse. childcare services or how they have to care workers are considered low-wage get waitlisted at day care centers before workers. The Center for the Study of Costs in Minnesota they can be offered a spot. Some parents Childcare Employment estimates that the Minnesota is one of the 33 states and even go as far as asking providers for the average salary of a Minnesota childcare

THINKING MINNESOTA SUMMER 2020 49 worker is $10.81 per hour or $24,556 per year. This low wage deters would-be Count of Licensed Childcare Centers, workers from entering the profession and Fiscal Years 2014-2018 therefore makes it hard for providers to 1,800 find and keep qualified workers. Because providers have to compete with higher 1,750 paying jobs that require no experience, they lose workers to these other jobs. 1,700 It is also important that childcare 1,650 workers possess qualifications and train- ing. But their wages do not align with 1,600 the amount of training the state requires before they can start caring for children. 1,550 FY2014 FY2015 FY2016 FY2017 FY2018 Early learning programs, for instance, need significantly more staff than other Source: Department of Human Services settings, and those staff require more professional development and ongoing businesses, are reaching retirement age. temporarily closed but might face dif- training. Wages for early childhood edu- People may be choosing other fields ficulties opening back up, and those still cators have also remained stagnant, even that have more flexible schedules and operating are also facing difficulties try- though more child workers have attained fewerCount hours. Lowof wagesLicensed compared to Family ing toChildcare stay afloat. This isProviders, not such an ex- college degrees now than ever before. other professions discourageFiscal people Years traordinary2014-2018 occurrence; it is economically It is not surprising to hear of qualified from1,800 opening FCCs. These are, however, impossible for any business to stay open candidates unwilling to take low-paying factors that can rarely be controlled. for a long time if it is facing increased teacher jobs in childcare. What1,800 the state government can control costs while bringing in less revenue. The is regulation. Unfortunately, FCCs are same is true for childcare providers, but Greater Minnesota having1,750 trouble navigating the expand- they already operate on razor thin profit The increase in Minnesota’s licensed ing—as well as changing—regulatory margins, so they are more fragile. childcare centers has been concentrated environment.1,700 in the Twin Cities, which has left Greater Do subsidies help? 1,650 Minnesota lacking. Between 2000 and COVID-19 Governments often turn to subsidies to 2015, only the metro region experienced Governor1,600 Tim Walz’s stay-at-home order help low-income families pay for child- an increase in childcare capacity of 2 encouraged childcare providers to stay care. Subsidies, however, come with percent. To understand the issue, licensed open1,550 and provide care to the children of their own issues and also fail to resolve childcare centers are expensive to es- essential workers.FY2014 But since theyFY2015 have FY2016other underlyingFY2017 challengesFY2018 that face tablish and operate; they require higher been open, providers have had to spend childcare. For example, subsidies do not tuition and higher enrollment. Parents in more money on labor to make sure there help low-income families who are not rural areas cannot afford the high tuition was adequate staff to do all the extra part of the market (i.e., people whose often required to keep a center running. cleaning and keep sizes small. This was kids are cared for by family members or The small populations in rural areas can in addition to paying their regular over- who stay off work to take care of them). also be inadequate to supply the needs of head expenses. At the same time, provid- Subsidies also tend to increase the maintaining a center. Greater Minnesota ers have seen a huge drop in revenue as cost of providing care, which is in turn is therefore more suitable for FCCs. enrollment rates have gone down. The disadvantageous to families not eligible Unfortunately, several factors have effect is that some providers closed their for financial assistance. This is because caused FCCs to leave the market at business for good because they could not subsidies give providers no incentive to alarming rates. Baby Boomers, includ- keep up with the costs of operating while be productive or compete for business. ing those who own family childcare bringing in less revenue. Others have Subsidies furthermore tend to come with increased regulations, as the government tries ways of quality control or account- Martha Njolomole is an Economist at Center of the American ability for money spent. This results in Experiment. She earned a Master of Arts in economics at Troy providers being driven out of the market University in Alabama, where she worked as a research assistant on due to the added compliance costs. several projects that advanced the ideas of economic freedom and individual liberty. Martha’s upbringing in Malawi helped develop Regulation is a big her passion for research on the social and economic advancement of cause of the crisis economically disadvantaged people. Regulations are a necessary part of childcare—they are there to ensure safety

50 SUMMER 2020 THINKING MINNESOTA Count of Licensed Childcare Centers, Fiscal Years 2014-2018 1,800

1,750

1,700

1,650

1,600

1,550 FY2014 FY2015 FY2016 FY2017 FY2018

ploma is required to have 4,160 hours as Count of Licensed Family Childcare Providers, an assistant teacher. It takes 2,080 hours Fiscal Years 2014-2018 of being an aide or student intern to be an 1,800 assistant teacher.

