Media

Taxes & Economy

PA Gets Mediocre Grade on Economic Freedom

• Nathan Benefield
• July 10, 2008

Not suprisingly, given other state rankings, Pennsylvania gets a mediocre grade on the Fraser Institute’s Economic Freedom of North America report for 2008. PA ranks tied for 26th…

Media

Taxes & Economy

Philly population declines – only New Orleans loses more residents

• Nathan Benefield
• July 10, 2008

A Philadelphia Inquirer article looks at Philadelphia’s population decline from 2000-2007, in which the city lost 68,000 residents (continuing a downward trend). The Post-Gazette has a related article…

Media

Public Union Democracy

Alliance for Worker Freedom: AFL-CIO evading taxes

• Nathan Benefield
• July 10, 2008

I’ve seen a few stories about the AFL-CIO using union dues to run ads against John McCain, and wondered a) why are compulsory union dues for explicit political activity…

Media

Regulation

Banned!

• Nathan Benefield
• July 10, 2008

Latest Drew Carey video for Reason.tv looks at the number of things – many of them absurd – that have been banned by governments out of the nanny…

Media

State Budget

Kanjorski Earmark Denied

• Nathan Benefield
• July 9, 2008

The US Department of Transportation is refusing to fund an earmark put in place by Rep. Kanjorski. The earmark was intended to fund a parking garage near Kanjorski’s monument…

Media

Taxes & Economy

Family friendly reforms

• Nathan Benefield
• July 9, 2008

The NCPA has a new Brief Analysis highlighting “Five Family Friendly Policies” -l abor, tax, and health care reforms providing greater freedom, flexibility, and portablity for workers and employers.

Media

Rendell losing patience with turnpike commission

• Nathan Benefield
• July 9, 2008

Post-Gazette reports that Governor Rendell is fed up with the Turnpike Commission’s stalling on their I-80 tolling application. He says he has been a nice guy about it,…

Media

Education

Preschool Study: No Evidence of Lasting Benefits

• Nathan Benefield
• July 9, 2008

Adam Schaeffer writes on Cato-at-liberty that a recent study of universal preschool only shows what critics of government-run day care have been saying: that they offer only short-term…

Media

Another toll-road myth demolished

• Nathan Benefield
• July 8, 2008

The myth that governments can access cheaper infrastructure financing than the private sector – propogated by “Just Say No” Joe Markosek and his hired guns – has been…

Media

Education

PSEA Hissy Fit

• July 8, 2008

Too many public schools have a Liberace complex and feel no compunction against splurging taxpayers’ hard-earned money. So kudos to the Pleasant Valley School District for trying to lowering…

Media

Health Care

Is “universal health care” a religion?

• Nathan Benefield
• July 8, 2008

Michael Cannon pulls a troubling quote from an advocate of SCHIP expansion, who admits his support is based on faith, not evidence. Of course Cannon is a well-known…

Media

Education

School boards have no control over teacher salaries?

• Nathan Benefield
• July 8, 2008

Tony Phyrillas laughs at school board members complaining about not having control over things like teacher salaries – you know, the salaries school boards establish (typically through labor contracts)…

Media

Taxes & Economy

Steelers for sale?

• Nathan Benefield
• July 8, 2008

In what may be a shock to Pittsburgh Steelers fans, the Wall Street Journal reports the Rooney family may be looking to sell the team (also see Tribune Review article).

Media

Education

Voucher Valedictorian

• Nathan Benefield
• July 7, 2008

Andrew Coulson comments on an NRO article highlighting a DC Opportunity Scholarship recipient who just graduated at the head of her class at Archbishop Carroll High School. The…

Media

State Budget

Gambling in PA … with a $28 billion budget

• July 7, 2008

No one can say we didn’t warn lawmakers that their 4.06% increase in spending for the 2008-09 fiscal year was not fiscally prudent. The AP reports that Rendell,…

Media

Regulation

Time to end earmarks and WAMs

• Nathan Benefield
• July 7, 2008

Good op-ed in the Patriot News by William G. Williams on the need to end Congressional earmarks and WAMs by the PA General Assembly: For years in…

Media

Taxes & Economy

Impeach JFK

• Nathan Benefield
• July 7, 2008

Evergreen Freedom Foundation blog highlights the NEA convention adopting a resolution stating The National Education Association believes that any president who starts a war with another country without a…

Media

Taxes & Economy

Silent Cal Speaks Loudly

• July 7, 2008

The Wall Street Journal’s Notable & Quotable provides us with some nuggets from Calvin Coolidge’s marking of the 150th anniversary of the Delcaration of Independence. Coolidge gave us some…

Media

Public Union Democracy

Modern Day Patriots: Taking on Government Officials

• July 6, 2008

Bucks County Commissioners get an earful from taxpayers about the tentative AFSCME collective bargaining agreement that forces non-union employees to pay fees to the union as a condition of…

Media

The Transportation Committee Cerberus

• July 6, 2008

Rep. Joe Markosek wants to become the next Cerberus of the General Assembly. Of course, that title is currently held by Rep. Babette Josephs for bottling up…

Media

Government Accountability

What can we cut?

• Nathan Benefield
• July 5, 2008

An anonymous poster to GrassrootsPA defends the recently enacted state budget against criticism from the Commonwealth Foundation, along with that in other comments. The budget…

Media