Regulation

Lack of Subsidy Spooks Movie Director

  • August 26, 2009

The remorse is almost audible in when people talk about the loss of filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan’s new movie Devil to Canada, ostensibly because of the budget impasse. What…

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Regulation

The Pennsylvania Pension Bailout

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • August 25, 2009

Pennsylvania legislators are drawing nearer to implementing a bailout bill for Philadelphia and a state takeover for insolvent municipal pension funds in cities like Pittsburgh. While pension reforms are…

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Taxes & Economy

Pennsylvania Sales Tax Exemptions

  • Nathan Benefield
  • August 25, 2009

There has been some discussion lately about filling the Pennsylvania budget hole with additional revenue by expanding the state sales tax to include currently exempt goods, services, or categories.

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Regulation

Problem of PA Prison Population and Price

  • August 25, 2009

Last week Bill Cosby declared that it only costs taxpayers $4,000 a year to educate a child, but $33,000 a year to incarcerate someone (this statement is inaccurate, unless…

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Regulation

What Happens When There is No Funding for Corporate Welfare?

  • Nathan Benefield
  • August 24, 2009

Gov. Rendell has noted on many occasions that without large state “economic development” grant programs, Pennsylvania’s economy would tank.  He has argued that the Senate budget, which would eliminate many…

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Health Care

Explaining the Town-Hall Protests

  • Nathan Benefield
  • August 24, 2009

John Goodman – the health care policy guru, not the star of Arachnophobia – has an editorial in Friday’s Wall Street Journal on those protesting Obama’s version of health…

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State Budget

Is Cash for Clunkers the Dumbest Government Program Ever?

  • Nathan Benefield
  • August 24, 2009

Chris Edwards of Cato suggests “Cash for Clunkers” is the dumbest government program of all time: A few billion dollars worth of wealth was destroyed. About 750,000…

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Public Union Democracy

Address the Spending Side on Road Funding First

  • Nathan Benefield
  • August 21, 2009

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation issued a statement responding to our blog post that explains state transportation spending has increased 121% since 1995, more than triple the rate…

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