1,800 4. Inconsistent regulatory landscape 1,750 The Minnesota Department of Health 1,700 and Human Services has delegated licensing power and enforcement to 1,650 county licensors. However, differ- ent county licensors can have varying 1,600 interpretations of state law and therefore contribute to an inconsistent regulatory 1,550 FY2014 FY2015 FY2016 FY2017 FY2018 landscape. This makes it harder for pro- viders to operate, especially if these laws Source: Department of Human Services are strictly enforced. and quality. But restrictive regulation means centers can have larger groups 5. Increased and contributes to shortage as well as high for kids age anywhere beyond nine changing requirements prices. People are afraid to open in-house to 12 months, which is not possible In 2013, the federal government reen- facilities, some are forced out due to too in Minnesota. And because teachers acted the Childcare Block and Develop- much regulation, and even employers are expensive to hire as they require ment Grant (CBDG) that helps low-in- who would like to set up childcare facili- advanced qualifications, providers who come families pay for childcare. As part ties on their premises are discouraged by have to hire more teachers face high of the program, states had to enact some costs of business, which leads to high changes to their regulatory landscape to cost of tuition for parents. improve safety and quality of services. Minnesotans pay more In 2014, training requirements for pro- 2. Strict enforcement viders doubled from eight to 16 hours for childcare than the Childcare providers can also face strict per year. As training costs doubled, so average cost of rent. regulation from county licensors. For did the costs of hiring substitutes who example, the Star Tribune reported that are few and far between and are also It is more than the providers have been cited for issues as required to have training. Addition- entire income of small as a water heater being one degree ally, training courses are hard to find in poverty-level parents. higher than the maximum required tem- Greater Minnesota. Subsequent changes perature and for having “prickly grass.” have been made the following years, These standards are often reinforced and they have included requiring every- by the idea that they lead to quality one directly employed by a center to get the sheer number of regulations that they services, which is not necessarily true. a background study even if not directly have to follow. Here are some of the is- Parents have their own mechanisms for involved in giving care. sues with Minnesota’s regulations of the monitoring and rewarding quality, either childcare industry that possibly contrib- through ratings or a willingness to pay Conclusion ute to the crisis. more for highly rated providers. All that Access to childcare is fundamental for strict enforcement does is make it harder the proper functioning of the economy. 1. Staffing ratios for providers to operate. Lack of access to childcare not only Every state mandates staffing ratios affects parents and businesses, it also that are legally enforced. They are there 3. Strict hiring requirements affects the whole economy. If people to ensure children get quality service. Minnesota requires stringent qualifica- cannot work or have to cut short their These ratios differ from state to state. tions for providers, which prevents peo- hours of work, they lose earnings and The state of Minnesota, for instance, ple from entering the childcare industry, businesses lose productivity. This trans- mandates that centers have one teacher especially after considering the low pay. lates to loss of GDP in the economy as for every four infants (six weeks to 16 To be a teacher in Minnesota, someone well as loss of tax revenue for local, months). Some states, however, allow with a bachelor’s degree in any field from state and federal governments. It is higher ratios for infants, and they tend an accredited college is required to have imperative that this crisis be addressed, to cut off infants as anyone between 1,040 hours of experience as an assistant especially to ensure smooth recovery of birth to around nine to 12 months. This teacher. Someone with a high school di- the economy.

THINKING MINNESOTA SUMMER 2020 51 HISTORY Abolitionism in MINNESOTA The 1850s produced a string of flashpoints that pushed slavery to the forefront of politics even in Minnesota; and its journey to statehood

