Education
Lawmakers can ease financial worries of Pennsylvanians
Originally published at LNP The struggle is real. When asked about their families’ financial situation, only 17% of Pennsylvanians see themselves as better off now than two years ago,…
Read More: Lawmakers can ease financial worries of PennsylvaniansHigh 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
Analysis shows that school-tax reform was just a gesture from Harrisburg : The Morning Call Online
Morning Call editorial on “referendum in name only” as well as “tax reform in name only.” We only wish that more editorial boards would have listened to us…
Media
Read More: Analysis shows that school-tax reform was just a gesture from Harrisburg : The Morning Call OnlineState Budget
Whiskey and Car Keys
Author P.J. O’Rourke once wrote: “Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys.” He must have been thinking about Gov. Rendell and…
Commentary
Read More: Whiskey and Car KeysTaxes & Economy
Minimum wage increase might hurt teens
“Might”? Hmmm… When the cost of something goes up, don’t we buy less? Oh, our politicians in Harrisburg are passing a law to nullify the laws of economics. Good luck…
Media
Read More: Minimum wage increase might hurt teensTaxes & Economy
Wal-Mart Tax Fizzle
Wall Street Journal article on how the “Wal-Mart tax” push is failing in almost every state. Read our analysis of why the Wal-Mart tax is bad for Pennsylvania…
Media
Read More: Wal-Mart Tax FizzleTaxes & Economy
Bill to raise minimum wage gets House’s OK
Economics is once again trumped by political rhetoric in Harrisburg. Who can be against boosting the pay of someone on the lowest rung of the wage ladder? Unfortunately, by raising…
Media
Read More: Bill to raise minimum wage gets House’s OKTaxes & Economy
State spending to jump in ’06-07
Alison Hawkes in the Herald-Standard on budget negotiations.
Media
Read More: State spending to jump in ’06-07Health Care
$1 Trillion Shock Awaits States, Local Governments
Joe Mysak asks on Bloomberg.com: “How much is it going to cost states and localities to pay for public employees’ health care and insurance after they retire? “Try between…
Media
Read More: $1 Trillion Shock Awaits States, Local GovernmentsRegulation
The Merits of a Judicial Pay Raise in Pennsylvania
On July 7, 2005, a political firestorm was ignited in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in the form of a controversial pay raise for legislators, members of the executive branch, and…
Fact Sheet
Read More: The Merits of a Judicial Pay Raise in PennsylvaniaTaxes & Economy
Wage Wars
I discussed the Minimum Wage rhetoric and reality on SmartMoney.com.
Media
Read More: Wage WarsRegulation
Senators vs. Pork
Not a game between minor league baseball teams, but three State Senators (Jane Orie, R-Allison Park, Pat Vance, R-Silver Spring Twp, and Pat Browne, R-Allentown) trying to Shift Focus…
Media
Read More: Senators vs. PorkHealth Care
Accounting rule could bust state budgets
Stateline.org highlights the coming fiscal crisis in the states when governments are required to recognize medical benefits liabilities. Excerpt… Just when states found some breathing room after years…
Media
Read More: Accounting rule could bust state budgetsTaxes & Economy
State leaders won’t confront hard decisions
Columnist in New Jersey’s Express-Times nails it on the head–he writes: “It’s called a tax shift and has nothing to do with reducing the tax burden. In fact, ‘reducing’…
Media
Read More: State leaders won’t confront hard decisionsTaxes & Economy
Minimum Wage Myth-Busting
While the minimum wage debate heat up in DC and Harrisburg, check out this article in today’s Wall Street Journal on the “Labor Lost” from increasing the minimum wage…
Media
Read More: Minimum Wage Myth-BustingEducation
School Tax Hikes in Allegheny County
Interesting article in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review about property tax hikes. Twenty of 43 school districts in Allegheny are planning to raise tax rates. Their justification is that the county…
Media
Read More: School Tax Hikes in Allegheny CountyGovernment Accountability
Taxpayers spending over $1 million on lawyers to defend pay raise
As first broken by the Philadelphia Inquirer: “”Do I like hiring lawyers to defend these kinds of suits? No, I hate to do this,” said House Majority Leader Sam…
Media
Read More: Taxpayers spending over $1 million on lawyers to defend pay raiseTaxes & Economy
Does faux reform kill real reform?
Brad Bumstead in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review on the likelihood that significant property tax relief is dead following the passage of the facade of reform passed Wednesday. Read our News…
Media
Read More: Does faux reform kill real reform?Health Care
Reduce Health Insurance Cost Through Competition
NCPA Analysis of how allowing insurers to offer healthcare coverage across state boundaries would reduce the cost of insurance. Examining only a handful of states, they find a discrepancy…
Media
Read More: Reduce Health Insurance Cost Through CompetitionTaxes & Economy
Decoding the Swann Property Tax Plan
The property tax relief plan introduced by gubernatorial candidate Lynn Swann last month offers a radically different approach to the problem. Swann’s proposal contains some good provisions, some flawed provisions,…
Commentary
Read More: Decoding the Swann Property Tax PlanTaxes & Economy
FEMA funds spent on divorce, sex change
AP story on fraud in FEMA aid – as much as $1.4 Billion (16% of all FEMA aid for Katrina and Rita victims) may have been used improperly. My…
Media
Read More: FEMA funds spent on divorce, sex changeEducation
Cut the Fat
While Gov. Ed Rendell claims that his administration is “squeezing every nickel out of government,” an analysis of state spending released by the Commonwealth Foundation and Citizens Against Government Waste…
Commentary
Read More: Cut the FatGovernment Accountability
Agency: Unvouchered expenses ‘income’
The REPUBLICAN & Herald notes that two lawmakers paid taxes on their “unvouchered expenses.” But I thought UEs are not “income” so as not to be a direct violation…
Media
Read More: Agency: Unvouchered expenses ‘income’