State Budget

Example of Why There’s No Money to Fix Bridges

  • Nathan Benefield
  • January 20, 2010

As I pointed out in a recent post, much of Pennsylvania’s transportation funding goes not to fix decaying infrastructure, but to beautification and other…

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Health Care

What Happened in Massachusetts

  • January 20, 2010

The Cato Institute released a policy report today examining the effect of Massachusetts’ health care reform – whose individual mandate and subsidies for insurance are seen as a model…

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Taxes & Economy

PA Mayors Facing Budget Crunch – Whose Fault Is It?

  • January 20, 2010

Pennsylvania mayors have voiced their frustrations with public sector unions forcing counties to pay higher wages even as they face budget constraints. Inevitably, that has led to higher taxes,…

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Public Union Democracy

Five Alternatives to Tolling I-80

  • Nathan Benefield
  • January 19, 2010

A recent Pocono Record article calls the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission’s proposal to toll I-80 “a riddle with no easy answers” (HT GrassrootsPA). However, there are alternatives to that…

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Government Accountability

Book Review: Money, Greed, and God

  • Nathan Benefield
  • January 19, 2010

Jay Richards’ book Money, Greed, and God offers a defense of capitalism from a Christian perspective. Richards goes further, noting that capitalism depends on a virtuous society. A…

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Government Accountability

Bonusgate Makes National Headlines

  • Nathan Benefield
  • January 18, 2010

Though it wasn’t one of their top 10 scandals of 2009, Time Magazine has a story today on “bonusgate”, and the subsequent corruption investigation, and its implications on Pennsylvania…

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Health Care

Why Health Care Costs are Skyrocketing

  • Nathan Benefield
  • January 18, 2010

A nifty chart put together by the Mercatus Center helps explain why health care cost continue to skyrocket – a growing role for third-party payers and of government subsidies.

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Taxes & Economy

How Government Hinders Job Creation

  • Nathan Benefield
  • January 18, 2010

Economist Mark Hendrickson has a good piece for The Center for Vision & Values at Grove City College explaining why federal policies aimed at “creating jobs” or even helping workers…

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Taxes & Economy

Pennsylvania Natural Gas Tax Resurrected

  • January 15, 2010

Governor Rendell has, once again, changed his mind deciding that taxing Pennsylvania’s emerging natural gas industry is a good idea. What changed the Governor’s mind? Recently, five companies…

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