eOpicle

Every year we do this little dance. CNBC drops its America's Top States for Business rankings, governors immediately claim they engineered an economic miracle, and everyone else suddenly becomes an expert in infrastructure, workforce development, and corporate tax policy. It's like the NCAA tournament, except instead of basketball brackets we're arguing over industrial parks and permit approval times. This year's rankings gave us a new champion. Ohio claimed the top spot, knocking North Carolina down to second after its long run at the top. Virginia rounded out the top three, with Texas and Minnesota completing the top five. Michigan quietly held onto sixth place, proving that manufacturing and business investment still have plenty of life left in them. Naturally, politicians are treating this as if they personally assembled every highway interchange with their bare hands. If their state climbed five spots, they're visionary economic architects. If it dropped fif...