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.
Regulation
Convention Center no economic savior
Post-Gazette looks at the failure of the $373 million Pittsburgh convention center to create an economic boom – or even to outdraw the old convention center (HT: Grassroots…
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Read More: Convention Center no economic saviorTaxes & Economy
Not facing a Great Depression
Here are a couple of good articles on the bailout (and the rhetoric in favor of it) by Cato scholars. Alan Reynolds writes that “saying we’re in for another…
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Read More: Not facing a Great DepressionTaxes & Economy
Never mind the Commission behind the curtain
Our news release today, What Will the General Assembly Do?, focuses on the need to consider the consequences of failing to act on the $12.8 billion bid to lease…
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Read More: Never mind the Commission behind the curtainHealth Care
Converting Medicaid into Premium Assistance
The Heritage Foundation has a new backgrounder (click here for PDF) on how states can convert Medicaid spending into premium assistance for insurance – a proposal which would…
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Read More: Converting Medicaid into Premium AssistanceHealth Care
Bailing Out Massachusetts
The Foundry Blog of the Heritage Foundation has discovered that the federal government will “bail out” Massachusetts troubled health care plan (e.g. RomneyCare) with a $4.2 billion increase…
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Read More: Bailing Out MassachusettsTaxes & Economy
Root causes of the financial “crisis”
I attended a conference late last week feature a number of economists, and was surprised to discover a great deal of disagreement about what caused the “crisis” in the financial…
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Read More: Root causes of the financial “crisis”Government Accountability
Perzel’s Parking Authority
Here is a funny video in which “Manatee” declares his desire to run the Philadelphia Parking Authority, so that he can work as little as possible, hire all his…
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Read More: Perzel’s Parking AuthorityTaxes & Economy
Bailout Fails
In case you missed it, the vote on the bailout failed. GrassrootsPA has the PA Delegation Bailout Vote. The Club for Growth blog has a lot more on…
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Property Taxes by State and by County
The Tax Foundation has a new analysis of property taxes by state and by county. The state data shows that Pennsylvania ranks 15th in median property taxes ($2,159),…
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Read More: Property Taxes by State and by CountyTaxes & Economy
No immediate fiscal crisis?
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports on the drop in transportation funding due to the rejection of the Turnpike Commission’s I-80 tolling plan. Under Act 44, the Turnpike Commission will borrow…
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Read More: No immediate fiscal crisis?Taxes & Economy
Bailout Updates
Bill Text Side-by-Side Comparisons CNN Summary Sales Pitch Summary Boehner’s Sales Pitch Bush’s Sales Pitch WSJ Summary Rep. Mike Pence: “Republicans…
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Will rejectors regret inaction on turnpike?
Morning Call editorial blasts lawmakers for failing to even consider a lease deal: Once again, the small-idea, under-achieving Pennsylvania Legislature has let down the people they serve. The…
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Read More: Will rejectors regret inaction on turnpike?Taxes & Economy
The case Barlett hasn’t made
Bruce Bartlett attempts to justify the bailout (“The case Bush hasn’t made”) by explaining that the financial sector is different than other sectors, that a collapse in the financial…
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Read More: The case Barlett hasn’t madeTaxes & Economy
Bailout Bandwagon – The Rendell Plan
As hope for the proposed Turnpike Lease dwindles, Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell is asking Congress to add $100 billion in transportation money to the $700 billion bailout deal.
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Read More: Bailout Bandwagon – The Rendell PlanTaxes & Economy
Free Market Alternatives to the Bailout
Pat Toomey of the Club for Growth hosted a conference a call to discuss the economics of the proposed bailout. Toomey commented that the financial market does not seem…
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Read More: Free Market Alternatives to the BailoutTaxes & Economy
$12.8B lease opportunity is all but lost
The opportunity to plug a massive transportation funding gap will be lost because of legislative inaction. Although Gov. Rendell plans to try to revive the turnpike lease in 2009, one…
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Read More: $12.8B lease opportunity is all but lostTaxes & Economy
Turnpike Lease Bid expiring – what now?
With the Turnpike lease bid expiring – and indications are there will be no extension of the $12.8 billion bid – both Governor Rendell and some lawmakers have…
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Read More: Turnpike Lease Bid expiring – what now?Taxes & Economy
Legislators should do their jobs
The Altoona Mirror takes legislative leaders to task for failing to do their jobs: Senate Republican leaders – President Pro Tem Joe Scarnati and Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi…
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Read More: Legislators should do their jobsTaxes & Economy
Transportation funding options
The Derrick in Clarion provides a good synopsis of Matt Brouillette’s presentation on Pennsylvania’s transportation funding situation. What isn’t covered in the article was the discussion about the other…
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Read More: Transportation funding optionsTaxes & Economy
Competition Encourages Utilities to Help Consumers
Yesterday, Met-ed and Penelec filed their own pre-payment plan with the PUC. The proposal is similar to PPL’s recently launched effort to mitigate the expected jump in electricity prices…
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Read More: Competition Encourages Utilities to Help ConsumersGovernment Accountability
Talking Free Markets with Karl Rove
I had the chance to hear Karl Rove speak at a conference hosted by Hillsdale College on “Economics and the 2008 Election.” Rove had some interesting things to say:…
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