Media

Regulation

Benevolence of the Trucker

• April 10, 2008

Land Line Magazine’s coverage of the Public-Private Partnership (P3) forum that I moderated on Monday ran with the headline, “Panelists say profit motivates infrastructure investment.” (As an aside,…

Media

Taxes & Economy

PA’s “liberal” population shift

• Nathan Benefield
• April 10, 2008

The Philadelphia Inquirer has an article remarking on Pennsylvania’s demographic changes, noting that the state is gaining population in the eastern part and losing population in the west –…

Media

Pennsylvania Turnpike Is One of the Country’s Least Cost-Efficient Toll Roads

• Nathan Benefield
• April 10, 2008

A new study by the Reason Foundation finds that the Pennsylvania Turnpike is among the nation’s most inefficient roads. They also analyze the study produced, at taxpayer expense,…

Media

Taxes & Economy

Another Mediocre Rank for PA Business Climate

• Nathan Benefield
• April 10, 2008

The Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council has new report on Business Tax Index 2008, look at the best tax climate for small businesses. Pennsylvania, as has been a recurring…

Media

Government Accountability

“Per Diems” Add Up

• Nathan Benefield
• April 9, 2008

RocktheCapital has analyzed and released expense reports for one lawmaker, David Argall of Schuykill County, finding that he collected $15,000 in “per diems” (compensation above and beyond salary, ostensibly…

Media

Education

Mapping Graduation Rates

• Nathan Benefield
• April 9, 2008

Education Week has an interactive tool to map the graduation rates of states and school districts (based on the recent analysis by America’s Promise Alliance). Here is the…

Media

Health Care

When is a college basketball game “over”?

• Nathan Benefield
• April 9, 2008

If you like sports and you like math then Bill James’s calculator to determine when a college basketball game is out of reach should be interesting (if not, then…

Media

Taxes & Economy

Eminent Domain post-Kelo

• Nathan Benefield
• April 9, 2008

The Cato Daily Podcast for today covers state eminent domain reform reforms since Kelo. For more visit the Castle Coalition, and their report on state eminent domain…

Media

Taxes & Economy

Congressional Ratings from National Taxpayers Union

• Nathan Benefield
• April 8, 2008

The National Taxpayers Union has released their 2007 Congressional Rankings. As for the PA Delegation: Pitts A 87% (“Taxpayers’ Friend”)Shuster B 74% (“Good”)Peterson C+ 62% (“Satisfactory”)…

Media

Taxes & Economy

“No Cardboard Checks”

• Nathan Benefield
• April 8, 2008

One of my favorite sources for the inside scoop from the Capitol is Senator Eichelberger’s blog. In his latest post, he describes his refusal to participate in handing out…

Media

Taxes & Economy

Global temperatures ‘to decrease’

• Nathan Benefield
• April 7, 2008

BBC report on a decade of “global cooling”.

Media

Education

The Real Cost of Public Schools

• Nathan Benefield
• April 7, 2008

Andrew Coulson has an article in the Washington Post and a more detailed version on the Cato-at-liberty blog contrasting public school spending ($24,000 per pupil) and private school…

Media

Taxes & Economy

Big Oil vs. Big Ethanol

• Nathan Benefield
• April 7, 2008

Everyone in Pennsylvania (save the Amish, who are also unlikely to be reading this blog) must have heard or seen the Barack Obama, anti-“Big Oil” ad dozens of…

Media

State Budget

The Merits of Pork Barrel spending

• Nathan Benefield
• April 7, 2008

Tom Barnes of the Post-Gazette has a story on the state capital budget, covering some of the projects in the Pittsburgh area. The Rendell administration tries to take…

Media

Health Care

Why McCain has the best health-care plan

• Nathan Benefield
• April 4, 2008

Fortune Magazine article on the health care proposals of the presidential candidates, along with the overarching question of whether we should move to government-run insurance or offer consumers greater…

Media

Government Accountability

Brouillette to moderate forum on P3s in transportation

• Nathan Benefield
• April 4, 2008

Matthew J. Brouillette, president of the Commonwealth Foundation will moderate a forum on public-private partnerships and the potential role they can play in helping Pennsylvania meet its transportation…

Media

Taxes & Economy

Electricity deregulation a success in Texas

• Nathan Benefield
• April 4, 2008

Dallas Morning News story on a report showing how competition flourished and prices declined once Texas Electrity Deregulation took effect in January of last year. The full report…

Media

Government Accountability

Join us on Facebook

• Nathan Benefield
• April 4, 2008

The Commonwealth Foundation has a New Page on Facebook. If you are a Facebook user (or want to sign up to see what all the kids are…

Media

Government Accountability

Why the capital budget process needs to be reformed

• Nathan Benefield
• April 4, 2008

Here is a response I posted on GrassrootsPA to the defenders of the $13 billion in capital budget projects who state essentially “It isn’t that bad, because not all…

Media

Taxes & Economy

Hoover’s Heirs

• Nathan Benefield
• April 3, 2008

Wall Street Journal editorial on what not to do facing a possible recession, i.e. follow the lead of Herbert Hoover: In 1930, he signed the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act,…

Media

State Budget

Pork-Barrel Projects Take Taxpayers to Slaughterhouse

• April 3, 2008

Commonwealth Foundation condemns earmarking of $12.7 billion in taxpayer debt HARRISBURG, PA — The Commonwealth Foundation expressed disappointment in the Pennsylvania Senate’s passage of House Bill 1589, which authorizes $12.7…

Press Release