Taxes & Economy

The Hail Mary for Solar Subsidies

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • September 23, 2010

Solar power advocates’ fight to triple the state’s costly solar energy mandates took a new turn this week. Proponents, including DEP Secretary Hanger and Governor Rendell, urged the…

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State Budget

Being Tough on Crime Is Not Enough

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • September 22, 2010

With one in 28 Pennsylvanians in jail or prison, on probation, or on parole in 2007 — at the cost of more than $1.8 billion — Pennsylvania is at a…

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Taxes & Economy

Video: Bradford County Residents Talk About a Natural Gas Tax

  • September 22, 2010

In this video, part of a forthcoming series on the Marcellus Shale natural gas boom in Pennsylvania, residents from Bradford County speak out about the proposed natural gas severance…

Media

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Regulation

Film Tax Credits are Bad Economics

  • Nathan Benefield
  • September 22, 2010

Josh Barro of the Manhattan Institute hammers on film tax credits, which have been so popular among lawmakers in Pennsylvania and other states, who love when movie stars…

Media

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Taxes & Economy

Video: Natural Gas Drilling Jobs

  • September 21, 2010

For our upcoming video series on the Marcellus Shale natural gas boom in Pennsylvania, Know the Drill, we visited Bradford County and spoke with local officials, rig workers, contractors, and…

Media

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Taxes & Economy

Solar Claims Need Scrutiny

  • September 21, 2010

There’s nothing wrong with solar energy, but government officials (like Gov. Rendell and Environmental Protection Secretary John Hanger) shouldn’t mislead the public to drum up support for taxpayer funding of…

Media

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Regulation

Privatizing Pittsburgh Parking

  • Nathan Benefield
  • September 21, 2010

The Post-Gazette reports the highest bid for a lease of Pittsburgh’s public parking garages came in at $452 million, well above what was expected. While the city of Pittsburgh…

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Taxes & Economy

Odd Headline of the Day

  • Nathan Benefield
  • September 20, 2010

CNN reports, “Stocks rally to 4-month highs after economists report recession ended in June 2009.” Three comments: Are you surprised to learn the recession ended 15 months…

Media

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Regulation

Marcellus Money Yields $88 Million Gift to Penn State

  • Nathan Benefield
  • September 20, 2010

The Post-Gazette reports that Terry Pegula, who recently sold his company that was drilling for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale, donated $88 million to Penn State University to…

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Taxes & Economy

Survey of Marcellus Shale Residents

  • Nathan Benefield
  • September 17, 2010

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…

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Taxes & Economy

Which States are Stealing Pennsylvania Residents?

  • Nathan Benefield
  • September 17, 2010

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…

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Government Accountability

Pennsylvania Has Been Collecting Info on Citizens for Years

  • Nathan Benefield
  • September 16, 2010

There has been a hullabaloo over the discovery that the Pennsylvania Office of Homeland Security (under the Emergency Management Agency), has been paying a private company to put together details about protests…

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Education

2010 SAT Scores by State

  • Nathan Benefield
  • September 16, 2010

EDITORS NOTE: Click here for the 2014 SAT Scores by state The College Board has released the results of the 2010 SAT. We prepared a chart of SAT performance…

Media

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Taxes & Economy

PA House Democrats Unveil Transportation Tax Plan

  • Nathan Benefield
  • September 14, 2010

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

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Education

School Choice Saves Education in New Orleans

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • September 14, 2010

Just over five years ago, New Orleans was devastated by Katrina, but the city’s education system was in shambles long before the storm. Today, New Orleans has witnessed a…

Media

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State Budget

Rendell Starts State Bailout of Cities

  • Nathan Benefield
  • September 13, 2010

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…

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