State Budget

PA House Votes to De-fund ACORN

  • Nathan Benefield
  • October 7, 2009

In addition to concurring with the tax hikes previously approved by the Senate, the Pennsylvania House voted earlier today 157-42 in favor of an amendment to HB 1407…

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Who’s Blogging About Us

  • Nathan Benefield
  • October 7, 2009

Here are some recent blogs mentions Commonwealth Foundation work: Open Market, The Truth about PLAs, and The Truth About EFCA all comment on the…

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Education

Conservative College Professors: An Endangered Species

  • October 7, 2009

Robert Maranto, a former professor of political science at Villanova, recently published a new book through AEI Press, The Politically Correct University, which highlights the scarcity of conservative and…

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Regulation

More Info on What WAMS are in PA Budget

  • Elizabeth Stelle, Nathan Benefield
  • October 7, 2009

The news service Capitolwire (subscription) has new information about the debate on WAMs in the budget, including a secret memo – disclaimed by all sides – explaining which…

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Taxes & Economy

Dollar’s Dramatic Free Fall – Coming Soon!

  • October 7, 2009

The title might be too much to stomach for some, but such is the tone of Fred Kingery’s commentary, published by the Center for Vision and Values at Grove City…

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State Budget

House Democrats Help Identify More WAMs

  • Nathan Benefield
  • October 6, 2009

PA House Democrat leader Todd Eachus and Appropriations Chair Dwight Evans sent a letter to Gov. Rendell decrying the inclusion of $12 million in WAMs in the latest Senate…

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Government Accountability

The ACORN Hangs From Many Branches

  • October 6, 2009

The U.S. House Republican Committee on Oversight and Government Reform recently released an in depth investigative report on the activities of the Association of Community Organizers for Reform Now, more…

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Read More: The ACORN Hangs From Many Branches

State Budget

The Totally Different Pennsylvania Budget Deal

  • Nathan Benefield
  • October 6, 2009

Yesterday, the Pennsylvania Senate decided they were going to go their own way on the state budget, angered at House Democrat’s…

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State Budget

Realities of Severance Tax

  • October 6, 2009

On Friday, the Pennsylvania House passed a tax bill with numerous tax hikes (and a few cuts).

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Regulation

Arnold Kling’s Diagnosis of the Financial Crisis

  • October 6, 2009

In his paper titled NOT WHAT THEY HAD IN MIND: A History of Policies that Produced the Financial Crisis of 2008, Arnold Kling provides historical context and analysis to…

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State Budget

The Best And Worst Ways To Eliminate A Budget Deficit

  • Matthew Brouillette
  • October 5, 2009

John Nothdurft of The Heartland Institute wrote this last February…  Anybody listening in Harrisburg? Legislatures in at least 39 states will have to take steps by the end of…

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Education

Charter School Students Outperform Peers

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • October 5, 2009

The results of a recent study by a Stanford economist strengthens the case for charter schools by debunking the myth that charter school student outperform traditional students because…

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State Budget

PA House Approves More Debt for Pork

  • Nathan Benefield
  • October 5, 2009

Lost in the shuffle over the Pennsylvania state (operating) budget was a vote over the weekend over the state capital budget, which was approved by the Pennsylvania House. The…

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Health Care

NTU Launches “Special Delivery” Video Project

  • October 5, 2009

The National Taxpayers Union has recently announced a new video project aimed at letting the American taxpayer have their say in the healthcare debate. Entitled the “Special Delivery Project”, NTU is encouraging Americans…

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State Budget

“Big Helicopter” and Big Hollywood

  • Nathan Benefield
  • October 3, 2009

While debating their myriad of tax increases (which was eventually approved by the chamber), Pennsylvania House Democrats continued to demonize “Big…

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State Budget

What’s in the PA House Democrats Tax Bill?

  • Nathan Benefield
  • October 2, 2009

Yesterday, the Pennsylvania House Rules Committee approved a “gut-and-replace” amendment to HB 1531 – which had previously been a bill to extend tax relief for military families – which…

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Read More: What’s in the PA House Democrats Tax Bill?