Minnesota has been in the news a lot in recent years, and not in a good way. This essay is a wistful look back at the decline of a once great state. I moved to Minnesota in 1975, partially inspired by the famous Time Magazine cover featuring Governor Wendall Anderson holding up a caught walleye, touting the “Good Life in Minnesota.” I came for the good life and the in-state college summer school rates offered by the University of Minnesota. I ended up getting a job in Minneapolis, putting down roots, getting married, having three kids, eventually owning three businesses...