Media

Regulation

RAMPing Up PA Liquor Control Board’s Monopoly Power

• October 15, 2010

The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, the largest supplier of alcohol in the world, recently enacted regulations to become the sole provider of its now-mandated educational program for Pennsylvania businesses, the…

Media

Regulation

Why Not A Defined Contribution Retirement Plan for Public Employees?

• Nathan Benefield
• October 14, 2010

In a Capitolwire story about the Pennsylvania pension “reform” bill that would primarily defer costs to the future, Sen. Pat Browne says, We tried to go as…

Media

Education

Enlow Hammers Home the Benefits of School Choice

• October 14, 2010

Yesterday in the PA Senate, Robert Enlow, President and CEO of the Foundation for Educational Choice, spoke on the issue of school vouchers and their applicability in the state…

Media

Taxes & Economy

Dear Gas Companies: Replenish Our Slush Fund

• October 13, 2010

Among PennFuture’s justifications for demanding a natural gas tax, as Katrina mentioned earlier, is that Pennsylvania’s “Growing Greener” funding “has all been spent.” Since the program…

Media

Regulation

How HB 2497 Costs Taxpayers $67 Billion

• Nathan Benefield
• October 13, 2010

A supporter writes, saying he called his state Senator about HB 2497, and the lawmaker told him the bill would “save money.” As we’ve…

Media

Lots More Legislation on Tap in Harrisburg this Week

• October 13, 2010

As in the norm in the Pennsylvania state capitol, lawmakers don’t pass a whole lot throught the year (despite being a full-time legislature) and then, at the very end of…

Media

School Choice Saves Children from Failing Schools and Taxpayer Money

• Matthew Brouillette
• October 13, 2010

Chairman Piccola, and members of the Committee, thank you for the invitation to testify today. I’m Matt Brouillette, president of the Commonwealth Foundation for Public Policy Alternatives. But I am…

Testimony

Taxes & Economy

PennFuture Will Say Anything to Get a Gas Tax

• October 13, 2010

Here’s a letter to the editor I submitted in response to inflammatory claims made by PennFuture’s Jan Jarret and AFL-CIO’s Richard Bloomingdale about a severance tax: A recent editorial…

Media

Blog Roundup

• October 13, 2010

Check out these noteworthy posts that showed up in the blogosphere this week: The Tax Foundation tells us why “state budget deficits” is a loaded meaningless term used by…

Media

Taxes & Economy

PennFuture: Just Give Us Your Money Already

• October 12, 2010

Like Gov. Ed Rendell, PennFuture today held a whining session (were they at the same one?) about the Senate’s “failure” to pass a severance tax on natural…

Media

Regulation

Commonwealth Foundation President Calls Pension Reform “Bailout for Union Bosses”

• October 12, 2010

HARRISBURG, PA (10.12.10) – Commonwealth Foundation president and CEO Matthew J. Brouillette released the following statement regarding HB 2497 — the so-called SERS & PSERS pension reform legislation currently before…

Press Release

Rendell: Just Give Me Your Money Already

• Nathan Benefield
• October 12, 2010

Gov. Ed “if you vote for Republicans you might die” Rendell held another lame-duck press conference today to quack about not getting higher taxes. Whining that the PA Constitutional…

Media

Health Care

Big Gas, Big Fast Food Chains, and Big Government

• Nathan Benefield
• October 12, 2010

PA Independent reports that the largest drillers in the Marcellus Shale sat in on the Rendell and the Conquistadors’ Columbus Day meeting: Although 75 companies currently operate wells…

Media

Taxes & Economy

PA Should Learn Lesson and Stop Subsidizing Housing Construction

• Elizabeth Stelle
• October 12, 2010

This week the State Senate could pass a House bill to create a new housing trust fund for areas where affordable housing is in short supply due to the recession…

Media

Salt-storage sheds are unsafe, state officials say

• October 12, 2010

Media Hit

Retirees form new Montco Tea Party

• October 11, 2010

Media Hit

Taxes & Economy

What About the Constitution, Governor?

• October 11, 2010

Recently Nate Benefield explained how Senate Bill 1155, which creates a severance tax on natural gas drilling companies, is unconstitutional. Katrina Currie subsequently updated the story:…

Media

State Budget

Spending Revolt Tour: Day 5 Update

• Matthew Brouillette
• October 11, 2010

The Spending Revolt National Tour stopped in Scranton on Sunday night for a Town Hall meeting, which was streamed live (and available here and below). The Scranton…

Media

Taxes & Economy

Too Much Spending or Not Enough Taxes?

• Nathan Benefield
• October 11, 2010

Chart-master Veronique de Rugy sums up the debate over extending the tax cuts and federal deficits in a simple chart. The dominant blue bar represents the mind-boggling $42 trillion…

Media

Government Accountability

More Taxpayer-Funded Lobbying for Higher Taxes

• Nathan Benefield
• October 11, 2010

I have highlighted the taxpayer funded propaganda in the guise of a “newsletter,” titled the Marcellus Shale Examiner, before. The latest newsletter, which leads with Gov. Rendell’s “We…

Media

Spending Revolt bus rolls into Scranton with anti-government message

• October 11, 2010

Media Hit