Study: Minnesota drops out of most expensive states for business

Virtually every governor in recent history has attempted to get Minnesota out of the top ten in the tax burden it imposes on its citizens.

Earlier this year, Governor Pawlenty actually accomplished that unifying feat.

A new study indicates that along with that, Governor Pawlenty has also brought us out of the top ten in terms of the cost of doing business.

Minnesota dropped out of the 10 most expensive states for doing business, according a new study.

The study, compiled by the Milken Institute, calculates the cost of doing business in each state based on an array of factors, including wages, taxes, electricity costs and real estate costs for industrial and office space.

Minnesota ranked No. 10 in the 2006 survey, with an overall index score of 107, meaning that costs were 7 percent higher here than the national average.

This year, that figure fell to 104.3 (4.3 percent higher than the average), and the state ranked No. 13. (excerpted from article)

Of course this isn't really about "business" per se, but about people and quality of life, which is always the reason we should seek to ease the burden (and yes, that is what it is, a burden) of government regulation and punitive taxation.

Moving the ship of state in the right direction is often exactly analogous to turning a large, lethargic ship.

But Governor Pawlenty, step by step is doing exactly that.

And this is just more evidence of his leadership.

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