t 5 a.m. on the morning of Saturday, June would be intertwined A22, 1861, 1,000 men of the 1st Minnesota Volunteer Infan - with the issue. try Regiment boarded the steamers Northern Belle and War Eagle, lying at the wharf of Fort Snelling. The troops were headed for Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, but their journey would take them on to places that would soon become famous: By Manassas, Antietam, Fredericksburg, and Gettysburg. Many of them remain buried there to this day. John Why did these Minnesotans travel to the other side of the country to take up arms against men who, just a few months Phelan earlier, had been their compatriots? The answer is slavery, and the implacable opposition to it of most Minnesotans. undermined, requiring new ones The contradiction of slavery to reestablish balance. Politics in the The Declaration of Independence, signed on July 4, 1776, fledgling United States was increasingly declared, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men dominated by the intermittent search for new are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with compromises and the increasing difficulty of reaching them. certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Yet, as that was being written, Slavery and politics in Minnesota 700,000 people were enslaved in North America. The Constitu- The lands that would become Minnesota had long-standing tion, drafted in 1787 to help “secure the Blessings of Liberty,” legal protections against slavery. The Northwest Ordinance of required escaped slaves to be returned from one state to their 1787 forbade slavery in the Northwest Territory, which included masters; it counted a slave as three-fifths of a person for ap- Minnesota east of the Mississippi River. Westward expansion portioning representation in the House of Representatives; and it necessitated fresh political compromise in 1820. Missouri, permitted the slave trade to continue for 20 years. part of the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, joined the union as Such glaring contradictions between rhetoric and reality were a slave state, balanced by Maine, a free state. This “Missouri the product of political compromise between northern states, Compromise” also barred slavery from the northern portion of where the abolitionist cause was gaining ground, and south- the Louisiana Purchase, which included southern and eastern ern states, whose economies depended on slave labor. But, as Minnesota. When Congress created the Minnesota Territory in the young country grew, these compromises were constantly 1849, it declared that its citizens would enjoy the same rights

52 SUMMER 2020 THINKING MINNESOTA and privileges as citizens of Wisconsin, which had entered the union The 1st Minnesota Volunteer Infantry became one of the a free state in 1848. most celebrated regiments As 1850 dawned, it seemed likely that Minnesota politics in the in the Union Army. Their new decade would be dominated by the territory’s push for state- motivation? Their hood. When Wisconsin became a state, its western border was fixed implacable opposition to slavery. at the Mississippi and St. Croix Rivers, leaving several thousand settlers to the west in limbo. In August 1848, they sent Henry Hast- ings Sibley—then “the most eminent and influential person in the region”—to Washington, D.C. to plead for a territorial government; the House voted to seat him as a representative from the Territory of Wisconsin. President Zachary Taylor recog- nized Minnesota Territory in March 1849 and named Alexander Ramsey governor. In June, Colonel James M. Goodhue wrote in the Pioneer—the Minnesota Territory’s first newspaper—“that there should be no parties in its politics, as the people had no vote in national matters and had no power to command anything, while on the con- trary they had everything to ask of Congress.” Indeed, Ramsey—a Whig—worked well with Sibley, a self-described “Democrat of the Jeffersonian school.” Most of the 6,077 Minnesotans recorded by the 1850 Census would have described their politics in Sibley’s terms. Such “Jeffersonian Democrats” dominated Minnesota politics in 1850. Nationally, the party increasingly focused on defending slavery, but this issue was distant from Minnesota. In 1850, only 39 blacks lived here. Fugitive slaves were rare. But there were rumbles. When Congress voted to seat Sibley, some who did so were opposed to slavery or its expansion and anticipated a new free state. Among them was Illinois Representative Abraham Lincoln. It was also said that, while in the House, Ramsey had written the “proviso” bar- ring slavery from land acquired in the Mexican War. Still, there was little partisanship and Minnesota’s Democrats maintained their self-image as the party of Jefferson, safeguarding a republic of rural, landowning citizens. They would not be able to do so for long. The road to war The creation of the Minnesota Territory was part of westward expansion that periodically upended established compromises and demanded new ones. The year 1848 brought victory over Mexico in the Mexican-American War and vast new western lands under U.S. control. Would these be slave states or free states? The 1850s produced a string of flashpoints that pushed slavery to the forefront of politics even in Minnesota, and its journey to statehood would be intertwined with the issue. Both nationally and locally, the possibility of reaching new compromises dwindled then died. The Fugitive Slave Act The first flashpoint came in 1850. California applied to join the union as a free state in 1849 and the slave states feared that their power would be diluted and slavery undermined. Even- tually, California was admitted, but the compromise

