Media

Huffington Post attacks CF

• Matthew Brouillette
• January 28, 2010

The ultra-liberal Huffington Post’s Kevin Grandia attacks us because of our call for an independent investigation of PSU’s Michael Mann and his role in Climategate.  Of course, in…

Media

Education

The Growth and Benefits of Cyber Education

• Nathan Benefield
• January 27, 2010

The Heritage Foundation has a new background on online education, from a national perspective.  They write: As many as 1 million children (roughly 2 percent of the…

Media

Regulation

New Virginia Governor Pushing Liquor Store Privatization

• Nathan Benefield
• January 27, 2010

Reason TV has a new video on liquor store privatization in Virginia, which highlights the benefits for consumers, and notes that states that privatize both save money and increase…

Media

Government Accountability

Time for a Part-Time Legislature?

• Nathan Benefield
• January 26, 2010

Pennsylvania House Republicans Gordon Denlinger, Tim Krieger, and Bryan Cutler unveiled legislation that would return Pennsylvania to a part-time legislature. The bill, HB 1554, would limit sessions to…

Media

Should the Turnpike Commission Toll I-80?

• Nathan Benefield
• January 26, 2010

It’s been 88 days since the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission resubmitted its application to toll Interstate 80 (after being denied twice).  We’re told that the Federal Highway Administration will soon be…

Media

Legislators leave towns in ‘crisis’

• January 26, 2010

Media Hit

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