A Voucher Defeat in Utah

  • Nathan Benefield
  • November 8, 2007

Adam Schaeffer in the Wall Street Journal on why tax credits are a better tool for providing school choice than vouchers.

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Response to Reform is Not Dead!

  • Nathan Benefield
  • November 8, 2007

There are two types of halftime speeches – the rousing “win one for the Gipper” speech and the in-your-face, “you are playing like a bunch of [explicatives]”. I tried to…

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Post-Election Wrap Up

  • November 7, 2007

All the results from Tuesday’s election are in- be sure to listen to THE BOX Program Saturday @ 8 am on WHP 580 AM for a “Post-Election Wrap…

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Poll: I-80 toll less popular than leasing the Pa. Turnpike

  • Nathan Benefield
  • November 7, 2007

The Quinnipiac (I spelled it right on the first try) poll reveals that tolling I-80 is less popular than a Turnpike lease read the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review story or click…

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Reform is Not Dead! (yet)

  • Nathan Benefield
  • November 7, 2007

John Micek already posed the question: Bad night all around for the Clean Sweepers. All the under-ticket state judges appear poised to hold onto their jobs as well.

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Election News Roundup

  • Nathan Benefield
  • November 7, 2007

Patriot News on Judicial Retentions and on Supreme Court Elections Inquirer on races in the Southeast and on the less competitive Philadelphia Mayor’s race. Post-Gazette on…

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Election Day Updates

  • Nathan Benefield
  • November 6, 2007

GrassrootsPA is keeping running updates of elections news and reports from the polls, so that we don’t have to. John Micek is live blogging over at Capitol Ideas.

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Justifying Pork

  • Nathan Benefield
  • November 6, 2007

Andrew Roth takes on the leading excuses for earmarks by Congress. These same excusses are used to defend WAMs and other corporate welfare in Pennsylvania (see here and…

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Consumer Driven Health Plans: Working as Intended

  • Nathan Benefield
  • November 5, 2007

New report from Consumers for Health Care Choices on the effect of Consumer Driven Health Plans: When these programs were being considered, proponents said they would have several…

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A chance to end farm subsidies

  • Nathan Benefield
  • November 5, 2007

Los Angeles Times editorial on the corporate welfare for rich farmers (including those in Manhattan). IDB has an op-ed of its own on the upcoming vote. Also…

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$2 million spent by PHEAA on giveaways

  • Nathan Benefield
  • November 5, 2007

Jan Murphy of the Patriot News exposes more PHEAA expenses – including “giveaways” such as golf balls, LL Bean Jackets, and T-Shirts bearing the PHEAA logo, I-Pods and DVD…

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Convert state pensions to defined contribution

  • Nathan Benefield
  • November 4, 2007

Senator Pat Browne has an op-ed in The Morning Call on the need to reform our public pension systems and the legislation he will be sponsoring in the…

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Beyond Those Health Care Numbers

  • Nathan Benefield
  • November 4, 2007

Greg Mankiw in the New York Times on the misuse of health care statistics – life expectancy, “47 million uninsured,” and costs of health care.

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Scarnati submits op-ed by Turnpike Commission

  • Nathan Benefield
  • November 2, 2007

Frothing at the mouth, President Pro-Tem Joe Scarnati cites the “evil foreign company” argument as to why he won’t allow consideration of a Turnpike lease (even though several…

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Last Chance to Learn About Judges

  • Nathan Benefield
  • November 2, 2007

Here are surveys/info about the judges up for election and retention: Democracy Rising Judicial SurveyPennsylvania Family Institute Voters’ Guide PA League of Women’s Voters Voters’…

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Why we blog

  • Nathan Benefield
  • November 1, 2007

Nicholas Carr thinks Greg Mankiw should stop blogging. His rationale is the economic concept of “comparative advantage” – that is, Greg Mankiw is a brilliant economist and should…

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For-Profit Philly Schools show math gains

  • Nathan Benefield
  • November 1, 2007

A new study finds that for-profit school management led to math test score gains in Philadelphia (News Release and AP Story): “The impact of for-profit…

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More on Free Markets v. Socialized Medicine

  • Nathan Benefield
  • November 1, 2007

In response to the criticisms of cancer survival statistics used in a Giuliani ad, David Grazter has defended his statistic and provides additional data about survival rates…

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Peterson Calls on Turnpike Commission to Pull False, Toll-Funded Ads

  • Nathan Benefield
  • November 1, 2007

Congressman Peterson calls on the Turnpike Commission to stop buying ads using toll revenue, that he calls a “misleading, disingenuous toll-paid media campaign, promoting the tolling of Interstate 80”.

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Another Great Milton Friedman Video

  • Nathan Benefield
  • October 31, 2007

In this 30 minute video, Friedman explains why he is a “liberal,” not a “conservative; what is wrong with minimum wage laws (and why they are used to discriminate);…

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