Media

Regulation

Fact Check: Pennsylvania’s Liquor Store Revenue

• Nathan Benefield
• July 26, 2010

Many myths continue about the privatization of Pennsylvania’s state-owned liquor stores. One is that the state government would lose annual revenue from liquor sales. See Wendell Young, speaking on behalf…

Media

Regulation

Reviewing the Financial Crisis

• Nathan Benefield
• July 25, 2010

Nicole Gelinas has a great piece surveying a number of books on the financial crisis. Contrary to conventional wisdom, many in the finance world foresaw the collapse, some big…

Media

Pa. Liquor Board Touts Consumer-Friendly Efforts

• July 25, 2010

Media Hit

Regulation

State Pension System Going Deeper into the Red

• Nathan Benefield
• July 25, 2010

Eleanor Chute of the Post-Gazette notes the approval of the pension contribution rates for Pennsylvania school employees (split between school districts and the state). She also notes that the…

Media

Governor doles out ‘corporate welfare’

• July 24, 2010

Media Hit

Education

Cyber School Rewarded for Its Effectiveness

• July 23, 2010

Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) has renewed the charter for the state’s first cyber charter school to offer all grades K-12. CEO Dr. Nick Trombetta acknowledged this accomplishment:…

Media

Taxes & Economy

Obama Admits Energy Subsidies Distort Economy

• July 23, 2010

A recent Heritage Foundation article highlights the hypocrisy within the Obama Administration’s approach to energy. The U.S. Treasury Green Book, which details the reasons for changing the tax code,…

Media

Taxes & Economy

How Much will Your Tax Bill Increase in 2011?

• Nathan Benefield
• July 23, 2010

The Tax Foundation has a great new tool to calculate your federal tax burden in 2011 – comparing your tax bill if the 2001 & 2003 tax cuts (“Bush…

Media

Taxes & Economy

When Your Ideas Harm Taxpayers, Make Stuff Up

• Charles Mitchell
• July 22, 2010

The Patriot-News has been all over the Commonwealth Foundation’s recent report exposing the activities of PennFuture, the environmental lobbying group whose former president is in charge of Gov. Rendell’s Department…

Media

Taxes & Economy

The PennFuture Scandal: We’re Not Mudslinging

• Nathan Benefield
• July 22, 2010

Jan Murphy of the Patriot-News did a fine job in her Sunday article, giving an evenhanded account of our report on PennFuture’s lobbying, but the…

Media

State Budget

Check Out State Budget Solutions

• Nathan Benefield
• July 22, 2010

State Budget Solutions is a new website put together by a coalition of free-market organizations. They’ve been up for a while with a “soft launch,” but had their “hard…

Media

Mount to get $10M: State may help fund convocation center

• July 21, 2010

Media Hit

$316,000 Apartments for Low-Income Families in Tamaqua

• July 21, 2010

The Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA) has approved $3.8 million in financing to convert an old building in Tamaqua into 12 apartments to house low-to-moderate tenants. The committee awarded…

Media

Taxes & Economy

Natural Gas & Forced Pooling

• July 21, 2010

The soon-to-be unbalanced FY 2010-11 state budget, included language that a severance tax on natural gas would be passed in Pennsylvania by October 1. Many drillers would support a…

Media

Taxes & Economy

Reforms for PA’s UC Fund include CF Proposals

• Elizabeth Stelle
• July 21, 2010

State Representative Scott Perry has proposed new legislation to reform PA’s bankrupt unemployment compensation (UC) fund. A few of his suggested reforms are…

Media

Education

New School Choice Legislation Introduced in PA Senate

• July 20, 2010

Sen. Anthony Williams (D-Philadelphia) introduced Senate Bill 1405, the Opportunity Scholarship Act, last month with three Republican co-sponsors.  This legislation represent a huge opportunity to increase parental choice in…

Media

Regulation

Your Liquor Dollars at Work

• Nathan Benefield
• July 20, 2010

The Post Gazette highlights the continued efforts of the liquor control board to be a better business. This includes the ridiculous: The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board is…

Media

Regulation

PA’s Largest Employers Then and Now

• July 20, 2010

The Center for Workforce Information & Analysis provides a list of Pennsylvania’s top 50 employers in ranked order. In 1967, Pennsylvania’s top five largest employers were: U.S. Steel Corporation…

Media

Groups criticize capital program projects

• July 20, 2010

Media Hit

Why States Delay on Fiscal Crisis

• July 19, 2010

States have delayed taking substantial action in the fiscal crisis many now face. Though it appears unlikely that states will default on their debts, some pundits fear that option is…

Media

Taxes & Economy

PennFuture Corrects IRS Returns, Owns Private Energy Conservation Company

• Nathan Benefield
• July 19, 2010

Jan Murphy of the Patriot News features a story on PennFuture’s lobbying. The story reveals two facts that did not appear in our exposé. First, despite…

Media