Education

Monitoring Charter Schools

  • May 25, 2010

Last month, PA Independent highlighted Senate Bill 1156, which would create a committee to monitor Pennsylvania charter schools. This was in response to the mismanagement of a number of…

Media

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Government Accountability

Grand Jury Demands Legislative Reform

  • May 25, 2010

The long-awaited grand jury report written in response to the Bonusgate trials has declared that the grossly inefficient Pennsylvania legislature needs an overhaul. The grand jury wrote, “The current…

Media

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State Budget

PA House Democrats Try to Ram Through Tax Hikes

  • May 25, 2010

May 25, 2010–Last night, the Pennsylvania House Appropriations Committee — on a straight party line vote, with only Democrat support — amended into a bill (HB 325) related to volunteer…

Press Release

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Public Union Democracy

Union Boss Honored for Decline in Union Membership

  • Nathan Benefield
  • May 25, 2010

Yesterday, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed a crucial piece of legislation – a resolution honoring our old “friend” Bill George, outgoing head of the PA AFL-CIO. What…

Media

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Government Accountability

Pennsylvania Budget Presentation

  • Nathan Benefield
  • May 24, 2010

Below you can find my latest version of a presentation on the Pennsylvania state budget and economic policy. PA Budget and…

Media

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State Budget

PA House Republicans’ Cost Savings Plan

  • May 24, 2010

In an attempt to balance the state budget without raising taxes, the House Republican Caucus has developed a plan to reduce spending in the Pennsylvania State Budget. One interesting…

Media

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Taxes & Economy

Another Commercial Produced by PA Government

  • Nathan Benefield
  • May 24, 2010

I caught another TV commercial produced by Pennsylvania state government the other night. This one is intended to scare viewers who are thinking of committing insurance fraud…and make the…

Media

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Most Pennsylvanians are Right Wing Extremists

  • Nathan Benefield
  • May 23, 2010

If one listens to analysts in the mainstream media, anyone calling for a repeal of the federal health care law, or supporting a state immigration law like Arizona’s is on…

Media

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Taxes & Economy

Who is Adding Jobs in PA?

  • Nathan Benefield
  • May 21, 2010

The latest BLS report on state jobs is out, and is pretty good news for Pennsylvania, which added 34,000 jobs (seasonally adjusted) in April – 2nd most among the…

Media

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Regulation

The Failure of Economic Development Incentives

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • May 21, 2010

With budget season upon us, politicians are scrambling for new revenue sources or programs to cut.  “The Failures of Economic Development Incentives,” a 2004 report by Alan Peters and…

Media

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Taxes & Economy

Corbett v. Rendell: Who is Right on PA’s Economy?

  • Nathan Benefield
  • May 20, 2010

In his acceptance speech Tuesday night, Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Corbett vowed to get Pennsylvania’s economy back on track after years of stagnation and misguide policy decisions. Gov. Rendell…

Media

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Public Union Democracy

Obama’s Run-Around of Congress

  • May 20, 2010

Q: What do Card Check and Net Neutrality have in common? A: They are bad policy ideas Congress won’t pass, yet the White House is finding ways to work…

Media

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Taxes & Economy

Specter to Blame for Specter’s Demise

  • Nathan Benefield
  • May 20, 2010

We try not to engage too much in political punditry here, but the latest Terry Madonna and Michael Young Politically Uncorrected piece, on the end of Sen. Arlen Specter’s…

Media

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Taxes & Economy

Citizen’s Guide to the Tenth Amendment

  • May 20, 2010

The Institute for Policy Innovation has produced a short informational guide to the Tenth Amendment. The Tenth Amendment was ratified in order to guarantee individual rights and responsibilities for…

Media

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Government Accountability

Corbett Wins, Subpoenas Twitter for Names of His Critics

  • Nathan Benefield
  • May 19, 2010

As part of the Grand Jury investigation, Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett has filed a subpoena against Twitter to reveal the names of two anonymous Twitter accounts (HT…

Media

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Regulation

PA Pension Crisis Video

  • Nathan Benefield
  • May 19, 2010

Here is a great video highlighting the looming crisis in Pennsylvania’s state pension plans (specifically PSERS).  Not sure who created this, but it’s worth a watch. For…

Media

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Government Accountability

Conklin Would Serve as LG and State Rep

  • Nathan Benefield
  • May 19, 2010

If the results hold, and they remain extremely close, Scott Conklin would be the Democrat nominee for Lieutenant Governor and for reelection to his PA House seat. Conklin recently promised…

Media

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