Media

Taxes & Economy

Five Ways to Wreck a Recovery

• Nathan Benefield
• August 18, 2008

Amity Shlaes offers lessons from Hoover and FDR on how to extend a recession and make it worse (hint: do the opposite): 1) Give in to protectionism2) Blame…

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Education

Voices of school choice … and how to get involved

• Nathan Benefield
• August 18, 2008

The REACH Foundation has a new “Voices of School Choice” profile on its website. This one is about Katie, who writes about how the choice of going to cyber…

Media

Taxes & Economy

How do you spell relief?

• Elizabeth Stelle
• August 15, 2008

Yesterday the Public Utility Commission released electric price estimates comparing current market prices to current capped rates and highlighting six strategies for mitigating the high cost of electricity. In…

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Taxes & Economy

High Corporate Taxes Hinder Growth

• August 15, 2008

An article in the Wall Street Journal today underscores the issue of high corporate tax rates in Pennsylvania. It also discusses the impact of corporate tax rates on…

Media

Taxes & Economy

Mack Trucks bolts to Right to Work state

• August 15, 2008

Mack Trucks is headed south ”to improve our profitability and competitiveness,” said president and CEO Dennis R. Slagle. Although the Allentown Morning Call story doesn’t mention the fact that…

Media

Taxes & Economy

I-80 plan relies on traffic growth, while drivers are driving less

• Nathan Benefield
• August 15, 2008

Congressman Peterson, the lead critic of tolling I-80, makes an astute observation: the Turnpike Commission’s financial model relies on I-80 traffic growing 2.5% annually. Yet a recent…

Media

Taxes & Economy

Silly Senator, Corn is for Food!

• Nathan Benefield
• August 14, 2008

ReasonTV video looks at the ethanol craze: Ethanol, especially the corn-based variety, is bad for taxpayers, bad for consumers, bad for the environment, and horrible for the world’s…

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Taxes & Economy

Only 40 states have a better business climate than Pennsylvania

• Nathan Benefield
• August 14, 2008

Forbes has issued its latest report on “The Best States for Business“.  Pennsylvania ranks 41st.  (Click here for the table). Amazingly, despite Governor Rendell’s “investments” in our…

Media

Taxes & Economy

Are corporations dodging taxes?

• Nathan Benefield
• August 13, 2008

The AP had a story yesterday headlined, “Most companies in US avoid federal income taxes” (full study). Governor Rendell frequently makes this claim as well, when defending Pennsylvania’s…

Media

Health Care

Reduce the number of uninsured 25% – for free

• Nathan Benefield
• August 13, 2008

A new study by University of Minnesota researchers finds that a simply policy change would reduce the number of uninsured by 25 to 33 percent (Greg Scandlen has a…

Media

Taxes & Economy

Head for the Hills

• August 12, 2008

“It’s tangible, the misery and hopelessness and the bleakness.” No, this is not the latest sound-bite ad for tourism in PA. It’s actually what Viggo Mortensen said about Pittsburgh,…

Media

Taxes & Economy

U.S. Congressmen criticizes Pennsylvania’s transportation policies

• Elizabeth Stelle
• August 12, 2008

U.S. Representative John Peterson explains why we should blame poor money managment, not a lack of funds, for the dilapidated state of Pennsylvania’s roads and bridges. Rep. Peterson mentions…

Media

Taxes & Economy

Texas Is Fed Up With Corn Ethanol

• Nathan Benefield
• August 12, 2008

Texas Governor Rick Perry in the Wall Street Journal on why the EPA needs to suspend the mandate to produce more ethanol – which is, according to Perry and…

Media

Regulation

Steelers, developer ask state to help subsidize amphitheater

• Nathan Benefield
• August 12, 2008

Post-Gazette story on the demand that taxpayers pay $4 million dollars for an amphitheater. (HT GrassrootsPA). The developer notes, “the entertainment complex itself will be a source of…

Media

Fact-checking the “sale” of the Turnpike to “the Portuguese”

• Nathan Benefield
• August 11, 2008

Ben Ober responds to a xenophobic screed against “selling the Turnpike to the Portuguese” – though no one is proposing a sale and no one from Portugal is involved.

Media

Taxes & Economy

Pushed out of the top ten again

• Elizabeth Stelle
• August 11, 2008

The Tax Foundation has released their yearly report ranking the state tax burden for all 50 states. Pennsylvania comes in at number 11 (1 being the worst). PA consistently…

Media

Regulation

Rendellconomics 101

• Nathan Benefield
• August 11, 2008

Morning Call piece piece by Jarrett Renshaw debates the merits of Rendell’s economic policies – borrowing (to be paid by taxpayers) to give handouts to his favorite projects like…

Media

Public Union Democracy

Just Say No to Card Checks

• August 8, 2008

Check out this Wall Street Journal article by former Senator George McGovern on the dangers of the Employee Free Choice Act. The Act would impose a card check system…

Media

Taxes & Economy

Rising electricity rates and the PUC

• Elizabeth Stelle
• August 8, 2008

The Public Utility Commission published a number of press releases yesterday addressing the expected rise in electricity rates. – The Public Utility Commission finally gave PPL the go ahead…

Media

Taxes & Economy

Who’s your cable guy?

• Elizabeth Stelle
• August 7, 2008

For the first time in 30 years Pittsburgh residents will be able to choose who provides their cable. The Post-Gazette reports the city is negotiating a contract that would…

Media

Regulation

Bridge To Troubled Waters

• August 7, 2008

Gov. Rendell is still touring the state dolling out taxpayers’ money for various projects across the state totaling $642 million. Much of the funding will assist infrastructure improvements for…

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