State Budget
Pennsylvanians Are in Dire Need of Tax Reform
Originally published by RealClearPennsylvania. Today is Tax Day. Each year, April 15th reminds us of the costliness of government spending – and why lawmakers must reduce this financial burden on…
Read More: Pennsylvanians Are in Dire Need of Tax ReformHigh 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.
Taxes & Economy
Bigger Government is no Stimulus
Dan Mitchell of the Cato Institute has a great video on why government spending has, and will, fail to “stimulate” the economy. The evidence detailed by Mitchell…
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Happy Bill of Rights Day
Today is the 318th anniversary of the ratification of the Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights Institute has some resources, as does The Examiner.
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Stop the Bailout of the States
ALEC has a new page opposing a federal taxpayer bailout of the state, including the letter from a coalition of groups. They currently collecting names of state legislators…
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US Auto Sales by Manufacturer
I thought I’d post this data on US car sales (new car and light truck) by brand, since it took a while to find. The data is available at…
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Big 3 Bailout vs. Free Market Solution
In his blog today, John Micek offers some criticism of Mark Hendrickson’s commentary on the auto-makers bailout, which we ran today. Micek points to the lack of “solutions”…
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Cutting Taxes Better Stimulus than Government Spending
With all the push for more government spending (at both the state and federal level) to “stimulate the economy”, readers should take a look at new research highlighted…
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The auto bailout is a blood transfusion for a dying patient
David Leonhardt has a good article in the New York Times explaining why the “Big 3 Automakers” have higher labor costs than Honda, Toyota, et. al. Greater fringe benefits…
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Read More: The auto bailout is a blood transfusion for a dying patientRegulation
Where to Find WAMs
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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No tax increases
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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The Fallacy That Government Creates Jobs
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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The Trouble with Canadian Healthcare
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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Cigarette Taxes Encourage Smuggling
A new report from the Mackinac Center (full 99 page report here) estimates the effect of cigarette taxes on smuggling of cigarettes (both “commercial” and “casual” – i.e.
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Deficit spending, taxes, and economic stimulus
The latest Heritage Foundation WebMemo looks takes on the idea that “deficit spending” is a good stimulus for the economy, given the upcoming federal deficit is going to the…
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Governors Against State Bailouts
While Governor Rendell and others state executives are asking for taxpayers to bail them out (see related article in The Bulletin) but want to pass the buck…
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Spend Like It’s 2007
Commonwealth’s revenue shortfall grows to $658 million HARRISBURG, PA — The Commonwealth Foundation today renewed its call for restrained state government spending in the wake of a growing revenue…
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Is Greenspan to blame for the financial crisis?
Over at the Cato Institute, there seems to be some disagreement over to what extent Alan Greenspan and the Federal Reserve contributed to the present financial “crisis”. Some…
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The Bailout Explained in Two Minutes
If you’re having trouble understanding all the bailouts in Washington, then watch this two-minute YouTube video clip and you’ll learn everything you need to know… 🙂…
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Stimulus Follies
OpenMarket.org has a good post on the failure of “stimulus” packages (i.e. government spending) to improve the overall economy.
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County Commissioner: “Listen to the Commonwealth Foundation”
“The governor and legislators should seriously consider the reports from the Commonwealth Foundation which provided information on how Harrisburg could address the state’s financial situation” That quote comes from Fayette…
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What happened to the Great Depression II?
Carpe Diem points out that holiday retail sales were up over the weekend from last year. Yet the CNN Money article with the same chart contains more of…
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Spreading wealth to Hollywood
Cross Posted at Capitol Domes Giving handouts to Hollywood has become an en vogue method for state governments to stimulate economic growth. According to the Heartland…
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