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State Budget

New budget may mean deficit, higher taxes

• Nathan Benefield
• July 3, 2008

Marc Levy of the AP reports that the new $28.2 budget agreement may, according to Senate officials (both Republicans and Democrats), result in a budget deficit of $1 billion…

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Regulation

Soccer Score: Team owners: 50 million, Taxpayers: 0

• Nathan Benefield
• July 3, 2008

Props to state Rep. RoseMarie Swanger, and 71 state House members, who attempted to end the use of taxpayer funds for a soccer stadium. Here is our recent…

Media

Health Care

Questionable Benefits of State Mandates for Health Insurance

• Nathan Benefield
• July 3, 2008

The Pacific Research Institute a new study on the cost of health insurance mandates.  As would be expected (see our commentary on autism and slacker mandates), they find…

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Education

Philadelphia private school managers a failure or success story?

• Nathan Benefield
• July 3, 2008

The Fordham Institute blasts a Philadelphia Inquirer story calling the Philadelphia public school’s removal of six private managers a “blow to the experiment”: Kristen Graham of…

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Regulation

Don’t know much about history?

• Nathan Benefield
• July 2, 2008

In another example of professional licensing run amok,…

Media

State Budget

PA Budget Secrecy

• Nathan Benefield
• July 2, 2008

Pete DeCoursey of Capitolwire asks an interesting question. Since lawmakers are likely to vote on the budget tomorrow (given they don’t want to come in on the 4th and they…

Media

CorridorOne: Every Rose has its Thorn

• Nathan Benefield
• July 2, 2008

When we last heard mention of CorridorOne, the proposed transit rail line in the Harrisburg area that no one will ride, supporters were defending federal earmarks – because subverting…

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Regulation

How long will PA’s smoking ban last?

• July 1, 2008

Of course, Pennsylvania’s criminalization of smoking in private establishments hasn’t even gone into effect yet, but Jeremy Richards writes in the Heartland Institutes’s Budget & Tax News that “History…

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State Budget

New borrowing in budget deal

• Nathan Benefield
• July 1, 2008

While we are still waiting to see many of the details on the budget agreement, here are the numbers on borrowing that have been revealed. The new agreement…

Media

Government Accountability

The state budget: Secret sham

• Nathan Benefield
• July 1, 2008

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review editorializes on the secret nature of the budget negotiations and the wheeling and dealing that occurs behind closed doors.

Media

Education

Shady Accounting at the Pennsylvania Department of Education

• Elizabeth Stelle
• July 1, 2008

Allegheny Institute’s latest policy brief reveals how the Pennsylvania Department of Education classifies federal monies as local tax revenue. “By making it appear that the local revenue…

Media

EZ Come, EZ Go! at the Turnpike Commission

• June 30, 2008

The second episode of PIKE TV, EZ Come, EZ Go!, looks at how the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission is spending your toll dollars … and its not just…

Media

Leasing the turnpike is a better way for Pa

• Nathan Benefield
• June 30, 2008

Former PA Transporation Secretary (and Turnpike Commissioner) Howard Yerusalim on the Turnpike lease in the Philadelphia Inquirer: Already, similar public-private lease arrangements are working in Indiana and the…

Media

State Budget

Budget Deal Reached

• Nathan Benefield
• June 30, 2008

While taxpayers and state workers slept, lawmakers shook hands on a budget deal. John Micek has some of the details, as does the Patriot News. General Fund budget:…

Media

Taxes & Economy

Congressional Guardian of Worker Freedom Rankings

• Nathan Benefield
• June 28, 2008

Alliance for Worker Freedomhas released an index rating members of Congress by their votes on worker freedom or for the big labor agenda. Here are the House ratings.

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Regulation

Senate passes transporation P3 bill

• Nathan Benefield
• June 28, 2008

The Senate yesterday passed a bill allowing for Public Private Partnerships in transportation (bill text). The big Kahuna, the Turnpike lease, is exempted from the legislation, but it…

Media

Turnpike Commission Pushes Premature Vote on Lease Plan to Kill It

• June 27, 2008

House Transportation Committee may vote on lease proposal on Saturday HARRISBURG, PA — On the heels of two days of hearings in the House Transportation Committee on the proposed…

Press Release

PTC Still Stalling on I-80 Tolling

• Nathan Benefield
• June 27, 2008

The Turnpike Commission revealed today they won’t resubmit their proposal to toll I-80 until August.  That means it will take nine months to answer the questions asked by the feds. …

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Education

The Liberace Complex?

• Nathan Benefield
• June 27, 2008

The York Daily Record has a story on the South Eastern School District paying $97,000 for – wait for it – a grand piano. I may have to…

Media

Government Accountability

The end of “campaign finance reform”?

• Nathan Benefield
• June 27, 2008

The Supreme Court was busy yesterday, in its second major ruling, they struck down a portion of McCain Feingold campaign finance restrictions, ruling that the “millionaire exemption” is unconstitutional.

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Taxes & Economy

Mexicans and Machines

• Nathan Benefield
• June 27, 2008

The latest Drew Carey video on Reason TV tackles NAFTA, robots stealing jobs, and the benefits of creative descrution. I don’t know whether I laughed harder at the machines…

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