Media

POLL: Informed Voters Support Turnpike Lease

• March 18, 2008

Pennsylvanians prefer lease to higher taxes, new tolls, and more bonded debt HARRISBURG, PA — Informed registered voters in Pennsylvania say leasing the turnpike to an “experienced, qualified private sector…

Press Release

Regulation

Smoke Freedom Day

• Nathan Benefield
• March 18, 2008

WHP CBS 21 has a story on a quasi-protest of the looming smoking ban. Watch Ryan Shafik go all V for Vendetta on legislators, though his reasoned explanation…

Media

Turnpike study called one-sided

• Nathan Benefield
• March 18, 2008

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review article exposes the potential bias of authors of a recent Turnpike lease “study”: The study commissioned by state House Democrats was authored by Harvard professor John…

Media

Taxes & Economy

John Baer: Nutter & Obama are awesome

• Nathan Benefield
• March 18, 2008

When Saturday Night Live made a mockery of the media’s gushing over Barack Obama, I was surprised at how quickly media-types responded by leveling some criticism and by starting some…

Media

Health Care

Competition Solves Health Care

• Nathan Benefield
• March 18, 2008

Tom Coburn op-ed in The New York Sun on why free markets are the solution to health care, and government programs are the problem. While government’s role in…

Media

Government Accountability

Merit Selection of Judges Blog

• Nathan Benefield
• March 17, 2008

Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts has a new blog focusing on merit selection of judges at judgesonmerit.org. Personally I’m not yet persuaded by the merit selection arguments (see previous posts…

Media

Health Care

Stateline: Socialized Medicine = Fiscally Conservative

• Nathan Benefield
• March 17, 2008

Stateline.org has an interesting article on health care funding in the states. The headline reads “On health care, govs are tightening belts.” Here are some examples of “belt-tightening”:…

Media

Taxes & Economy

PA Ranks 45th in Tort Liability

• Nathan Benefield
• March 17, 2008

Pacific Research Institute has published their State Tort Liability Rankings for 2008. Pennsylvania ranks a lowly 45th, but is very close to 44th – we have your number, Rhode…

Media

Regulation

PUC goes after Amish transport

• Nathan Benefield
• March 17, 2008

The Pennsylvania Utility Commission is cracking down on individuals giving rides to the Amish, read the Lancaster Online story and the WGAL story. The Post-Gazette also covered…

Media

Government Accountability

Capitol staffers get their own pay raise

• Nathan Benefield
• March 17, 2008

Jan Murphy in the Patriot has a look at big pay increases, and big salaries for some legislative staffers following the end of bonuses. While Eric Epstein points…

Media

Taxes & Economy

Defending Free Trade

• Nathan Benefield
• March 15, 2008

The Economist has an editorial defending NAFTA – and the need for the US (and presidential candidates) to drop NAFTA bashing. (HT: The Foundry). On a related front,…

Media

Health Care

Why aren’t you dead?

• Nathan Benefield
• March 15, 2008

John Goodman’s Health Policy Blog wonders why more people are being poisoned by restaurants – noting how inept public health inspectors are: What keeps you alive is the…

Media

Taxes & Economy

Litigating for Liberty

• Nathan Benefield
• March 15, 2008

Reason Magazine has a great interview with Chip Mellor, co-founder of the Institute for Justice, on why he believes is “litigating for liberty” – defending parents’ rights to…

Media

State Budget

Pigfoot Evicted from Jack Murtha Fundraiser

• Nathan Benefield
• March 14, 2008

Video of CAGW’s Pig being tossed from Congressman Jack Murtha’s fundraiser while trying to present him with the prestigious “Porker of the Year” award.

Media

State Budget

Porkers win the day, again

• Nathan Benefield
• March 14, 2008

A few days ago, I remarked that the DeMint-McCain earmark moratorium was likely to pass the Senate, as both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton had signed on.

Media

Regulation

Economic Impacts of the Climate Change Bill

• Nathan Benefield
• March 14, 2008

A new study by the Science Applications International Corporation and sponsored by the National Association of Manufacturers and the American Council for Capital Formation looks at the economic impacts…

Media

Regulation

Smoking Bans Redux

• Nathan Benefield
• March 13, 2008

Brad Vasoli in the Evening Bulletin has an article on the proposed state smoking ban, featuring comments from yours truly (a non-smoker). Here is more information on smoking bans…

Media

Government Accountability

A Conservative Approach To Universal Health Care

• Nathan Benefield
• March 13, 2008

Forbes article on the NFIB’s proposed health care agenda which includes allowing individuals to purchase health insurance coverage over state lines, tax deductions for individually purchased insurance, tort…

Media

Health Care

PA House Rejects Real Health Care Reform

• Nathan Benefield
• March 12, 2008

The Pennsylvania House passed an amendment (and is expected to pass the bill) that would enact the House Democrats’ “Pennsylvania ABC,” or as I call it, RendellCare 2.0,…

Media

Government Accountability

Opportunities with the Commonwealth Foundation

• Nathan Benefield
• March 12, 2008

The Commonwealth Foundation is looking for a Research Associate, a Communications Associate, and a Development/Marketing Associate through the 2008-09 Koch Associate Program! If you’re interested, in working the the Commonwealth…

Media

State Budget

Video: Jim DeMint on Earmark Moratorium

• Nathan Benefield
• March 12, 2008

Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina gives a masterful speech on the need for earmark reform in Washington (the same could be applied to handouts in Harrisburg).

Media