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
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…
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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 roadsTaxes & Economy
Free analysis of costly Turnpike study
Toll Roads News offers some comments on the $75,000 taxpayer-funded “study” on a Turnpike lease. The Caucus report is in its nature hypothetical. It is based on…
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Read More: Free analysis of costly Turnpike studyTaxes & Economy
Did the PA min. wage increase cost jobs?
The PA Department of Labor and Industry released their report on the state minimum wage increase. As this Post-Gazette story indicated, the report doesn’t attempt to address what…
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Read More: Did the PA min. wage increase cost jobs?Taxes & Economy
Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission vs. PennDOT
Act 44 of 2007 dramatically expanded the scope and power of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) to increase tolls on the 537-mile Turnpike; enter into a lease agreement with…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission vs. PennDOTPublic Union Democracy
Texas v. Ohio
Wall Street Journal article contrasts the economic fortunes between Texas (good) and Ohio (bad), and explores some of the reasons behind this – namely taxes (Texas=low, Ohio=high and increasing)…
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Read More: Texas v. OhioTaxes & Economy
NAFTA, Foreign Trade, and jobs
Cato’s Dan Griswold writes that “Ohio Needs More Foreign Trade” as Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama denounce NAFTA in Ohio: Ohio workers would pay a heavy price for…
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Read More: NAFTA, Foreign Trade, and jobsRegulation
Union wants pension backing for roads
Financial Times article on public sector unions pushing for public pension funds to invest in roads and other infrastructure. Of course, as noted, many public pension funds (the California…
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Read More: Union wants pension backing for roadsTaxes & Economy
An Upside for the Middle Class
Interesting Washington Post article on the middle class: Items once considered luxuries — dishwashers, central air conditioning, video cameras — are now common. The average size of new…
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Read More: An Upside for the Middle ClassRegulation
How to Shrink an Economy
Penn State Altoona econ professor John McGinnis writes on how Pennsylvania’s “economic development” spending shrinks our economy – first by taxing to pay for this corporate welfare, then by…
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Read More: How to Shrink an EconomyState Budget
PA Budget Historical Numbers
I’ve received a couple of requests for historics Pennsylvania state budget numbers, so I thought I’d post the data here. The figures represent actual final spending from 1970-2007, while…
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Read More: PA Budget Historical NumbersTaxes & Economy
Daylight Saving Wastes Energy
A new study show that daylight savings time result in higher energy use, reports the Wall Street Journal, examing the effect of Indiana’s recent move to DST. Daylight Savings…
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Read More: Daylight Saving Wastes EnergyTaxes & Economy
Wages Are a Price, Too
A good chart of wages vs. inflation on the CARPE DIEM blog, along with a criticism of today’s Wall Street Journal article on inflation (and a humorous transposition…
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Read More: Wages Are a Price, TooTaxes & Economy
Foreigners Create Jobs
With transportation funding from last year's Act 44 looking increasingly unlikely to materialize, Gov. Rendell is wisely continuing to push for a private-sector lease of the Pennsylvania Turnpike as part…
Commentary
Read More: Foreigners Create JobsTaxes & Economy
Bio-Foolish Behavior
IBD Editorial on the lack of common sense in pushing for additional bio-fuel mandates and taxpayer subsidy: In 2005, America used 15% of its corn crop to replace…
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Read More: Bio-Foolish BehaviorHealth Care
Obama v. McCain on Health Care
Cato Daily Podcast with Michael Tanner on the differences between McCain and Obama – and the constrast of market-based reform vs. expansion of government – on health care.
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Read More: Obama v. McCain on Health CareTaxes & Economy
The Laffer Curve, Part II
Second part in the video series on the Laffer Curve – this video looks at real examples of how tax cuts result in economic and revenue growth.
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Read More: The Laffer Curve, Part IIHealth Care
RendellCare: What Would Jesus Do?
Remember the passage in the Bible where Jesus called upon the Roman Empire to provide universal, government-run health insurance? What! There’s no such passage? Perhaps someone should point that…
Commentary
Read More: RendellCare: What Would Jesus Do?Health Care
Semonizing on RendellCare
Morning Call article and Post-Gazette piece on the planned “CAP Sunday” and campaign to use sermons to promote RendellCare. (HT: GrassrootsPA) I’ve written on Jesus and…
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Read More: Semonizing on RendellCareRegulation
Corporate Welfare responsible for 125% of new jobs
A new study and press conference today by the Pennsylvania Economic Development Association (PEDA) takes credit for helping to “create” 186,000 jobs in PA from 2003 through…
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Read More: Corporate Welfare responsible for 125% of new jobs