Taxes & Economy

Two New State Business Climate Rankings

  • Nathan Benefield
  • September 25, 2009

The Tax Foundation released their updated State Business Tax Climate Index for FY 2010. In the latest rendition, Pennsylvania ranks 27th overall. Broken down by category the Keystone State…

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State Budget

Higher Taxes to Buy More Nintendo Wii’s?

  • Nathan Benefield
  • September 25, 2009

A PA House GOP staffer dug up this little item of pork barrel spending, courtesy State Representative Jesse White: The Wii challenge came about after I helped…

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Education

Will Lawmakers Put Hollywood Before School Children?

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • September 24, 2009

Governor Rendell and three legislative caucuses are kicking low-income children out of their classrooms to fund handout to Big Hollywood studios. This is beyond bad policy – it’s blatant…

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Health Care

More Health Care Lessons from Massachusetts

  • Nathan Benefield
  • September 24, 2009

My colleague Joe Sterns sent me an article, in which Mitt Romney again declares Massachusetts health care reform a success, claiming the increase in taxpayer spending was “only” $700…

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Government Accountability

The Continuing Saga of Corruption and Patronage in Pennsylvania

  • Nathan Benefield
  • September 24, 2009

Another of former Senator Fumo’s aides was indicted yesterday, for taking contracts from the Pennsylvania Senate, but doing no work – except favors to Sen. Fumo.  Of course, Palermo…

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Government Accountability

How did the PA Budget Process Get So Broken?

  • Nathan Benefield
  • September 23, 2009

Dale Davenport had an excellent editorial in the Patriot over the weekend, noting how annual budgeting and the move to a full-time, professional legislature altereed Pennsylvania’s state budget forever: …

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State Budget

Understanding the Single Sales Factor

  • Nathan Benefield
  • September 23, 2009

Philly.com Blogger Ben Waxman has a post about moving Pennsylvania to a single-sales factor on corporate income taxes, calling it a “big tax break for corporations”, based on…

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State Budget

Stupid Quote of the Day

  • Nathan Benefield
  • September 23, 2009

Sen. Jake Corman tells the Associated Press that a proposal to charge the sales tax to performing arts and museums is a “user fee”: A plan to extend…

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State Budget

Historical Follies Set the Stage for Out-of-Control Debt

  • September 23, 2009

A new commentary in American Enterprise Institute’s journal, The American, highlights a seemingly “perfect storm” of historical events that have facilitated the out-of-control spending of…

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Education

Government Takeover: The Student Loan Industry

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • September 22, 2009

Last week the US House voted to prohibit private lenders from issuing government backed loans. The bill amounts to a government takeover of the student loan industry complete with…

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Government Accountability

Scare Tactics in the Budget

  • Nathan Benefield
  • September 22, 2009

John Baer writes – albeit a bit late – on how politicians use scare tactics, i.e. the “Washington Monument Ploy” to…

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Health Care

Not-True Statements about Health Insurers

  • Nathan Benefield
  • September 22, 2009

I’ve already picked on the left-wing Keystone Progress this week for absurd statements, but I got another missive from them on…

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