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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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

Taxes & Economy

Some Stimulating Reading

• Nathan Benefield
• January 16, 2009

Here are some quick reads about the proposed federal “Economic Stimulus” package Heritage has 10 Questions about the Economic Stimulus Bill Amanda Carpenter summarizes the 13-page official summary…

Media

Regulation

Fiddling while Pennsylvania bleeds

• Nathan Benefield
• January 15, 2009

Brian O’Neill has an outstanding column in the Post-Gazette questioning the efficacy of “economic development” subsidies (corporate welfare) during a state budget crunch – or any time, really. The…

Media

Taxes & Economy

Who is to blame for “financial crisis”?

• Nathan Benefield
• January 15, 2009

Who is to blame for the current economic predicament? We answered this question many months ago, but a new poll highlighted on the New York Times Economix Blog…

Media

State Budget

Pennsylvania Revenue Shortfall Projections

• Nathan Benefield
• January 14, 2009

For those who are following Pennsylvania’s revenue shortfall closely, the state Budget Office provided on request (and were kind enough to waive the 25-cent cost) me the monthly…

Media

Taxes & Economy

Worst Economy Since the Great Depression?

• Nathan Benefield
• January 14, 2009

Free Market Politics with no words (or 6,000 if you think a picture is worth a thousand words) debunks the oft-stated rhetoric that we are facing the “worst economic…

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