Prosperity
New Year, New Taxes in Pennsylvania
Originally published at RealClearPennsylvania The new year is always a great opportunity to shed vices like smoking and binge eating. For state and local lawmakers, their guilty pleasure tends…
Read More: New Year, New Taxes in PennsylvaniaHigh taxes make for a slow-growing economy. And communities feel the pinch of high taxes as more and more native Pennsylvanians leave the Keystone State to prosper elsewhere. To remain economically competitive, Pennsylvania must lower state taxes and ensure businesses have the opportunity to succeed. Lower taxes will incentivize more individuals to call Pennsylvania their home, ultimately spurring our statewide economy forward.
Health Care
The Success of Consumer-Driven Health Care
In the midst of debates over the right kind of health care reform, consumer-driven plans continue to attract consumers while keeping costs in check. Greg Scandlen of Consumers of…
Media
Read More: The Success of Consumer-Driven Health CareTaxes & Economy
Should Existing Interstate Highways Be Tolled?
Interesting question posed by National Journal on tolling of existing freeways, with particular focus on tolling I-80 in Pennsylvania, offering several experts the opportunity to respond. Pennsylvania Congressman Glenn…
Media
Read More: Should Existing Interstate Highways Be Tolled?Health Care
States Offer Valuable Insight into the Dangers of Socialized Medicine
The Commonwealth Foundation and Conservatives for Patients Rights recently hosted a policy forum entitled State-Run Health Care: Costly Mistakes, featuring policy experts from across the country who have seen…
Media
Read More: States Offer Valuable Insight into the Dangers of Socialized MedicineRegulation
Keep on Truckin’
With Harrisburg gridlocked by the state budget impasse and Washington battling over national health care, an issue vital to Pennsylvania lurks below the radar. The debate is over…
Commentary
Read More: Keep on Truckin’Health Care
ObamaCare Is Bad Medicine for Pennsylvania
America faces divergent prescriptions for health care reform—one calling for more government control, the other for patient empowerment. Unfortunately President Obama, Governor Rendell, and Democrats in Congress and…
Commentary
Read More: ObamaCare Is Bad Medicine for PennsylvaniaTaxes & Economy
Pennsylvania Sales Tax Exemptions
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.
Media
Read More: Pennsylvania Sales Tax ExemptionsRegulation
Problem of PA Prison Population and Price
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…
Media
Read More: Problem of PA Prison Population and PriceHealth Care
Explaining the Town-Hall Protests
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…
Media
Read More: Explaining the Town-Hall ProtestsState Budget
Is Cash for Clunkers the Dumbest Government Program Ever?
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…
Media
Read More: Is Cash for Clunkers the Dumbest Government Program Ever?Public Union Democracy
Address the Spending Side on Road Funding First
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…
Media
Read More: Address the Spending Side on Road Funding FirstHealth Care
Post-Gazette Combats Health Care “Lies” With Actual Lies
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette columnist Sally Kalson has a ridiculous piece on health care reform (HT PA Watercooler), in which she admittedly fabricates a number of proposals she “imagines” Republicans would…
Media
Read More: Post-Gazette Combats Health Care “Lies” With Actual LiesState Budget
Cash for Clunkers Crash and Burns
The New York Times reports that car dealers in New York have pulled out of the government’s cost-shifting program to aid automakers in Detroit under the banner…
Media
Read More: Cash for Clunkers Crash and BurnsTaxes & Economy
Auditor General Finds More Waste and Fraud in Pennsylvania Welfare
A new report from Pennsylvania Auditor General Jack Wagner finds that the Special Allowances program in the Department of Public Welfare is “rife with mismanagement and potential for fraud.” …
Media
Read More: Auditor General Finds More Waste and Fraud in Pennsylvania WelfareHealth Care
Obama’s “Co-operative” Trojan Horse
With the public voicing overwhelming concern over the potential effects Obama’s “public option” could have on America’s healthcare industry, the White House now has its back against the wall. Progressives…
Media
Read More: Obama’s “Co-operative” Trojan HorseHealth Care
The Prognosis for National Health Insurance: A Pennsylvania Perspective
In 1960, the private sector funded over three quarters of the nation’s health care expenditures. Individuals paid nearly one-half of the total national health care expenditures through out of pocket…
Report
Read More: The Prognosis for National Health Insurance: A Pennsylvania PerspectiveHealth Care
Report: National Healthcare Would Harm PA
HARRISBURG, PA — The Commonwealth Foundation released a report today showing that President Obama’s proposed takeover of health care by the federal government would have dramatically negative effects on Pennsylvanians.
Press Release
Read More: Report: National Healthcare Would Harm PAHealth Care
Lots More Reasons why ObamaCare isn’t Popular
Pete DeCoursey has an interesting column on Capitowire (subscription) about why people oppose ObamaCare. He hits the main point correct — most people are satisfied with their coverage (…
Media
Read More: Lots More Reasons why ObamaCare isn’t PopularHealth Care
Scrutinize the Health Care Bill
We’ve gotten a few calls over the last few days asking where to get and read the 1,200 page health care bill being debated in Congress. Here are some resources:…
Media
Read More: Scrutinize the Health Care BillEducation
Dramatic Government Spending Increases are Never Enough
The Patriot News has an AP story by Marc Levy, highlighting recipients of taxpayer funding that want more taxpayer funding. It seems these groups are living in another world. …
Media
Read More: Dramatic Government Spending Increases are Never EnoughHealth Care
RightOnline Health Care Panel
Right Online held a panel on health care reform today, which I had the honor of speaking at, along with Amy Menefee of Americans for Prosperity and the…
Media
Read More: RightOnline Health Care PanelPublic Union Democracy
Tolling I-80 is a Recipe for Disaster
With a renewed interest in tolling Interstate 80, I find it necessary to reiterate several points of concern surrounding Act 44 and its implications on Pennsylvania’s economic future: Act…
Media
Read More: Tolling I-80 is a Recipe for Disaster