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
Try to Reform Health Care
The Senate Republican’s unveiled their caucus’s plan on health care, which is largely the same as they had last year, and thus my criticism of that plan still…
Media
Read More: Try to Reform Health CareTaxes & Economy
Pennsylvania Deficit Watch: February 2009
Updates on Pennsylvania’s Revenue Shortfall from the Commonwealth Foundation The Pennsylvania Department of Revenue released the January revenue collections showing state General Fund revenues are $1.08 billion short for the…
Press Release
Read More: Pennsylvania Deficit Watch: February 2009State Budget
Even more reasons to oppose the stimulus
NTU’s blog has a long list (via Tom Coburn) of wasteful spending and bad policy in the federal “stimulus” bill, including: $2 billion earmark to re-start FutureGen,…
Media
Read More: Even more reasons to oppose the stimulusTaxes & Economy
Pennsylvania’s Revenue Shortfall Climbs
The PA Department of Revenue released the January Revenue Collections this afternoon. We’ll have the full “Deficit Watch” up on the website tomorrow, but here are the quick…
Media
Read More: Pennsylvania’s Revenue Shortfall ClimbsEducation
Overspending Schools Don’t Need More Taxpayer Funding
NYTimes article (registration required) looks at how much of the federal “stimulus” money would go to school spending, particularly for school construction. Critics and supporters alike…
Media
Read More: Overspending Schools Don’t Need More Taxpayer FundingTaxes & Economy
Should government get bigger, or smaller?
Richard Rahn has a commentary for the Cato Institute on the “optimal size of government”. He takes the premise that we need some level of government (to protect our…
Media
Read More: Should government get bigger, or smaller?Taxes & Economy
501 added to Pa. payroll since state hiring freeze
AP story on the 501 employees hired since the hiring freeze, including several over $100,000 (former legislator Dan Surra, for whom a new $95,000 position was created, just missed…
Media
Read More: 501 added to Pa. payroll since state hiring freezeTaxes & Economy
The Super Bowl (Economic Version): Phoenix vs. Pittsburgh
Harold Miller has an interesting blog post, featuring a few graphs, comparing the economic growth of the Pittsburgh region to the Phoenix region – the two hometowns for tonight’s…
Media
Read More: The Super Bowl (Economic Version): Phoenix vs. PittsburghRegulation
PA Judge Overturns State Mercury Rule
A Pennsylvania judge ruled that a state-specific regulation on mercury emissions (one that was put into place by the Department of Environmental Protection over the objections of many…
Media
Read More: PA Judge Overturns State Mercury RuleHealth Care
Stimulating Government
The Galen Institute has a new analysis of health care proposal in the propose “economic stimulus”, specifically proposals moving toward greater federalization of health care, which has indeed been…
Media
Read More: Stimulating GovernmentTaxes & Economy
Rendell previews budget plan
The Altoona Mirror has a good summary of things to expect when Governor Rendell unveils the budget next week. The problems of a poor economy are compounded by…
Media
Read More: Rendell previews budget planEducation
Adam Smith Courses
Our friends at the Wynnewood Institute are hosting a seminar series on the writings of Adam Smith, who is sometimes referred to as the “father of economics.” The series…
Media
Read More: Adam Smith CoursesTaxes & Economy
PA Business Groups Offer Budget Ideas
A coalition of business association and groups unveiled their recommendations for reforming Pennsylvania’s budget process and improving the business climate: Oppose increasing taxes on the job creators, including…
Media
Read More: PA Business Groups Offer Budget IdeasTaxes & Economy
Layoffs coming for Pennsylvania state workers?
Governor Rendell’s latest statements about the state budget are that 1,000 to 2,000 state workers could be laid off (or have unfilled positions eliminated). The head of the AFSCME…
Media
Read More: Layoffs coming for Pennsylvania state workers?Taxes & Economy
200 Economists Against a Stimulus
In defiance of President Obama’s proclamation that every agrees we need more government spending to “simulate” the economy, the Cato Institute has put together a list of 200 economists…
Media
Read More: 200 Economists Against a StimulusPublic Union Democracy
Putting Taxpayers First?
A group of Pennsylvania House Republicans today announced a series of proposals intended to reduce government spending and revitalize the Pennsylvania economy. Among the proposals: Implementing constitutional or statutory…
Media
Read More: Putting Taxpayers First?Taxes & Economy
Stimulus: Good For Government, Bad For the Economy
This video by Dan Mitchell on the stimulus offers a quick primer on the “stimulus” package, and why government spending will fail – and why previous expansions of government…
Media
Read More: Stimulus: Good For Government, Bad For the EconomyRegulation
Six Years of Rendells Stimulus is Enough
Gov. Ed Rendell is, as head of the National Governor’s Association as well as the chief of a state facing a major revenue shortfall, leading the push for a federal…
Commentary
Read More: Six Years of Rendells Stimulus is EnoughTaxes & Economy
A bailout of the states rewards fiscal recklessness
The Wall Street Journal has a great article and graph (to the right) on how states have overspent, and are certainly not in need of a bailout from…
Media
Read More: A bailout of the states rewards fiscal recklessnessTaxes & Economy
Ode to Taxpayers’ Cars
The Auditor General recently release a new report on state-owned cars. Unless you are enjoying a taxpayer-owned Mercedes, this report won’t make you happy. The report mentions early and…
Media
Read More: Ode to Taxpayers’ CarsTaxes & Economy
Royal Bank of Scotland to Sell Electricity in PA
The Tribune-Review reports The Royal Bank of Scotland is awaiting permission from the PUC to sell electricity to commercial and industrial customers across Pennsylvania. The change would give Pittsburgh…
Media
Read More: Royal Bank of Scotland to Sell Electricity in PA