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.
Taxes & Economy
Pennsylvania has 2nd highest corporate tax – in the world
A new report from the The Tax Foundation finds that Pennsylvania’s combined federal and local corporate income tax rate is higher than any other industrialized nation, and trails only…
Media
Read More: Pennsylvania has 2nd highest corporate tax – in the worldTaxes & Economy
John Baer: Nutter & Obama are awesome
When Saturday Night Live made a mockery of the media’s gushing over Barack Obama, I was surprised at how quickly media-types responded by leveling some criticism and by starting some…
Media
Read More: John Baer: Nutter & Obama are awesomeHealth Care
Competition Solves Health Care
Tom Coburn op-ed in The New York Sun on why free markets are the solution to health care, and government programs are the problem. While government’s role in…
Media
Read More: Competition Solves Health CareHealth Care
Stateline: Socialized Medicine = Fiscally Conservative
Stateline.org has an interesting article on health care funding in the states. The headline reads “On health care, govs are tightening belts.” Here are some examples of “belt-tightening”:…
Media
Read More: Stateline: Socialized Medicine = Fiscally ConservativeTaxes & Economy
PA Ranks 45th in Tort Liability
Pacific Research Institute has published their State Tort Liability Rankings for 2008. Pennsylvania ranks a lowly 45th, but is very close to 44th – we have your number, Rhode…
Media
Read More: PA Ranks 45th in Tort LiabilityTaxes & Economy
Defending Free Trade
The Economist has an editorial defending NAFTA – and the need for the US (and presidential candidates) to drop NAFTA bashing. (HT: The Foundry). On a related front,…
Media
Read More: Defending Free TradeHealth Care
Why aren’t you dead?
John Goodman’s Health Policy Blog wonders why more people are being poisoned by restaurants – noting how inept public health inspectors are: What keeps you alive is the…
Media
Read More: Why aren’t you dead?Taxes & Economy
Litigating for Liberty
Reason Magazine has a great interview with Chip Mellor, co-founder of the Institute for Justice, on why he believes is “litigating for liberty” – defending parents’ rights to…
Media
Read More: Litigating for LibertyRegulation
Economic Impacts of the Climate Change Bill
A new study by the Science Applications International Corporation and sponsored by the National Association of Manufacturers and the American Council for Capital Formation looks at the economic impacts…
Media
Read More: Economic Impacts of the Climate Change BillGovernment Accountability
A Conservative Approach To Universal Health Care
Forbes article on the NFIB’s proposed health care agenda which includes allowing individuals to purchase health insurance coverage over state lines, tax deductions for individually purchased insurance, tort…
Media
Read More: A Conservative Approach To Universal Health CareHealth Care
PA House Rejects Real Health Care Reform
The Pennsylvania House passed an amendment (and is expected to pass the bill) that would enact the House Democrats’ “Pennsylvania ABC,” or as I call it, RendellCare 2.0,…
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Read More: PA House Rejects Real Health Care ReformHealth Care
A Short Course in Brain Surgery
Video from FreeMarketCure on how government run health care, like that in Canada, is hazardous to your health.
Media
Read More: A Short Course in Brain SurgeryRegulation
Government on a Diet: Spending Tips 2008
State government consumption and spending of taxpayer money has grown rapidly over the years. Since 1970, Pennsylvania’s operating budget increased from $4.2 billion to $59 billion in FY 2007-2008, an…
Report
Read More: Government on a Diet: Spending Tips 2008Regulation
Mutually Exclusive: Pension COLAS and Lower Taxes
In Government 101, we learn how a bill becomes law and the circuitous route that, at any stage of the political process, may derail a proposal. In fact, only 6.3%…
Commentary
Read More: Mutually Exclusive: Pension COLAS and Lower TaxesHealth Care
Pennsylvania proposes to cheat Medicaid
Michael Cannon writes that the Rendell administration’s plan to tax Philly and Pittsburgh hospitals, but give them higher reimbursements from Medicaid is a great plan … for Pennsylvania.
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Read More: Pennsylvania proposes to cheat MedicaidTaxes & Economy
A Philly Tax Cutter?
City Journal sounding on what Mayor Nutter needs to do to turn the Philadelphia economy around. The results of the city’s hostility toward business are evident. While the…
Media
Read More: A Philly Tax Cutter?Regulation
How government makes things worse
Boston Globe piece by Jeff Jacoby covers the “Law of Unintended Consequences” of government intervention. Jacoby takes on government mandates and subsidies for ethanol: But now comes word…
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Read More: How government makes things worseTaxes & Economy
Are We Talking Ourselves Into Recession?
BusinessWeek article on whether the media’s obsession with bad economic news may be driving low consumer confidence and turning a “slowdown” into a recession. Case in point: I recently…
Media
Read More: Are We Talking Ourselves Into Recession?Taxes & Economy
Pa. legislative Democrats’ I-80 report worthless
Towanda Daily Review editorial on the “study” commissioned by House Democrats on a Turnpike lease. One addition to my previous notes on the “study”: To show…
Media
Read More: Pa. legislative Democrats’ I-80 report worthlessTaxes & Economy
Median U.S. Gross Income: $61,500
TaxProf Blog has the latest US Median Income, along with a couple of nifty charts on median income growth (in both nominal and real terms) and the average income…
Media
Read More: Median U.S. Gross Income: $61,500Taxes & Economy
Turnpike Comission seeks private bidders to finish roads
With no sense of irony, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission is adverstising for for “expressions of interest” from private firms interested in finishing and managining the Mon-Fayette Expressway and Findlay…
Media
Read More: Turnpike Comission seeks private bidders to finish roads