Today's Question Blog

March 7, 2014 3:08 AM

Should the Minn. Senate pass the tax-cut bill?

“The Minnesota House overwhelmingly passed a tax bill Thursday that cuts $503 million in taxes for businesses and realigns state tax policy so that it more closely conforms with federal tax law,” writes MPR News reporter Tom Scheck. The 126-2 vote came on the same day Gov. Mark Dayton proposed an even more robust tax Read more →

by Michael Olson

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March 6, 2014 1:44 AM

Where do you find peace and quiet?

“Silence has become the ultimate luxury,” writes The New Republic’s Chloe Schama. Unwanted noise is perhaps the most irksome form of sensory assault. A bothersome sight? Close your eyes or turn the other way—eyesores are, generally, immobile. An annoying taste? Spit it out. (Why was it in your mouth?) Sound, on the other hand, is Read more →

by Michael Olson

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March 5, 2014 1:21 AM

Are you seeing changes in the cost of your health care?

“Early signs suggest that US president Barack Obama’s health care overhaul is driving the cost of healthcare lower, according to Goldman Sachs analysts, spotlighting yesterday’s data on consumer spending and prices,” Matt Phillips writes for Quartz. While the Obamacare overhaul remains controversial in the US, budget geeks are nearly unanimous in spotlighting runaway health care Read more →

by Michael Olson

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March 4, 2014 1:28 AM

Has this winter hurt your household budget?

Natural gas costs are up this winter by roughly 15% according to Xcel Energy. Are you feeling the pinch of energy costs? Where are you cutting back to cover other winter-related costs? “There’s all this give and take going on at the micro level,” according to Toby Madden, an economist for the Federal Reserve Bank Read more →

by Michael Olson

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March 3, 2014 1:16 AM

Do you support U.S. diplomatic efforts that challenge Russian advances in Crimea?

I will be headed to Kyiv, Ukraine tomorrow night for discussions there Tuesday. — John Kerry (@JohnKerry) March 2, 2014 “As Russia dispatched more forces and tightened its grip on the Crimean Peninsula on Sunday, President Obama embarked on a strategy intended to isolate Moscow and prevent it from seizing more Ukrainian territory even as Read more →

by Michael Olson

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February 28, 2014 12:50 AM

Are you inclined to use a car service that lacks a taxi license?

“The ride-sharing company Lyft announced it is kicking off its service in Minneapolis. However, Minneapolis officials say the company’s model violates city ordinances,” writes MPR News reporter Brandt Williams. “Lyft allows people to use their own cars to give other people rides. Riders can use a mobile phone app to find a participating driver in Read more →

by Michael Olson

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February 27, 2014 12:31 AM

Should e-cigs be treated as standard smokes?

“Both sides in a debate over electronic cigarettes conceded Wednesday there’s scant scientific evidence about the health effects of the devices, but that might not stop efforts in the Minnesota Legislature to regulate them like traditional tobacco products,” writes AP reporter Brian Bakst. “We do know enough to know that risks are here, we just Read more →

by Michael Olson

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February 26, 2014 12:48 AM

How has your view of President Obama changed over time?

Both DFL and GOP operatives say their party stands to gain politically from President Barack Obama’s visit today to Minnesota, writes MPR News reporter Mark Zdechlik. [W]ith the president’s popularity here at an all time low, his presence may hurt Democrats at the polls in November. Republicans are tying DFLers to the president’s struggles — Read more →

by Michael Olson

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February 25, 2014 12:47 AM

Should voluntary water regulations for farmers be made mandatory?

– Dave Peters, editor, Beneath the Surface, Minnesota’s Pending Ground Water Challenge You can’t talk about water use in Minnesota for long before you get around to talking about farming. That’s clear from two recent stories by MPR News. One, by MPR News reporter Dan Gunderson, showed how increased irrigation and leaching of nitrates from…

by MPR News Staff

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February 24, 2014 12:31 AM

Should a medical marijuana proposal be scaled back to appease law enforcement?

“Supporters of legislation to legalize medical marijuana in Minnesota are considering a new approach for the 2014 session, and the potential changes are winning the backing of some law enforcement groups. “State Rep. Carly Melin, the chief author of the bill in the Minnesota House is working on a much narrower proposal that would allow Read more →

by Michael Olson

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