State Budget
Pennsylvanians Are in Dire Need of Tax Reform
Originally published by RealClearPennsylvania. Today is Tax Day. Each year, April 15th reminds us of the costliness of government spending – and why lawmakers must reduce this financial burden on…
Read More: Pennsylvanians Are in Dire Need of Tax ReformHigh 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
Citizens Scrimp As Government Spends
With grim economic statistics mounting both here in Pennsylvania and throughout the nation, more and more of our fellow citizens are engaging in a collective belt-tightening. It is only our…
Commentary
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Survey of Marcellus Shale Residents
The Penn State Cooperative Extension has outlined findings from a survey of residents in the Marcellus Shale region (including New York, which still has a moratorium on drilling). The…
Media
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Which States are Stealing Pennsylvania Residents?
The Tax Foundation has launched a new, awesome interactive tool that looks at IRS data, tracking moves into and out of each state. The bottom line for Pennsylvania is…
Media
Read More: Which States are Stealing Pennsylvania Residents?Taxes & Economy
Constitution Day and the Perilous Future
On September 17, we celebrate the creation of our Constitution, one of the greatest governing documents ever conceived by the hand of man. This is the day we commemorate the…
Commentary
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The Specter Library is a Less Big Waste of Taxpayer Funds than Originally Indicated
John Micek points out that Arlen Specter is demanding that Tom Corbett, who criticized the Arlen Specter Library Project, get his facts straight. Specter claims the taxpayer-funded monument to…
Media
Read More: The Specter Library is a Less Big Waste of Taxpayer Funds than Originally IndicatedTaxes & Economy
PA House Democrats Unveil Transportation Tax Plan
Today, the Pennsylvania House Democrats put forth their proposal to raise taxes for transportation projects, as reported by PA Independent, which also provides a detailed outline of the…
Media
Read More: PA House Democrats Unveil Transportation Tax PlanState Budget
Rendell Starts State Bailout of Cities
Yesterday, Gov. Rendell announced a $4.3 million bailout for the city of Harrisburg. The city, following decades of wasteful spending on things like a Wild West Museum and owning…
Media
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Green Jobs? You Can All Go To Shale
The Marcellus Shale Coalition (that’s the pro-drilling group made up of natural gas exploration and recovery companies) has come up with a great idea — their own…
Media
Read More: Green Jobs? You Can All Go To ShaleRegulation
No Money For Bridges, But Plenty for Luxury Hotels
The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) has completed its first luxury hotel at Bald Eagle State Park. While DCNR’s project represents good business sense — reaching out…
Media
Read More: No Money For Bridges, But Plenty for Luxury HotelsState Budget
Is Harrisburg a Prediction of Things to Come?
Harrisburg’s inability to pay off massive debts accumulated by years of wasteful spending made headlines in the Wall Street Journal. Last week, Harrisburg skipped a $3 million debt payment…
Media
Read More: Is Harrisburg a Prediction of Things to Come?Taxes & Economy
“Free” Federal Grants Result in Higher State Taxes
Over the last several decades, and increasingly in recent years, state and local government leaders have lobbied for, and received, additional funding from the federal government. Though this money…
Media
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PennEnvironment: Weather is Climate Again
So PennEnvironment yesterday comes out with a new propaganda piece to capitalize on what they call last winter’s “Snowmageddon,” which is designed to get…
Media
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What Rendell Wants from a Natural Gas Tax
An AP story highlighting Gov. Rendell’s push for a natural gas tax comes with the misleading headline “Pa. gov wants gas industry to help shale towns.” Nothing of the…
Media
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Stimulus 5.0
President Obama has proposed yet another round of stimulus spending. Of course, he won’t call it a “stimulus,” because of how unpopular that has become. Others are, erroneously,…
Media
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Outsourcing Park Management a Budget Saver
With economists speculating a double dip recession, unemployment high, and a national deficit expected to reach $1.5 trillion this year, you might disapprove of unnecessary government spending, like putting…
Media
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PA’s Highways Remain Poorly Managed
Pennsylvania ranks 38th in the nation in state highway performance and cost-effectiveness, according to Reason’s latest Annual Highway Report. While the Keystone State’s ranking remains unchanged, nationally highway…
Media
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PennFuture’s Revised Lobbying Numbers
After ranting about alleged “egregious errors” in our report about their secret, unreported lobbying expenses and siccing their lawyer on us, PennFuture has…
Media
Read More: PennFuture’s Revised Lobbying NumbersGovernment Accountability
A Slap in the Face to Pennsylvania Taxpayers
The Tribune Review revisits the Rendell Administration’s leasing tens of thousands of acres of state forest lands via no-bid contracts. State records the Tribune-Review obtained show that, in…
Media
Read More: A Slap in the Face to Pennsylvania TaxpayersTaxes & Economy
Dan Onorato’s Natural Gas Tax
Gubernatorial Candidate Dan Onorato held a press conference yesterday announcing he supports a tax on natural gas extraction in Pennsylvania (and that he kinda-sorta opposes other tax…
Media
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PA Unemployment Fraud Adding to Already-Bankrupt System
As PA Independent reports today, Pennsylvania had $374 million in overpayments for Unemployment Compensation (UC) last year, including $227 million in fraudulent claims, according to the US Department of…
Media
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Solar Subsidies Sink State
Harrisburg, PA – The Commonwealth Foundation expresses its displeasure with Gov. Rendell’s pronouncement today of awarding more taxpayer funds for solar energy projects and advocating an increase in a mandate…
Press Release
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