Public Union Democracy
How Unions Put the Squeeze on Pennsylvanians
We’ve talked before about how passing meaningful reform on anything from school choice to prevailing wage has been stymied not by a Democrat vs. Republican fight in Pennsylvania’s legislature, but…
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Utility Rates Drop Again Thanks to Marcellus Drilling
Natural gas drilling is continuing to provide significant savings for Pennsylvania families across the state through lower electricity and natural gas prices. Last week, PPL Electric Utilities, servicing eastern…
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PLCB Stars in Magnum P.U.!
While Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board execs have been jet setting around the globe on the taxpayer dime to Paris, Dubai, Barcelona and Argentina, their taxpayer-paid marketing team has been…
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Read More: PLCB Stars in Magnum P.U.!State Budget
Chart of the Day: Welfare Spending
Total welfare spending in Pennsylvania more than tripled from 1991 to 2012, rising 227 percent. During the same period (1991-2011) population rose by a paltry 6.7 percent. It goes without…
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PLCB: One Bourbon, One Scotch, Two Bills
In a massive money mishap that would make Delaware Destroyer George Thorogood mad to the bone, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board’s latest snafu comes at, not surprisingly, the customer’s expense.
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Read More: PLCB: One Bourbon, One Scotch, Two BillsState Budget
Big Government Limits Economic Growth
Last month, Gov. Tom Corbett’s budget address kicked off state budget negotiations. As lawmakers debate priorities, one thing is crystal clear—low government spending fosters economic growth. The Mercatus Center’s…
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Pop Quiz: Would You Pay $126 or $84 for the Same Product?
Yesterday, we noted how Pennsylvania’s prevailing wage law is a “rent” for labor unions. Here’s an example of how it plays out in real life—when our schools are…
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Read More: Pop Quiz: Would You Pay $126 or $84 for the Same Product?Taxes & Economy
Pennsylvania Businesses Face the Highest Taxes
A new study from the Tax Foundation finds that mature Pennsylvania businesses are the highest taxed in the nation. Newly established operations in the commonwealth are the second highest taxed,…
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Rent Seeking: Pennsylvania’s Prevailing Wage Musical
“Rent” isn’t just a depressing musical about New Yorkers facing AIDS. It’s also a term economists use to describe the benefits special interests win for themselves in the political…
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