Media

Taxes & Economy

How PA Should Use Its Stimulus Money

• Elizabeth Stelle
• April 30, 2009

Lawmakers in Missouri announced they are foregoing pet projects in order to temporarily lower the state’s personal income tax from 6% to 5.5%. (HT NTU) Governor Rendell would be…

Media

Taxes & Economy

Amendment to Protect Taxpayers from Unfunded Mandates

• April 30, 2009

Rep. Mike Peifer proposed a constitutional amendment to ban state legislation that imposes unfunded mandates on local governments. Since Governor Rendell has been lax at cutting wasteful spending…

Media

Government Accountability

New Video Contest Entries

• Nathan Benefield
• April 30, 2009

There is one month remaining to submit videos in our Please, No More Taxes! Video Contest with $4,000 in  prizes available. Upload videos to our YouTube Group here.

Media

Some Perspectives on Obama’s 100 Days

• Nathan Benefield
• April 29, 2009

Reason Magazine sums up the “change” of the Obama administration:  On the economy, and specifically on the economic crisis, Obama came to office promising a…

Media

Taxes & Economy

Will Mandated Smart Meters Save Money?

• Elizabeth Stelle
• April 29, 2009

Last year the legislature passed Act 128, which forces utilities to force their customers to conserve electricity. Among the provisions is a mandate to install smart meters in every…

Media

Public Union Democracy

Right-to-Work Works

• Nathan Benefield
• April 29, 2009

Mark J. Perry queries, using the ALEC report Rich States, Poor States: “What feature do 15 out of the top 16 states for economic outlook have in…

Media

Taxes & Economy

Rendell’s Pants are on Fire

• Nathan Benefield
• April 28, 2009

Governor Rendell, in comments made today about Sen. Specter, claimed that Specter is “being criticized by his party for voting for the stimulus … which is something every conservative economist…

Media

Government Accountability

Is Pennsylvania’s Medical Malpractice Crisis Over?

• Nathan Benefield
• April 28, 2009

Governor Rendell has declared that Pennsylvania no longer has a “crisis” in medical malpractice lawsuits, citing recent declines in the number of suits filed.  Critics claimed that reform have…

Media

Regulation

Public Television Subsidies

• April 28, 2009

Testimony from the Commonwealth Foundation for Public Policy Alternatives to the Pennsylvania House State Government CommitteeApril 28, 2008 We would like to thank the members of the House State…

Testimony

Debating Drug Decriminalization

• Nathan Benefield
• April 28, 2009

A recent Cato Study and a related article in Time look at the effect of drug decriminalization in Portugal, finding that, Those data…

Media

Education

Rethinking Financial Aid for Higher Ed

• Nathan Benefield
• April 28, 2009

Andrew Gillen of the Center for College Affordability and Productivity has an interesting analysis of the effects of federal and state financial aid programs for colleges and universities.  Namely,…

Media

Regulation

PA Liquor Stores Want a Better Monopoly

• April 27, 2009

Brian O’Neill with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported yesterday that the PA Liquor Control Board (PLCB) has spent $3.7 million to develop a new name for their stores in an…

Media

State Budget

More on Murtha Airport

• Nathan Benefield
• April 27, 2009

Congressman John Murtha’s monument to himself – John Murtha airport – has gotten a lot of coverage lately. First, here is the CNN Clip, in which the airport…

Media

Taxes & Economy

PA is 29th Best State for Small Business

• Nathan Benefield
• April 27, 2009

The Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council has a new ranking of the best state tax systems for small business. Pennsylvania ranks 29th (1 being the best). Click here…

Media

Government Accountability

Coverage of Ted Nugent at LiveFreePA

• Nathan Benefield
• April 26, 2009

Some coverage of our inaugural Live Free PA event featuring Ted Nugent. Lancaster Online: Open Season: Guitarist Ted Nugent rocks local crowd with riffs on gun control and…

Media

Public Union Democracy

The Cost of Pennsylvania’s Prevailing Wage Law

• April 24, 2009

Apparently my recent commentary on Philadelphia’s prevailing wages has stirred the city’s union waters, so I am posting the data analysis to support the article’s statement: The…

Media

Taxes & Economy

Should State Taxpayers Fund Television

• Nathan Benefield
• April 24, 2009

Governor Rendell has proposed cutting funding for the Pennsylvania Public Television Network (about $12 million) from the state budget for next year. This has obviously led those who receive taxpayer…

Media

Club for Growth Congressional Scorecard

• Nathan Benefield
• April 23, 2009

The Club for Growth has released its 2008 Congressional Scorecard of votes on key economic, pro growth legislation.  Click here for the breakdown of roll call votes by…

Media

Taxes & Economy

Financial Bailout Oversight & Transparency – Failure

• Nathan Benefield
• April 23, 2009

Story from CNN Money covers testimony from the special inspector overseeing the TARP program, i.e. the financial bailout (HT Brian Ellis): Barofsky said his top concern was…

Media

Come to PA

• April 23, 2009

According to Chris Barrett, president and chief executive officer of the Pennsylvania Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau, state spending on tourism should be brought back up to it’s 2008-09…

Media

Public Union Democracy

PA’s Prevailing Wage Law – Abused and Misused

• Nathan Benefield
• April 23, 2009

A federal court today issued an injunction against the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry (L&I) in its effort to “debar” the firm Worth & Company from bidding on…

Media