Media

Taxes & Economy

Calvin Coolidge, Tom Corbett, and Why Politics Isn’t Like Business

• Charles Mitchell
• December 30, 2011

My wife is awesome.  As proof, I submit to you the fact that she willingly parted with 35 bucks in order to give me The Autobiography of Calvin Coolidge for…

Media

Taxes & Economy

Tax-Exempt Government Property Adds to Harrisburg’s Woes

• Nathan Benefield
• December 29, 2011

The city of Harrisburg is facing a fiscal crisis primarily brought on by over-spending, accruing too much debt, and getting into areas government has no business—from the incinerator to owning…

Media

Taxes & Economy

Map: PA Among Highest Unemployment Tax Rates

• Nathan Benefield
• December 28, 2011

The Tax Foundation has a new map showing unemployment insurance tax rates. As you can see, Pennsylvania has one of the highest tax rates in the nation. The unemployment…

Media

Fans of private liquor sales hope for victory in 2012

• December 28, 2011

Media Hit

Nathan Benefield | Santa has misplaced Corbett’s wish list

• December 28, 2011

Media Hit

Taxes & Economy

PennFuture’s Political Games

• December 27, 2011

Enviro-profiteers PennFuture (an environmental activist group) misused tens of thousands of taxpayers’ dollars, and what was the President and CEO Jan Jarrett’s response? “My bad.” Jarrett admitted…

Media

Taxes & Economy

Marcellus Drilling Rescues Williamsport

• December 27, 2011

Earlier this month, I visited Williamsport, home of the Little League World Series and a growing economy. Clearly it’s not just baseball that brightens this central Pa. city…

Media

Education

PSEA Exposed: Vex, Lies and Audio Tape

• Priya Brannick
• December 22, 2011

Nestled in the $4.2 million the Pennsylvania State Education Asssociation spent in 2010-11 on political activities are some very telling expenditures on polling firms.  For example, remember the much-touted…

Media

Health Care

No Rush on Health Insurance Exchanges

• Elizabeth Stelle
• December 22, 2011

In late November the Department of Insurance announced that Pennsylvania would begin implementing a state health insurance exchange as laid out in PPACA (the Patient Protection and Affordable Care…

Media

County neighbors scoff at rail resolution

• December 22, 2011

Media Hit

Taxes & Economy

Drilling Regulations in Pennsylvania vs. Neighbors

• December 21, 2011

Marcellus Shale opponents often mislead the public with claims such as the industry doesn’t pay taxes (debunked here), the economic benefits are overstated (read here,…

Media

Boardwalk Empire Eyes Bourbon Bust

• December 21, 2011

In 1933, a board game called Monopoly was created and Pennsylvanians took pride in seeing Keystone State references throughout.  Sadly, another monopoly board game was created that year called the…

Media

Government Accountability

More on Hellholes, of the Judicial Sort

• Elizabeth Stelle
• December 21, 2011

The yearly Judicial Hellhole report from the American Tort Reform Foundation ranks Philadelphia as the number one judicial hellhole for the second year in a row. Pennsylvania’s court…

Media

Government Accountability

Redistricting Reform Needed…Four Years Ago

• Nathan Benefield
• December 20, 2011

The Pennsylvania House is expected this week to to pass the Congressional redistricting bill. House Democrats, in the minority, are complaining about the gerrymandering of the new map.

Media

Union Party vs. Taxpayer Party: PA’s Political Paradigm

• Matthew Brouillette
• December 20, 2011

If you don’t receive our Weekly Update every Monday via email, here’s what you missed yesterday.  If you want to get these updates directly, sign up here. Dear…

Media

Regulation

Time to End Borrowing for Corporate Welfare

• Nathan Benefield
• December 19, 2011

The Pa. House is expected to vote this week on SB 1054, legislation to authorize $1.66 billion in state borrowing for the “capital budget.” The annual cost of this…

Media

Education

The Growing Lobbying Might of the PSEA

• Priya Brannick
• December 19, 2011

The Pennsylvania State Education Association, the state’s largest government union with 192,000 members, spent an astonishing $2.6 million in 2009-10 on “political activities and lobbying.” If that seems like a…

Media

Welfare

Protecting Medicaid for the Poor

• Elizabeth Stelle
• December 19, 2011

The Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare has trimmed Pennsylvania’s Medicaid rolls by 150,000 people since August. Welfare spending advocates and organizations receiving welfare dollars…

Media

Pennsylvania counties are set to raise property-tax-levies

• December 19, 2011

Media Hit

Tasteless ad exposes LCB’s conflict of interest

• December 18, 2011

Media Hit

Pa. Liquor Control Board must end its mission conflict

• December 18, 2011

Media Hit