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
“Stupid Hicks” Oppose Big Government
I wasn’t going to post anything on Barack Obama’s comments about people “clinging” to guns and religion, until Philadelphia Daily News columnist John Baer offered his Obama can…
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Read More: “Stupid Hicks” Oppose Big GovernmentTaxes & Economy
‘Government cannot spend its way out of a recession’
Tony Phyrillas summarizes the House Republicans’ tax reduction package unveiled today. The legislation includes:· Implementing Compete PA business tax relief, which includes removing the cap on net…
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Read More: ‘Government cannot spend its way out of a recession’Taxes & Economy
10 Businesses Facing Extinction in 10 Years
Entrepreneur.com has an intriguing article on businesses facing extinction (HT Carpe Diem). Some of the selections are obvious, and have already seen major declines (pay phones, camera film…
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Read More: 10 Businesses Facing Extinction in 10 YearsRegulation
Benevolence of the Trucker
Land Line Magazine’s coverage of the Public-Private Partnership (P3) forum that I moderated on Monday ran with the headline, “Panelists say profit motivates infrastructure investment.” (As an aside,…
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PA’s “liberal” population shift
The Philadelphia Inquirer has an article remarking on Pennsylvania’s demographic changes, noting that the state is gaining population in the eastern part and losing population in the west –…
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Read More: PA’s “liberal” population shiftTaxes & Economy
Another Mediocre Rank for PA Business Climate
The Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council has new report on Business Tax Index 2008, look at the best tax climate for small businesses. Pennsylvania, as has been a recurring…
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Read More: Another Mediocre Rank for PA Business ClimateGovernment Accountability
“Per Diems” Add Up
RocktheCapital has analyzed and released expense reports for one lawmaker, David Argall of Schuykill County, finding that he collected $15,000 in “per diems” (compensation above and beyond salary, ostensibly…
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Read More: “Per Diems” Add UpHealth Care
When is a college basketball game “over”?
If you like sports and you like math then Bill James’s calculator to determine when a college basketball game is out of reach should be interesting (if not, then…
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Read More: When is a college basketball game “over”?Taxes & Economy
Eminent Domain post-Kelo
The Cato Daily Podcast for today covers state eminent domain reform reforms since Kelo. For more visit the Castle Coalition, and their report on state eminent domain…
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Congressional Ratings from National Taxpayers Union
The National Taxpayers Union has released their 2007 Congressional Rankings. As for the PA Delegation: Pitts A 87% (“Taxpayers’ Friend”)Shuster B 74% (“Good”)Peterson C+ 62% (“Satisfactory”)…
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Read More: Congressional Ratings from National Taxpayers UnionTaxes & Economy
“No Cardboard Checks”
One of my favorite sources for the inside scoop from the Capitol is Senator Eichelberger’s blog. In his latest post, he describes his refusal to participate in handing out…
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Global temperatures ‘to decrease’
BBC report on a decade of “global cooling”.
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Read More: Global temperatures ‘to decrease’Taxes & Economy
Big Oil vs. Big Ethanol
Everyone in Pennsylvania (save the Amish, who are also unlikely to be reading this blog) must have heard or seen the Barack Obama, anti-“Big Oil” ad dozens of…
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Read More: Big Oil vs. Big EthanolState Budget
The Merits of Pork Barrel spending
Tom Barnes of the Post-Gazette has a story on the state capital budget, covering some of the projects in the Pittsburgh area. The Rendell administration tries to take…
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Read More: The Merits of Pork Barrel spendingHealth Care
Why McCain has the best health-care plan
Fortune Magazine article on the health care proposals of the presidential candidates, along with the overarching question of whether we should move to government-run insurance or offer consumers greater…
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Electricity deregulation a success in Texas
Dallas Morning News story on a report showing how competition flourished and prices declined once Texas Electrity Deregulation took effect in January of last year. The full report…
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Read More: Electricity deregulation a success in TexasGovernment Accountability
Why the capital budget process needs to be reformed
Here is a response I posted on GrassrootsPA to the defenders of the $13 billion in capital budget projects who state essentially “It isn’t that bad, because not all…
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Read More: Why the capital budget process needs to be reformedTaxes & Economy
Hoover’s Heirs
Wall Street Journal editorial on what not to do facing a possible recession, i.e. follow the lead of Herbert Hoover: In 1930, he signed the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act,…
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Read More: Hoover’s HeirsState Budget
$13 Billion capital budget flies under radar
The $12.7 billion in borrowing for the state Capital Budget has become a hot topic on GrassrootsPA. Otherwise, it has merited a blurb in the Patriot News, and…
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Read More: $13 Billion capital budget flies under radarTaxes & Economy
Is the GOP Still the Party of Economic Growth?
John Tamny has a scathing RealClearMarkets column on the national economic policy of the last 7 years, implying that, had you been stuck on an island with Jack, Sawyer,…
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Read More: Is the GOP Still the Party of Economic Growth?Taxes & Economy
The Clean Energy Scam
Time Magazine blasts the ethanol craze that has politicians (including Governor Rendell) demanding more subsidies and mandates for biofuels than they already get (HT: Carpe Diem):…
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