Media

Government Accountability

Are Pennsylvania and Iraq going in opposite directions?

• Nathan Benefield
• June 14, 2008

Jonathan Jenkins, a Pennsylvania resident serving in Iraq, ask “Are Pennsylvania and Iraq going in opposite directions?” He offers the perspective the Iraq is improving, while Pennsylvania is declining,…

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Regulation

Tenant unlikely for $250 million airport

• Nathan Benefield
• June 13, 2008

A LBFC study on the Hazleton area airport proposal finds that prospect of attracting a major client is remote (FedEx and DHL said “heck no”, while UPS said “very…

Media

Health Care

Voters Send Mixed Messages on Health Care

• Nathan Benefield
• June 13, 2008

Michael Tanner on polls about health care and the divergent proposals , concluding, “as November approaches, voters will reach a fork in the road, and as Yogi Berra says,…

Media

Education

Popping the Tuition Bubble

• Nathan Benefield
• June 13, 2008

Interesting article in The American about the idea of financing higher education by promising a set portion of future earnings for loans. The idea of “human capital contracts” was…

Media

Is the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission a secret cult?

• Nathan Benefield
• June 12, 2008

Peter Samuel of Toll Roads News seems to think so, as he struggles in his quest to get information about the Commission, and why Governor Rendell tolerates people he…

Media

Taxes & Economy

How late will the budget be this year?

• Nathan Benefield
• June 12, 2008

With the debate over furloughs heating up (also see here), House Appropriations Chair Dwight Evans announced that the House will begin debating the budget the week of…

Media

Regulation

Budget: WAMs in, Rainy Day Fund to be Raided

• Nathan Benefield
• June 12, 2008

The House Appropriations Committee passed an amendment that increases the Governor’s proposed budget by $148 million (which, according to Evans’ news release, isn’t much money). This raises the…

Media

Taxes & Economy

$4 Gasbags

• Nathan Benefield
• June 12, 2008

Wall Street Journal looks at the absurdity of Congress’ posturing to “do something” about high gas prices – except allow increased US production of gasoline. “Pain at the Pump”…

Media

Q&A on the Turnpike | CFTV on YouTube

• June 12, 2008

If you were unable to join us for Policies & Principles Luncheon on Tuesday, June 10th with Roy Kienitz of the Governor’s Office discussing a lease of the Pennsylvania Turnpike,…

Press Release

Regulation

Did slots hurt lottery collections?

• Nathan Benefield
• June 11, 2008

A new report by the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee find that slots gambling has hurt lottery revenue. Not only has lottery revenue and participation seen almost no growth…

Media

Video: Turnpike Lease Q&A

• Nathan Benefield
• June 11, 2008

Video from yesterday’s luncheon on leasing the Pennsylvania Turnpike is below (or click here) For additional information, our Policy Brief on the Turnpike lease is here (it…

Media

Education

Putting Children Last

• Nathan Benefield
• June 11, 2008

The Wall Street Journal blasts efforts by Democrats—coerced by the teacher’s unions—to end the DC Opportunity Scholarship program, a program which saves kids from failing schools and…

Media

Taxes & Economy

Movin’ Out/Migration Resource and Data

• Nathan Benefield
• June 11, 2008

Here are some resource and links related to my commentary on interstate migration: Census Data and migration report United Van Lines Data and…

Media

Regulation

Will MacGyver rescue the smoking ban?

• Nathan Benefield
• June 10, 2008

John Micek thinks the Senate Dems plan to pass a smoking ban that includes everything the conference committee bill did, plus exemptions so Scranton and Pittsburgh could pass their own…

Media

Tolling I-80 not a matter of “fairness”

• Nathan Benefield
• June 10, 2008

A reader asked for a response to comments Sen. Sean Logan has been making about Turnpike lease revenue and the need to toll I-80 for “fairness”. (See Logan’s Morning…

Media

Public Union Democracy

Right to Work states have higher growth

• Nathan Benefield
• June 10, 2008

The Union Label blog looks at economic growth differences between right to work and forced unionism state.

Media

Taxes & Economy

Is the minimum wage behind higher unemployment?

• Nathan Benefield
• June 9, 2008

Mark Perry makes the case that the recent uptick in unemployment in the US is partially due to the increase in the federal minimum wage (and the pending increase…

Media

Government Accountability

Legislators controlling redistricting are like alcoholics tending bar

• Nathan Benefield
• June 9, 2008

John Baer’s latest column blasts legislators who are killing reform – in particular redistricting – for their own self-interest: And who can forget Speaker Emeritus John Perzel winning…

Media

No toll limit

• Nathan Benefield
• June 9, 2008

My letter to the editor in the Patriot News on Turnpike tolls under the lease vs. under Act 44: Charles Thompson’s May 25 article, “For drivers, it’s just…

Media

Regulation

Corporate Welfare: Bad for Business

• Nathan Benefield
• June 8, 2008

A Capital Commerce blog post – on the subject on whether Obama is a Marxist (concluding that he is not, but he is a…

Media

State Budget

Rendell: Furloughs to begin July 1

• Nathan Benefield
• June 8, 2008

The Rendell administration has announced that furloughs of non-essential state workers (which includes everyone but state troopers, prison guards, liquor store clerks, casino regulators, and of course, legislative staffers…

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