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Government Accountability

Shining Some Light on Pennsylvania Spending

• Nathan Benefield
• May 6, 2009

Kevin Ferris has a good piece in the Philadelphia Inquirer on proposals to create online databases of state spending in Pennsylvania, as well as the success of other states…

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Eliminating the Property Tax

• May 6, 2009

State Rep. Sam Rohrer will soon introduce his proposed legislation to eliminate the collection of property taxes to fund Pennsylvania’s school districts. This will have the pleasant effect of…

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Education

Saving School Choice (and Savings of School Choice)

• Nathan Benefield
• May 5, 2009

Great new video from ReasonTV on the DC Voucher program, and the threats to eliminate it, despite a US Department of Education report that it helps improves student learning…

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Regulation

Allegheny Power Looks to Keep Prices Down

• Nathan Benefield
• May 5, 2009

Pittsburgh Tribune Review has a story on Allegheny Power buying additional electric power cheaply on the wholesale market, while…

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Taxes & Economy

PA Senate Budget by the Numbers

• Nathan Benefield
• May 5, 2009

Jake Corman, PA Senate Appropriations Chairman, has introduced the Senate Republicans version of the state budget (SB 850). The $27.3 billion General Fund budget represents a $1.7 billion reduction…

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Taxes & Economy

Industry Leaders Fact Check Misleading Severance Tax Report

• May 5, 2009

Last week, the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center (PBPC) released a report advocating for a severance tax on natural gas and other extracted natural resources. In response, three of the…

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Regulation

Stimulus Money to Help Deal with Pension Crisis?

• Nathan Benefield
• May 4, 2009

A number of Pennsylvania House Republicans are proposing using a portion of the federal stimulus money to pay into PSERS, the retirement fund for school employees.  The $435 million…

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State Budget

Commonwealth Foundation Applauds Senate Budget

• May 4, 2009

HARRISBURG, PA — The Commonwealth Foundation today applauded the state Senate for passing a General Fund budget that counters Governor Rendell’s proposal to continue along the failed and unsustainable path…

Press Release

Taxes & Economy

Bailouts and the Press

• Elizabeth Stelle
• May 4, 2009

History has a way of repeating itself and all these comparisons between today’s recession and the great depression are sometimes eerily similar. Economic conditions and the popularity of the internet…

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Taxes & Economy

Obama’s New Business Tax Scheme

• Nathan Benefield
• May 4, 2009

President Obama is set to unveil a plan to crack down on cabinet members corporations that, in his view, are avoiding paying their share in taxes.  Basically the plan…

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Education

Weighted Student Funding Formula

• Nathan Benefield
• May 4, 2009

Reason Foundation has a new yearbook and resources on weighted student funding.  Weighted student funding is a way for school districts, and states, to fund students instead of school…

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State Budget

Pennsylvania Budget Deficit Grows by Nearly $1 Billion

• Nathan Benefield
• May 1, 2009

Both the Pennsylvania House Democrats and Republicans are reporting an April General Fund revenue shortfall of $941.5 million. I am still waiting for the report from the Department of…

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Taxes & Economy

Over $4 Million in PA Unemployment Fraud

• Nathan Benefield
• May 1, 2009

WGAL has a story on reports from the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry of over $4 million in fraud in unemployment compensation benefits.  You can assume there is…

Media

State Budget

PA House Dems to Introduce Budget

• Nathan Benefield
• May 1, 2009

Dwight Evans, chair of the Pennsylvania House Appropriations Committee, is scheduled to introduce the 2009-10 budget legislation “using the Rendell budget proposal as the basis.” They are also estimating…

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Taxes & Economy

Wrong Time for a Severance Tax

• April 30, 2009

The Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center (PBPC) released a report this week advocating for a severance tax on natural resource extraction, such as the proposed tax by Governor Rendell…

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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…

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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…

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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.

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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…

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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…

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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…

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