‘Brainpower’ Sign Hit as Lamebrained

ST. PAUL, Minn. — A new highway sign proclaiming Minnesota “the brainpower state” insults tourists, the Senate majority leader said.

“It’s as if we said to them: ‘Welcome to Minnesota. Too bad you’re not smart enough to live here,’ ” Roger Moe said last week in a letter to Gov. Rudy Perpich.

Transportation Commissioner Len Levine said only one sign, on Interstate 94 near Hudson, Wis., has the slogan. It was added about three weeks ago to the Minnesota-shaped welcome sign, which also contains the traditional reference to Minnesota as the “Land of 10,000 Lakes,” Levine said.

Perpich, who is seeking an unprecedented fourth term, often refers to Minnesota as “the brainpower state” to tout its educational achievements. Moe is expected to announce he is challenging Perpich later this month.