One MN Podcast

Minnesota is in the midst of a crisis over enforcement of federal immigration laws.  What started as a difference in political philosophy between MN political leaders and the Federal Government quickly devolved to personal disdain between leaders, heightened rhetoric and actions, protests/riots, death and collateral damage.

In this episode we discuss the origins of the crisis, related facts, options to de-escalate, and lessons MN citizens and leaders in other states must apply to avoid similar crises in the future.

Part 2 of our discussion on civility provides solutions to rebut the 4-forces that continue to erode civility in America (i.e., failure to teach critical thinking, poor political leadership, obfuscation of the truth, and failure to parent children on the American system of government, and the import of purpose and accountability for decisions).  We focus on changes in leadership behaviors, accountability in media and education, limiting social media access for young people, and techniques to level-up parenting to prepare and protect children when society misbehaves writ large.

Civility is a foundation of relationships, leadership, and problem solving in politics, organizations, and with family/friends.  Unfortunately civility is at an all time low with 70% of Americans viewing society as uncivil.  It is critical that we as a society re-acquire civility, and that starts with understanding how we got here.  In this the first of two episodes on the topic we explore the import of civility, the current state of civility in our society, and the forces tearing-away civility.

Re-released:  Derek gives his take on the overall health and performance of the state of Minnesota across multiple dimensions in the first episode of this new apolitical podcast.

The state of MN public education system is in crisis.  MN's national ranking has fallen from 5th best in 2018 to 19th in 2024.  Proficiency that declined during COVID has not recovered, and scores for nearly every demographic are stubbornly low and behind the best states.  In this pod we explore the cost, structure, and performance of the MN public school system. We then discuss how to radically and rapidly improve outcomes.

The MN biennial budget was just passed.  In this episode we explore what Minnesotan's pay for, how MN spending and outcomes compare to other states, and ideas to improve spending efficacy and outcomes for all Minnesotans.

Note:  This episode was recorded on June 12.  The OneMN pod is deeply saddened by the political violence in Minnesota of June 14, and we denounce political violence in any form for any reason.  We will continue to deliver apolitical content in hopes of elevating civil conversation on topics important to Minnesota.

Over $10T in mega projects have recently been announced by US and foreign firms.  This episode discusses Minnesota's past successes, current challenges, and actions MN can take to win it's share of new mega projects.

In this episode Derek and Ben discuss the impact the administration's tariff policy will have on MN.

Welcome to our first episode of the OneMN Podcast where Derek and Ben outline their framework for determining the State of MN across multiple dimensions.