Media

Taxes & Economy

200 Economists Against a Stimulus

• Nathan Benefield
• January 28, 2009

In defiance of President Obama’s proclamation that every agrees we need more government spending to “simulate” the economy, the Cato Institute has put together a list of 200 economists…

Media

Bailout For The ‘Inquirer’?

• Nathan Benefield
• January 27, 2009

Chris Freind interviews Chuck Ardo, spokesman for Governor Rendell, on the rumors of a bailout for the Philadelphia Inquirer.  (HT GrassrootsPA).  Ardo seems oblivious to the idea that…

Media

Public Union Democracy

Putting Taxpayers First?

• Nathan Benefield
• January 27, 2009

A group of Pennsylvania House Republicans today announced a series of proposals intended to reduce government spending and revitalize the Pennsylvania economy. Among the proposals: Implementing constitutional or statutory…

Media

Taxes & Economy

Stimulus: Good For Government, Bad For the Economy

• Nathan Benefield
• January 27, 2009

This video by Dan Mitchell on the stimulus offers a quick primer on the “stimulus” package, and why government spending will fail – and why previous expansions of government…

Media

Taxes & Economy

A bailout of the states rewards fiscal recklessness

• Nathan Benefield
• January 26, 2009

The Wall Street Journal has a great article and graph (to the right) on how states have overspent, and are certainly not in need of a bailout from…

Media

Government Accountability

Deforming the Pennsylvania House?

• Nathan Benefield
• January 26, 2009

Democracy Rising Pennsylvania has an alert about proposed rules changes in the Pennsylvania House of Representative, that would undo much of the reforms of 2007. The changes including easing…

Media

Taxes & Economy

Ode to Taxpayers’ Cars

• Nathan Benefield
• January 25, 2009

The Auditor General recently release a new report on state-owned cars. Unless you are enjoying a taxpayer-owned Mercedes, this report won’t make you happy. The report mentions early and…

Media

Taxes & Economy

Royal Bank of Scotland to Sell Electricity in PA

• Elizabeth Stelle
• January 23, 2009

The Tribune-Review reports The Royal Bank of Scotland is awaiting permission from the PUC to sell electricity to commercial and industrial customers across Pennsylvania. The change would give Pittsburgh…

Media

Government Accountability

Government Transparency Resources

• January 23, 2009

Our latest CF NOW video highlights current efforts to create more government transparency in Pennsylvania: Here are some of the key resources on Open Government: CF…

Press Release

Regulation

Those who do not learn from history …

• Nathan Benefield
• January 23, 2009

Deb Erdley has an article in the Tribune Review about the increasing taxpayer cost for the Pittsburgh Penguins arena, as well as details on the $1.5 billion in borrowed…

Media

State Budget

Rendell to layoff workers, keep rewarding allies

• Nathan Benefield
• January 22, 2009

Governor Rendell today announced that he projects Pennsylvania’s revenue shortfall to reach $2.3 billion, updated from $1.6 billion a month ago and $1.9 billion a week ago, suggesting their…

Media

Government Accountability

CF Now: Opening Pennsylvania Government

• Nathan Benefield
• January 22, 2009

View our newest video on YouTube, highlighting current efforts to create more government transparency in Pennsylvania. Here are some of the key resources on Open Government: CF Projects…

Media

Regulation

Boscov’s Bailout On the Ropes

• Nathan Benefield
• January 22, 2009

Butler County joined with Snyder County yesterday in rejecting the proposed loan for Boscov’s (HT Capitol Ideas). This puts state officials back to the drawing board to find…

Media

Taxes & Economy

Read the Stimulus

• Nathan Benefield
• January 21, 2009

ReadtheStimulus.org is a new website put together by the Heritage Foundation, NTU, CAGW, and more, which encourages members of Congress to read the bill before voting on it, and…

Media

Distracted Legislators

• Nathan Benefield
• January 21, 2009

Page 13 News makes a mockery of a proposed ban on cell phone use while driving, wondering why we don’t ban other “distractions”, like food, the radio, or…

Media

Education

Some More “half” Truths on the PSEA

• Nathan Benefield
• January 21, 2009

The Tribune-Democrat features an editorial by a PSEA member in which he calls Matt Brouillette’s commentary “a hodgepodge of distortions, half-truths and unadulterated flapdoodle”. I have no idea…

Media

Global Warming Skepticism on the Rise

• Nathan Benefield
• January 20, 2009

The NCPA Daily Digest has a number of facts that might indicate the debate on global warming is not “over”: over the past decade the global average temperature has…

Media

Taxes & Economy

Trucker’s Words of Wisdom on Taxes

• January 20, 2009

A spokeswoman for House Democratic Appropriations Chairman Dwight Evans (D-Philadelphia) said to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that a tax increase “is the last place we should go, but at this…

Media

Public Union Democracy

Is the secret ballot in danger?

• Nathan Benefield
• January 20, 2009

As “the first hundred days” starts today, what is in the cards for the Obama administration? A couple of weeks ago, Kimberly Strassel of the Wall Street Journal reported…

Media

Regulation

There’s a reason so many Steeler fans have left Pittsburgh

• Nathan Benefield
• January 19, 2009

Jerry Bowyer has an excellent piece in today’s Wall Street Journal on why sports – and taxpayer subsidized sports stadiums – do not lead to broader economic gains (a…

Media

Government Accountability

Evaluation of Pennsylvania School District Websites

• Nathan Benefield
• January 16, 2009

Our friends at the Sam Adams Alliance have reviewed websites from all 501 school districts in Pennsylvania on their Sunshine Review wiki.  They found that there is a…

Media