High 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

Politicians and Economics

  • Nathan Benefield
  • May 15, 2008

While a number of people say that many economic policy issues are “too complex” for the general public Thomas Sowell argues that for the most part these concepts –…

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Taxes & Economy

Who Gets Federal Energy Subsidies?

  • Nathan Benefield
  • May 12, 2008

The Wall Street Journal has an article on who gets federal energy subsidies, based on a EIA report. The WSJ focuses most of the attention on electricity subsidies;…

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Taxes & Economy

The Wall Street Bailout Enhancement Act

  • Nathan Benefield
  • May 12, 2008

The Heritage Foundation’s Foundry blog summarizes the flaws of the federal mortgage bailout bill. The CNNMoney article linked to also provides a good synopsis of what the bill…

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Health Care

PA liability for state retiree health: $8.8 billion

  • Nathan Benefield
  • May 12, 2008

The PA Office of the Budget released their actuarial report on retiree health care liabilities, revealing that the estimated unfunded liablity as of July 1, 2008 is $8.8 billion…

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Health Care

Address the Cost of Health Care

  • Nathan Benefield
  • May 11, 2008

Here is a letter to the editor I sent to the York Daily Record on health care reform: I am responding to a May 4 op-ed by Rep. Eugene…

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Taxes & Economy

State Income Taxes and Economic Growth

  • Nathan Benefield
  • May 10, 2008

The Cato Journal has an article looking at the effects of state taxes and economic growth. Their finding, which should not surprise our readers, is that high marginal…

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State Budget

A Closer Look at Stadium Subsidies

  • Nathan Benefield
  • May 9, 2008

The American magazine has an exposé on sport stadium subsidies, by Dennis Coates, reaching the conclusion that they do not result in broad economic growth: My own research,…

Media

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Health Care

Health Care Reform (the right kind) in the states

  • Nathan Benefield
  • May 8, 2008

Georgia enacted a few of the health care reforms we have been touting. From the SPN Blog: Georgia eliminates a major tax inequity by allowing individuals to…

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Public Union Democracy

In Defense of RINO Hunting

  • Nathan Benefield
  • May 8, 2008

Pat Toomey lowers the hammer in the Wall Street Journal on the Republican establishment-types, who just want to win elections, regardless of policy, vision, or principles (note: this is…

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Taxes & Economy

Watch Our Award Winning Video

  • Nathan Benefield
  • May 7, 2008

The Commonwealth Foundation’s video Frontlines of Liberty won a 2008 Telly Award. GK Visual gets the credit for producing the video (along with all our videos) but…

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Taxes & Economy

South Carolina vs. PA

  • Nathan Benefield
  • May 7, 2008

The Club For Growth has been keeping track of news on potential VP candidates, and this post on SC Mark Sanford stood out. Again, not because John McCain won’t…

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Taxes & Economy

Big Farm whips Big Oil

  • Nathan Benefield
  • May 7, 2008

Great editorial on how “Big Farm” companies dominate “Big Oil” as a special interest, having both “record profits” and government subsidies for ethanol in the wake of a global…

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Taxes & Economy

Does Marriage Matter?

  • Nathan Benefield
  • May 6, 2008

As the PA Senate is expected to vote on the Marriage Protection Amendment today, I’d thought I’d remind readers that we discussed this proposal with both supporters and opponents…

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Health Care

Savings from McCain’s Health Care Tax Credit

  • Nathan Benefield
  • May 6, 2008

With the re-release of John McCain’s health care plan came a lot of criticism (along with praise) over who benefits from his tax credit. McCain would offer…

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Taxes & Economy

Is the US in a recession?

  • Nathan Benefield
  • May 5, 2008

Tony Phyrillas writes that the U.S. is not in a recession. John Micek jokes about Phyrillas swallowing Bush’s rhetoric. Of course Tony has the evidence, whereas John is,…

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Health Care

High Risk Pools

  • Nathan Benefield
  • May 5, 2008

One of the key recommendations from Rick Dreyfuss’s health care testimony last week which received a number of questions was creating a state high risk pool. CAHI has…

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Taxes & Economy

Judicial Merit Selection?

  • Nathan Benefield
  • May 4, 2008

“Robin Hood” writes on the Keystone Politics Blog against the idea of judicial merit selection. In a pre-rebuttal, JudgesonMerit offers an analysis of what critics of merit selection…

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Taxes & Economy

The Proposed Mortage Bailout

  • Nathan Benefield
  • May 4, 2008

Here are a few resources on the proposed federal mortgage bailout. FreedomWorks has a new site on this issue called AngryRenter.com Heritage Foundation’s research on the “Mortgage…

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Public Union Democracy

Right-to-Work leads to Economic Growth

  • Nathan Benefield
  • May 2, 2008

The Mackinac Center has a brief analysis the economic climate of Right to Work states and Forced Unionism states. Mark Perry sums it up nicely: What are…

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