Education

Failing Science

  • Nathan Benefield
  • December 10, 2008

The Patriot News has a story on the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s news release that almost two-thirds of Pennsylvania’s 11th grade students are not proficient in science.  The…

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Regulation

Where to Find WAMs

  • Nathan Benefield
  • December 9, 2008

I have gotten a couple of requests today for lists of WAMs and other recent spending. We put together a list of recent grants the Governor has awarded/announced in…

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Taxes & Economy

No tax increases

  • Nathan Benefield
  • December 9, 2008

President Pro Tem (and now Pennsylvania Lt. Governor, though the former role has more relevance) Joe Scarnati has take a strong stance against any tax increase in the Pittsburgh…

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Taxes & Economy

The Fallacy That Government Creates Jobs

  • Nathan Benefield
  • December 9, 2008

Dan Mitchell of the Cato Institute has an excellent piece on the economic benefit of so-called fiscal “stimulus” In part, this is a debate about Keynesian economics, which is…

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Government Accountability

78-Group Coalition Demands Greater Bailout Transparency

  • Nathan Benefield
  • December 8, 2008

The Commonwealth Foundation has joined 77 other organizations in calling for greater transparency for taxpayers in the numerous bailouts being handed out with little oversight.  From the news release:…

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Health Care

The Trouble with Canadian Healthcare

  • Nathan Benefield
  • December 8, 2008

Brett Skinner has an article in The American magazine on why “a single-payer system is probably the least effective way to achieve universal health insurance coverage.”…

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Government Accountability

Open government should save taxpayers, not cost them

  • Nathan Benefield
  • December 6, 2008

The Tribune Review has a scathing editorial about Governor Rendell’s decision to charge citizens for the cost of retrieving open records about the government. In contrast, consider Texas,…

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Regulation

Funding Loans While Facing a Deficit?

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • December 5, 2008

The day after announcing more budget cuts, including a wage freeze, Governor Rendell announced $2 million in new state funded loans. So let…

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