THINKING MINNESOTA SUMMER 2020 53 necessary included the passage of the The Kansas-Nebraska Act was a 172,023—an increase of 2,731 percent Fugitive Slave Act. This Act increased wakeup call to Minnesota’s Democrats, in 10 years. Most of these immigrants the power of slave holders to apprehend destroying their Jeffersonian fantasy and were Yankees bringing their twin politi- escaped slaves in free states or territories; exposing the Democratic Party as the cal obsessions of abolition and prohibi- gave federal marshals broad powers to party of slavery. tion, such as Nichols and Ames, or the arrest runaway slaves; allowed for the The Act’s passage showed the inef- remarkable Jane Gray Swisshelm of St. jailing and imprisonment of anyone in- fectiveness of the Whig Party as an Cloud. These and the urban financiers terfering with a marshal; and authorized anti-slavery vehicle, and abolitionists and industrialists who began to build commissioners to deputize citizens as moved to build a new party. On July Minneapolis were the core of the Repub- slave catchers with fines and imprison- 4th, “friends of freedom” met in St. lican Party. ment for those who refused. The slave Anthony led by John W. North and states showed little regard for the rights Charles Gordon Ames to establish one. The Dred Scott Case of free states. Instead, they appointed a committee to The final flashpoint was the Supreme arrange another meeting. Two days later, Court’s notorious decision in the Dred The Kansas-Nebraska Act a similar meeting in Jackson, Michigan Scott case in 1857. Scott was a slave Further expansion required a new founded the Republican Party. A platform whose “owner,” a military surgeon, had compromise in 1854—and the next brought him, his wife, and children to flashpoint. The territories of Kansas and live at Fort Snelling. Fort Snelling was Nebraska were carved out of the Loui- part of the Wisconsin Territory at the siana Purchase, but would they be slave Slavery is a big part time, where slavery was prohibited by or free soil? The Kansas-Nebraska Act of American history. the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, so attempted to answer the question using Scott argued that he was a free man. In “popular sovereignty,” in which each ter- But so are the March, Chief Justice Roger B. Taney’s ritory would decide by referendum. And, efforts to end it. court decided 7-2 against Scott, ruling to allow room for popular sovereignty to that African Americans had no rights that work, it effectively repealed the Missouri warranted “respect”; that slaves were Compromise’s prohibition of slavery. property, not “persons” entitled to legal This directly implicated Minnesota. was adopted at a meeting in St. An- protection; and that it was unconstitu- The Act “shocked the anti-slavery thony called by Ramsey and William R. tional to bar or limit slavery, even outside sentiment of the North and made a deep Marshall in March 1855, which labeled of the South. impression in Minnesota,” wrote one the Kansas-Nebraska Act a “violation of contemporary observer. “A gigantic fraud the plighted fate of the South,” called the Statehood and slavery has been perpetrated,” the St. Paul Daily Fugitive Slave Act unconstitutional, pro- In February 1857, as another step Times thundered in May. “A solemn claimed “the supremacy of Freedom and towards statehood and despite opposi- compact has been violated. Weep, angel free institutions over our whole country,” tion from southerners fearing another of liberty, weep. Call out the people. Let offered “free land in limited quantities for free state, Congress passed an enabling the alarm bell be rung.” In a speech on actual settlers,” and demanded “enact- act allowing Minnesota to draft a state July 4th, Henry M. Nichols, a prominent ment and enforcement of a Prohibitory constitution. On June 1st, voters were to abolitionist, said: “This day we have Liquor Law.” The Republican party in elect a convention to meet on July 13th occasion to rejoice with trembling, fair Minnesota was born. to draft it. freedom has received a wound. And on The Republicans and Democrats The election took place against the this very hour, in many places in our would compete in a rapidly chang- backdrop of the Dred Scott decision and land, the people are holding a funeral ing Minnesota; indeed, the Republican escalating violence between pro- and service, and tolling the bells as they go to party was a product of that change. The anti-slavery forces in Kansas. In most the burial.” 1860 Census recorded a population of states the constitutional convention was a non-partisan affair, but in Minnesota it was inextricably linked with slavery, the issue to the fore with candidates running John Phelan is an Economist at Center of the American on party lines. Republicans sought to Experiment. He is a graduate of Birkbeck College, University block slavery’s expansion and secure of London, where he earned a BSc in Economics, and of the votes for Minnesota’s blacks, Demo- London School of Economics where he earned an MSc. John crats fought to block both. The St. Paul has written for City A.M. in London and for The Wall Street Pioneer and Democrat described the Journal in both Europe and the U.S. He has also been published fundamental issue facing the conven- in the journal Economic Affairs. tion as “White Supremacy Against Negro Equality.” Democrats warned that

