The Myths of Minnesota

 

 

"What in the world has happened to our state which Time Magazine called 'The Good Life' not that many decades ago..."

Santa Clause comes every Christmas Eve to give good kids Christmas presents. The Easter Bunny leaves Easter eggs on Easter Morning. The Tooth Fairy leaves money under your pillow when you lose a tooth. Minnesota is a great place to live and retire. All things we have been told since we were toddlers. And what we have found out (or are finding out), all are myths.

In the wintertime, Minnesota can be bone chilling cold. Unlike this past winter, we can have knee deep snow for months. In the summertime, we put up with mosquitoes the size of eagles. And it can be stinky hot (and humid) for weeks at a time.

Okay - forgetting the weather for a second, let us take a journey and explore some other facets of living in the Land of Sky Blue Waters:

• Patriotism - a study was recently done which shows Minnesota was the second LEAST patriotic state in the nation. Driving through the Twin Cities proper, one can see why. Even though outstate Minnesota may be as American as apple pie, the deep blue metro area is just the opposite. That study should be an embarrassment to us all, but it won't be. I am sure many in Minneapolis will wear this study like a badge of honor.
• Taxes - Another study was recently done to show the best and worst states for senior citizens to retire in. Minnesota was listed as one of the 10 WORST states to live in after retirement! Gone are the dreams of living on a crystal clear lake and fishing every day once the working years are over. Besides paying sky high real estate taxes for living on a lake, the state will tax all your pensions, including Social Security. Good luck getting old in Minnesota.
• Achievement Gap - Many have asked a simple question about education in Minnesota - how good is it? The answer has been and remains today - it depends. Depends on what? First off, your ethnic background. Next your location. Whites continuously do much better in reading and math scores than other races. Especially outside the metro area. Is that because whites are smarter? Nope. Not a bit.  Studies have proven that point over and over and over again. Then what is it? Can more money fix it? Nope. More money cannot fix it as the most money per pupil right goes into the Twin Cities proper. And that is where we have some of our worst results. Don't worry though - the DFL machine in Minnesota will bankrupt the state trying to fix a problem that money will not fix.
• Roads and Bridges - Don't get me started. We take in a boatload of money for transportation and waste much on it building trains which very few people ride. None of our LRT nor Northstar lines are self supporting. And they have taken very few cars off the roads. All trains are money pits whist our roads and bridges are disasters year after year. But our trains are pretty - and VERY trendy!

More and more people I talk to recently have had it up to their eyeballs with this state. Minnesota has never truly been a "red" state (politically) - but now it is like a "red star" state! We keep electing flawed DFL candidates and then re-electing them. Many of whom act more Socialist than anything else. Big state government, goofy politicians, intrusive regulations, high taxes, crappy weather - where is the incentive to stay?

When people from other states ask me if Minnesota is a good place to live, my answer is always the same. It was. But is no longer. The inmates have taken over the asylum. And it is maddening.