High school graduates not proficient

  • Nathan Benefield
  • September 5, 2007

Report from PA Partnerships for Children reveals that 45% of Pennsylvania high school graduates last year did not pass the 11th grade PSSA (on the first or 2nd try).

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The Ten Cannots

  • September 5, 2007

THE TEN CANNOTSBy Reverend William J.H. Boetcker (1916) You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift. You cannot help small men by tearing down big…

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Tolling I-80: What a crock

  • September 5, 2007

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review on Harrisburg’s transportation boondoggle: “It was hatched behind closed doors without debate or public input.” Read today’s commentary from Matt Brouillette too.

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Calls for heads to roll at PHEAA

  • Nathan Benefield
  • September 4, 2007

The Patriot News says PHEAA employees who think they would earn more in the private sector should go earn more in the private sector (by which they mean not…

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Transit proposal fails to add up

  • September 2, 2007

PennDOT Secretary Allen Biehler says what we said long ago, that light rail in Central PA would create a giant sucking sound of taxpayer money. We hate to…

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Beaver nonprofit pays top dollar to senator’s wife

  • September 2, 2007

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review on Sen. Gerald LaValle’s wife’s compensation ($102,076, plus a $9,695 pension benefit) to run a non-profit charity that has been funded primarily with taxpayer money through…

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The Strange Career of Affirmative Action

  • September 1, 2007

Hillsdale College professor Paul Moreno writes in The Wall Street Journal that “This 125th Labor Day, Americans ought to consider one of organized labor’slesser-known contributions to American politics:…

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Turnpike Commission Loves P3s

  • Nathan Benefield
  • August 31, 2007

They Mon-Fayette Expressway, which the Turnpike Commission promised to complete in order to get their sweetheart deal passed, will like be built using a public-private partnership. Chris Buckley has…

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Campaign Finance Reform Gone Haywire

  • Nathan Benefield
  • August 30, 2007

This story from the Wall Street Journal (hat tip to Tony Phyrillas) illustrates exactly why campaign donation limits are a meaningless reform. Unfortunately, this is the same type…

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Investigation into Bonus-Gate heats up

  • Nathan Benefield
  • August 30, 2007

Post-Gazette reports the the AG’s office has seized records on House Democratic staffers to see if bonuses were tied to campaign work. They are apparently also investigating Mike Veon…

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Public vs. Private: Rebuilding New Orleans

  • Nathan Benefield
  • August 30, 2007

USA Today article on the rebuilding in New Orleans – noting that rebuilding efforts funding by private entrepreneurs and philanthropists are done faster and better than anything funded by…

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Ripping Off Taxpayers, Pennsylvania Style

  • Nathan Benefield
  • August 29, 2007

Richard Vedder of the Center for College Affordability and Productivity weighs in on the PHEAA bonuses. Vedder’s book Going Broke by Degree: Why College Costs Too Much is…

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What Americans Think about Their Schools

  • Nathan Benefield
  • August 29, 2007

Results of a survey on public education and school choice is featured in the latest Education Next. Some of the findings I found interesting: School vouchers are generally viewed…

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The SCHIP Open

  • Nathan Benefield
  • August 29, 2007

AEI paper on the many flaws of proposed SCHIP expansion, primarily that it provides “Hidden Incentives for States to Spend Federal Funds,” driving up the costs to taxpayers by…

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Do the latest welfare numbers stack up?

  • Nathan Benefield
  • August 28, 2007

An AP Story covers the latest news release from the PA Department of Public Welfare claiming lowest number of welfare recipients in nearly 50 years. This rosy analysis…

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Rendell targets PHEAA

  • August 28, 2007

Rendell is calling for an “overhaul” of PHEAA. in today’s Tribune-Review. Our guess is that it will just be a shakedown rather than a true effort to reform that…

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Road Work

  • August 28, 2007

On the two year anniversary of Hurrican Katrina, Joel Kotkin in today’s Wall Street Journal notes how politicians push aside the more mundane aspects of “governing” for “the ephemeral…

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