54 SUMMER 2020 THINKING MINNESOTA Republican control would mean “scenes German born, and German speakers permitting slaveholders to bring their of violence and bloodshed, as they have were brought in to address crowds. One slaves with them and hold them to in Kansas.” The results were 59 Republi- speaker, Carl Schurz, wrote: “There was service within Minnesota’s borders for cans and 55 Democrats elected. no end of handshaking and of assurances five-month periods, but Republicans Upon meeting, the convention split that now they would vote Republican.” defeated these. along party lines. After the first day, each Helped by the promise of free land, The Winston case heightened tensions held its own convention and drafted its Ramsey won handily and his coattails during the election. Democrats blamed own constitution. A joint committee of were long—the state legislature went Republicans for her “abduction,” and five Republicans and five Democrats Republican, two Republican Represen- Republicans branded Democrats “ad- produced a compromise, with the Demo- tatives were elected, and a Republican vocates of violence and the enemies of crats conceding Minnesota as a “free” was appointed to the Senate. Writing at freedom and liberty,” according to one state, and the Republicans conceding on the turn of the century, a Republican, historian. Ignatius Donnelly, Republi- votes for blacks. A referendum ratified Charles D. Gilfillan, remembered: “The can candidate for lieutenant governor, the constitution in October, the second Republican party was thus entrenched foresaw a day when “no human being section of the first Article reading: in power in the State of Minnesota, and shall wear the shackles of servitude.” In “There shall be neither slavery nor in- they have never since been dislodged, St. Paul, on September 18th, New York voluntary servitude in the State other- during a period of nearly 40 years.” As Governor William H. Seward said: “We wise there is the punishment of crime governor, Ramsey earned a reputation look to you of the Northwest to finally whereof the party shall have been duly as “one of the most radical” Northern decide whether this is to be a land of convicted.” governors, one historian noting: “Min- slavery or of freedom. The people of This vote also elected the state’s nesota had the most liberal law for the the Northwest are to be the arbiters of inaugural governor, and campaigning enfranchisement of immigrants.” its destiny.” On November 6th, with 63 was bitter. Democrats condemned the percent, Lincoln won Minnesota with “unscrupulous attempt of the opposition” 1860 and Civil War his second largest share of the popular to control the constitutional convention; Republican and abolitionist confidence vote after Vermont. Mille Lacs and demanded withdrawal of the subject of was high in Minnesota entering the elec- Kanabec counties gave him over 90 slavery from Congress; and endorsed tion year, 1860. percent of their vote. “popular sovereignty.” Republicans Democrats were divided between Secession followed quickly. The Re- condemned the refusal to “recognize the those, led by Sibley, who favored popu- publican platform was not abolition, but will of the majority”; rejected “Squat- lar sovereignty and backed Stephen A. only for halting the spread of slavery. To ter Sovereignty” as “exemplified in the Douglas for president, and those, led by the south, it amounted to the same thing. Kansas-Nebraska Bill”; branded slavery Henry M. Rice, who supported John C. A national convention of states was a a “moral and social evil”; and repudiated Breckinridge and “federal protection of final attempt at compromise, but matters the Dred Scott verdict. Sibley defeated slavery in the territories.” Republicans were too far along. Worried that any his friend Ramsey by just 240 votes out were united behind their candidate, compromise might give slavery a further of 35,340 cast and Democrats also won Abraham Lincoln. lease of life, Minnesota’s Republicans control of the legislature. That summer, a slave named Eliza refused to send delegates. On April 12th, But Minnesota’s constitution arrived Winston, brought from the South by her 1861, Confederates fired on Fort Sumter in Washington, D.C. at the same time vacationing owner, made local aboli- and two months later the men of the 1st as Kansas’ pro-slavery constitution. Con- tionists aware of her desire for freedom. Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment gressional Democrats fearing another They secured a writ of habeas corpus, were on their way to war. free state, blocked Minnesota’s applica- freeing her on the ground that she Slavery is a big part of American tion, with one warning: “If you admit was “restrained of her liberty.” At the history. But so are the efforts to end it. Minnesota and exclude Kansas, the subsequent trial, her owner’s attorney In Minnesota, these efforts were both spirit of our revolutionary forefathers is cited the Dred Scott ruling, while the political, exemplified by Alexander utterly extinct if the government can last abolitionists cited Minnesota’s con- Ramsey and Jane Grey Swisshelm, and for one short twelvemonth.” Ultimately, stitutional guarantee of freedom to all military, exemplified by the men of the Kansans rejected their constitution and inhabitants. The judge granted the writ, 1st Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regi- continued as a territory. Minnesota was freeing Eliza Winston. Pro-slavery vigi- ment. Any attempt to make one of these admitted as a state on May 11th, 1858. lantes gathered at the house of the chief the focus of American history to the But demographics were shifting abolitionist, William Babbitt, threaten- exclusion of the other is misleading, and against Minnesota’s Democrats. When ing to tar and feather him. They were does a disservice to the men and women Ramsey ran for governor in 1859, dispersed by gun shots, and Winston who fought to end “The Peculiar Insti- Republicans assiduously courted Ger- was evacuated to Canada. To prevent a tution” and deliver on the promises of man immigrants. Their candidate for repeat, Democrats sponsored resolutions the founding documents of the United state treasurer, Charles Scheffer, was in both houses of the state legislature, States.

