Media

Taxes & Economy

Stimulus: The Sequel

• Nathan Benefield
• January 26, 2010

The Center for Freedom and Prosperity has a great new video, analyzing 1)Whether the 2009 stimulus created jobs, and 2) Why politicians are craving another stimulus. My only…

Media

Regulation

“Net Neutrality” Threatens Internet Innovation

• January 25, 2010

Recently, The Commonwealth Foundation joined the Internet Freedom Coalition, a coalition of organizations standing against “network neutrality” initiatives. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has proposed a new plan that…

Media

Regulation

Pennsylvanians Heavy Laden With State Debt

• Nathan Benefield
• January 25, 2010

A recent report from Forbes finds that Pennsylvania faces a serious challenge with state government debt. Pennsylvania ranked 35 among all states in the Forbes debt rating. According to…

Media

Government Accountability

More on Corporations and Free Speech

• Nathan Benefield
• January 24, 2010

Following the Supreme Court ruling that our First Amendment right to free speech applied to corporations’ speech regarding candidates for federal office – a ruling started when the FEC…

Media

‘Mann-Made’ Global Warming?

• January 24, 2010

Media Hit

Legislators Idiot-Proof Homes

• January 22, 2010

On Tuesday, the Pennsylvania Builders Association filed a lawsuit against the Department of Labor & Industry claiming new regulations violated the state Constitution.  Labor & Industry implemented new residential…

Media

Taxes & Economy

“Fewer Jobs Lost” is Not a Positive Trend

• Nathan Benefield
• January 22, 2010

The Post-Gazette has a story on Pennsylvania’s economy in which both Mark Price of Keystone Research Center and the reporter both repeat the illogical idea that we are losing…

Media

Taxes & Economy

Is Casey Pandering?

• January 22, 2010

I attended a recent gathering at the Keystone Research Center, where Senator Bob Casey spoke of the wonders of the stimulus. He emphasized that only the stimulus could have saved…

Media

State Budget

Pennsylvania Unemployment Fund is $2 Billion in the Hole

• Nathan Benefield
• January 22, 2010

Propublica.org has a great, and terrifying, tracker of states’ unemployment insurance funds.  Pennsylvania fund is in woeful shape, with $125 million balance, and owing $2.05 billion in money borrowed…

Media

Government Accountability

Free Political Speech and Paycheck Protection

• Nathan Benefield
• January 21, 2010

The US Supreme Court today upheld that the First Amendment protects speech around elections from corporations and unions. The case concerns Citizens United, which produced a film Hillary: The Movie,…

Media

Government Accountability

CF Challenges Gov. Rendell to Explain What’s In the Bill

• January 21, 2010

Harrisburg, PA – Yesterday, Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell told Fox News that voters oppose the current health care reform proposal because “the administration and its supporters, myself included, haven’t…

Press Release

Government Accountability

The Perfidy of Per Diems

• Nathan Benefield
• January 21, 2010

ABC 27 story covers the tens of thousands of dollars lawmakers receive in per diems (i.e. money ostensibly for food and lodging, though lawmakers need not offer any receipts).

Media

Taxes & Economy

Brief History of the Great Depression

• Nathan Benefield
• January 21, 2010

Investor’s Business Daily has an excerpt from Thomas Sowell’s new book Intellectuals and Society, which outlines the policies which cause the great depression. For instance, Sowell notes that…

Media

Taxes & Economy

Another Year, Same Old Story: Pennsylvanians Vote with Their Feet

• January 20, 2010

The latest United Van Lines Migration study found, once again, that Pennsylvania is losing residents to other states, on the whole, ranking 5th highest among “outbound states.” Pennsylvania has…

Media

State Budget

Example of Why There’s No Money to Fix Bridges

• Nathan Benefield
• January 20, 2010

As I pointed out in a recent post, much of Pennsylvania’s transportation funding goes not to fix decaying infrastructure, but to beautification and other…

Media

Health Care

What Happened in Massachusetts

• January 20, 2010

The Cato Institute released a policy report today examining the effect of Massachusetts’ health care reform – whose individual mandate and subsidies for insurance are seen as a model…

Media

Taxes & Economy

PA Mayors Facing Budget Crunch – Whose Fault Is It?

• January 20, 2010

Pennsylvania mayors have voiced their frustrations with public sector unions forcing counties to pay higher wages even as they face budget constraints. Inevitably, that has led to higher taxes,…

Media

HEALTH CARE: Reform will hit Pa. taxpayers hard

• January 19, 2010

Media Hit

Public Union Democracy

Five Alternatives to Tolling I-80

• Nathan Benefield
• January 19, 2010

A recent Pocono Record article calls the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission’s proposal to toll I-80 “a riddle with no easy answers” (HT GrassrootsPA). However, there are alternatives to that…

Media

Group calls for Mann’s external investigation

• January 19, 2010

Media Hit

Government Accountability

Book Review: Money, Greed, and God

• Nathan Benefield
• January 19, 2010

Jay Richards’ book Money, Greed, and God offers a defense of capitalism from a Christian perspective. Richards goes further, noting that capitalism depends on a virtuous society. A…

Media