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Education

PA Public School Staff Grows As Enrollment Declines

  • April 14, 2010

Despite stagnation in qualitative measures of school performance, cries for additional spending in public schools have not subsided. In fact, Gov. Rendell says…

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Taxes & Economy

Turnpike Commission Gambles with Billions

  • April 13, 2010

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) has recently added to its long track record of inefficiency and corruption by using taxpayer funds to enter into 26 interest rate swaps tied…

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Taxes & Economy

Happy Tax Freedom Day for Pennsylvania

  • Nathan Benefield
  • April 13, 2010

Today is Tax Freedom Day for Pennsylvania. This day, calculated annually by the Tax Foundation, puts into easily understandable terms how much residents pay in taxes. Federal, state,…

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Public Union Democracy

Cost-Saving Ideas for Pennsylvania State Budget

  • Nathan Benefield
  • April 12, 2010

Testimony of Nathan A. Benefield, Director of Policy Research, Commonwealth Foundation to the Pennsylvania Senate Government Management and Cost Study Commission,  April 12, 2010 Good morning; I am Nathan…

Testimony

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Education

Race to the Bottom

  • April 12, 2010

Is a lack of funding the problem with Pennsylvania’s education system? Lincoln Institute’s Lowman Henry answers this question with a resounding no, in his recent article, Race to the…

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Health Care

Repeal It? Wouldn’t be the First Time

  • Nathan Benefield
  • April 12, 2010

National Review has a good story of how Kentucky passed health care mandate like those contained in the new federal law, including guaranteed issue and community rating, in 1994.

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Regulation

Film Tax Credits = Good Public Relations, Poor Economics

  • April 9, 2010

The Manhattan Institute’s Josh Barro made this excellent comparison in his recent article, Film Tax Credits Are An Unaffordable Luxury: Maine has no auto manufacturing plants, but it’s…

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It Is Possible to Make Cuts to the Budget

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • April 9, 2010

With the 2010-11 proposed budget in shambles the Governor continues to reiterate the myth that his hands are tied and that 80% of the budget is mandated spending. He went…

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Health Care

Hate Mail on “Slacker Mandate”

  • Nathan Benefield
  • April 9, 2010

A reader took exception for my use of the term “slacker mandate” to describe laws requiring insurance companies to cover young adults on their parents’ plans up to age 26…

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