Government Accountability

Mickey Goes to Washington

  • Nathan Benefield
  • February 19, 2008

Washington Post article on Walt Disney and other lobbyists pushing for taxpayer subsidies for tourism. If you don’t want to know how the sausage is made, don’t read this…

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Regulation

Lackawanna County: Where’s the Film?

  • Nathan Benefield
  • February 19, 2008

Another case study on corporate welfare for the film industry was featured in the Morning Call. Lackwanna County officials are wondering what happened to the $500,000 of taxpayer money…

Media

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State Budget

State’s economy, budget are at odds

  • Nathan Benefield
  • February 18, 2008

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review question the Rendell administration’s glorious reviews of the state’s economy. The size of the state’s economy grew about 20 percent from 1997 to 2006, but…

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Government Accountability

‘Black ops’ in the Legislature

  • Nathan Benefield
  • February 18, 2008

Brad Bumsted on the “Black Ops” of BonusGate: The legality of bonuses might not be resolved for some time. But it’s clear that they were wrong, handled “off…

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Taxes & Economy

Is Rendell’s rebate legal?

  • Nathan Benefield
  • February 16, 2008

John Micek in the Morning Call raises some key issues as to Governor Rendell’s proposed “rebate” for low-income Pennsylvanians. First, that the using the Budget Stabilization Reserve (or “Rainy…

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Regulation

Study: Smoking Bans increase drunk driving

  • Nathan Benefield
  • February 15, 2008

A new study in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Public Economics finds that “smoking bans increase drunken-driving fatalities”; reported on the Marginal Revolution blog. This effect is…

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Education

The School Choice Gold Standard

  • Nathan Benefield
  • February 15, 2008

The Friedman Foundation has a new report grading the various scholarship, voucher, and tax credit programs across the US on three categories – student restrictions (how many students can…

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VIDEO: Critics Say Turnpike Needs Reform

  • Nathan Benefield
  • February 14, 2008

NBC 5 Video on the Turnpike Commission’s dining expenses charged to drivers. They spent a mindboggling total of $1,800 at Haydn’s on Pine in Harrisburg in June 2007 (when…

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