Health Care

Medicaid: A State Budget Buster

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • December 20, 2010

Medicaid is gobbling up state budgets left and right, and Pennsylvania is no exception. State Medicaid costs from 2014 through 2020 are estimated to increase by $841.2…

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Government Accountability

Philadelphia is Number 1 “Judical Hellhole” in US

  • Nathan Benefield
  • December 20, 2010

Philadelphia has been named the number one “judicial hellhole” in a new ranking by the American Tort Reform Association. Philadelphia is a source of great concern due…

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Regulation

How Many State Liquor Stores Should Pennsylvania Have?

  • Nathan Benefield
  • December 17, 2010

Ben Waxman of the Philadelphia Daily News raises an interesting question about liquor privatization. Noting public support for liquor privatization, he posits whether it would be better to…

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Education

School Choice Push Extends Nationwide

  • December 17, 2010

Pennsylvania Governor-elect Tom Corbett has indicated strong support support for school choice, but he won’t be alone in the fight. Joining him in this push is Governor-elect…

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Taxes & Economy

Oregon Ducks Renewable Energy Failure

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • December 17, 2010

In 2001, Mayor Vera Katz promised Portland, Ore. would acquire 100 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2010. Today, only nine percent of Portland’s energy comes from renewables. What…

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State Budget

Why PA State Debt is “So Low”?

  • Nathan Benefield
  • December 17, 2010

Yesterday, during his mid-year budget briefing, Gov. Rendell repeated his claims that Pennsylvania state debt is pretty low, less than $1,000 per resident, and much lower (relative to state GDP)…

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Regulation

Did Lawmakers Fix the Pension Mess?

  • Richard Dreyfuss
  • December 16, 2010

Joe DiStefano of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes that State Representative (and PSERS Board member) Dwight Evans claims no further pension reform is needed. Evans is hardly dealing with reality.

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Taxes & Economy

The “Fair Share” Canard

  • Matthew Brouillette
  • December 16, 2010

Tonight, I’ll be on WITF’s Smart Talk to discuss why jobs aren’t coming back quicker and if we should allow tax rates to increase (i.e., allow the Bush tax…

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Taxes & Economy

Pipeline to Nowhere is Dead

  • December 16, 2010

In November, the PennVEST board, heavily pressured by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), approved an almost $12 million taxpayer-funded grant and loan to pay for a water line…

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