Taxes & Economy
Bushels of Bibles for Pennsylvania Lawmakers
Mario Cattabiani has a story in the Philadelphia Inquirer on the cost of new Bibles (and other holy books) for lawmakers to be sworn in on – $13,700.
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Local Proficiency Measures are Lacking in PA
A new study from Penn State reveals that local school districts’ assessments, allowed as an alternative to the 11th-grade PSSA exam to demonstrate proficiency for Pennsylvania students before graduating,…
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“Tea Parties” Coming to Pennsylvania
Online conservative activists have rallied to CNBC’s Rick Santelli’s call last for a “Nationwide Tea Party” to protest the economic “stimulus,” bailouts, and erosion of liberty. Here are some…
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Read More: “Tea Parties” Coming to PennsylvaniaGovernment Accountability
PA House, Senate Refuse Request for Lobbyist Records
Here is an AP Story on the ruling by Pennsylvania House and Senate have ruled that lobbyist contact is not covered under the new Open Records law (HT…
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Obama’s Mortgage Plan vs. Predatory Lending
A Heritage Insider blog post asks what the difference is between the mortgage plan proposed by Obama and the predatory lending using “teaser rates” that contributed to the rise…
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Fact Check: PA Education Spending
A myth floating around Harrisburg is that the state government used to fund 50% of K-12 education, and has reduced support since then. This was most recently stated by…
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Federal stimulus is a trap for states
The Wall Street Journal today looks at governors considering rejecting the federal stimulus dollars, as it will increase the cost to states. For example, the stimulus expands Medicaid subsidies,…
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Read More: Federal stimulus is a trap for statesRegulation
State and local owe enormous obligations to retirees
The Allegheny Institute has a new policy report examining the pension plans of the 10 largest Pennsylvania cities. They find these plans have a combined unfunded liability of $4.5…
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Report Card on American Education: A State-by-State Analysis
The American Legislative Exchange Council has released their annual Report Card on American Education. The report is filled with education data – spending, inputs, academic performance – with a…
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