THINKING MINNESOTA SUMMER 2020 55 AMERICAN EXPERIMENT 2020 ANNUAL FINAL WORD

GOODBYE, COLUMBUS Police did nothing to stop vandals from tearing down a statue of Christopher Columbus.

A number of statues stand on the ground of done to punish the lawbreakers, even though their the Minnesota Capitol. Since 1931, these have identities are known. included a statue of Christopher Columbus. The Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan was even Columbus monument was erected, in part, to more supportive of the vandals’ criminal destruc- honor Italian Americans. tion of property: “I can’t say I’m sad the statue of Left-wing activists have criticized the Co- Christopher Columbus is gone. I’m not. … The lumbus statue for some time, and in the wake of arrival of Christopher Columbus to what is now George Floyd’s death and the mania for destroy- the Americas set in motion centuries of violence ing monuments that swept the country thereafter, and genocide against the Indigenous people who activists decided to dismantle it. Their intention already lived here.” was no secret. Via Facebook, the activists an- In their article on the George Floyd riots that nounced their intent to take down the statue at convulsed the Twin Cities (p. 18), Tom Steward 5:00 p.m. on June 10. and John Phelan pose the question whether Gov- John Hinderaker Minnesota’s Department of Public Safety was ernor Walz and Mayor Jacob Frey were unable to aware of the planned attack on the Columbus stem the looting and arson or were unwilling to statue, and just after 4:30 p.m., a single state act effectively because of an ideological affinity Obviously, the trooper appeared at the monument site. Leaders with the rioters and arsonists. In the case of the Governor or others of the leftist group, arriving at about the same Columbus statue, there is no doubt. State authori- time, explained to the trooper how they planned ties could easily have prevented the criminal in his administration to destroy the statue. He tried to give them a destruction of the monument, but they chose not had decided to piece of paper explaining the legal process for to do so. The Governor and Lieutenant Governor removing a statue, which they refused to accept. permitted the vandalism, according to their own allow the criminal The trooper then walked away and did nothing to public statements, because they agreed with the destruction of prevent the planned vandalism. political aims of the criminals. the Columbus Shortly after 5:00 p.m., the vandals tore down Minnesota’s Constitution sets forth the pow- the statue of Columbus. A few minutes later, ers of the state’s governor. They include: “He is statue to go more than a dozen State Troopers emerged from commander-in-chief of the military and naval forward without the Capitol and stood around the now-vacant ped- forces and may call them out to execute the laws, impediment. estal. No one was arrested. Obviously, the Gov- suppress insurrection and repel invasion.” Here, ernor or others in his administration had decided Governor Walz used the State Troopers not to ex- to allow the criminal destruction of the Columbus ecute the laws, but rather, to facilitate the flouting statue to go forward without impediment. of Minnesota’s laws. Governor Walz released a statement expressing Walz’s actions were not just out of step with sympathy with the vandals: “As a former social Minnesota’s Constitution and his duties as studies teacher, I taught my students that many governor. They also failed to reflect the strong Minnesotans look at that statue and see a legacy opinions of the large majority of Minnesotans, of genocide. Now more than ever, we must take as we report in the current Thinking Minnesota a hard look at the dated symbols and injustices Poll (p. 30). To be sure, few Minnesotans share around us.” He encouraged lawful process to the hard left’s enthusiasm for destruction of remove statues, but to this date, nothing has been public property.

56 SUMMER 2020 THINKING MINNESOTA 2020 ANNUAL DINNER

Saturday Sept. 19TH Featuring Sarah Huckabee Sanders Press Secretary and Senior Advisor to the President of the United States

To reserve a table or seat email [email protected] or register online at AmericanExperiment.org or by phone 612.325.3597 NONPROFIT ORG U S POSTAGE Change Service PAID AMERICAN Requested Slayton, MN EXPERIMENT PERMIT NO. 22 8421 Wayzata Boulevard, Suite 110 Golden Valley, MN 55426

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