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Taxes & Economy

Economic Benefits of NAFTA

• Nathan Benefield
• June 16, 2008

National Center for Policy Analysis has a new analysis on the economic benefits of NAFTA. NAFTA critics most frequently point to the “lost jobs” but here are some facts:…

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Taxes & Economy

Reagonomics Works!

• Nathan Benefield
• June 16, 2008

A new comparative study of economic growth among countries finds that big government results in slower economic growth, whereas countries with smaller government have greater growth. They also note that…

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Regulation

Corporate Welfare In, Fiscal Restraint Out

• June 16, 2008

Commonwealth Foundation calls House budget irresponsible and misguided HARRISBURG, PA — Today, the Commonwealth Foundation charged that proposals by the Pennsylvania House Democrats to increase Governor Rendell’s proposed budget by…

Press Release

Education

Abandoning The SAT – Fraud or Folly?

• Nathan Benefield
• June 14, 2008

Interesting discussion about universities ending use of the SAT at Wake Forest (presumably applicable to the ACT – which I took, and scored crazy high on) at Minding the…

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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…

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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,…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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.

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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…

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