Governors health care plan assailed

  • Nathan Benefield
  • March 22, 2007

Alison Hawkes in The Herald Standard on business groups responses to Governor Rendell’s universal healthcare plan. [Rendell healthcare spokeswoman] Kelchner said she can’t understand why business trade associations are…

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Leasing Toll Roads FAQ

  • Nathan Benefield
  • March 21, 2007

Analysis by the Reason Foundation on the most frequently asked questions about leasing toll roads, along with addressing the most common rhetoric from critics.

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RomneyCare falls down slippery slope

  • Nathan Benefield
  • March 21, 2007

New York Times reports on the how RomneyCare (as Massachusetts’ universal health care plan is known) continues to be worse than advertised. The board of the “Connector” which was…

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Subsidies backlash

  • Nathan Benefield
  • March 21, 2007

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review makes note of how “economic development” grants to “create jobs” were in reality just money down the drain.

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Senator Proposes Term Limits

  • Nathan Benefield
  • March 21, 2007

Coverage of yesterday’s Policies & Principles Forum in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. If you missed the event, you can get the video here.

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You may need $1 more for turnpike

  • Nathan Benefield
  • March 21, 2007

More coverage of the Turnpike’s “public-public” partnership plan in the Patriot News, with a brief mention of Matt Brouillette’s testimony to the Senate Transportation Committee. Also read Geoff…

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The Benefits of Leasing the Pennsylvania Turnpike

  • Matthew Brouillette
  • March 21, 2007

MARCH 20, 2007 Thank you Senator Madigan and members of the Senate Transportation Committee for this opportunity to share with you why the Commonwealth Foundation believes that leasing the Pennsylvania…

Testimony

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The Turnpike Strikes Back

  • Nathan Benefield
  • March 20, 2007

As a counter-proposal to lease, the Turnpike Commission proposes generating more revenue for transportation by: Putting Tolls on I-80 Putting “congestion tolls” on all Turnpike exits around Pittsburgh,…

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Rendell touts transportation plan

  • Nathan Benefield
  • March 20, 2007

Post-Gazette coverage of Rendell’s “transportation tour”. Apparently, he is now looking specifically at a 30-year lease of the Turnpike.

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PHEAA spending splurge nears end

  • Nathan Benefield
  • March 19, 2007

Jan Murphy of the Patriot News reports that PHEAA board members/legislators have promised to cut back on lavish expenses and act more like a “public agency.” Matt Brouillette points…

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Year of Tax Hikes

  • Nathan Benefield
  • March 19, 2007

Stateline.org looks at proposed tax hikes in a number of states, including PA, calling 2007 “the year of tax hikes”. This is bad news for PA taxpayers, as past…

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PA’s Election Influence

  • Nathan Benefield
  • March 16, 2007

While some have called for an earlier primary to “give Pennsylvania more influence” in Presidential nominations, PA’s influence is likely to decline for another reason — stagnant population growth. The…

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Leisure Inequality

  • Nathan Benefield
  • March 16, 2007

Interesting point about inequality and redistribution policy: As you’ve probably heard, there’s been an explosion of inequality in the United States over the past four decades. The gap between…

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Gaming board: Losers Pay Too

  • Nathan Benefield
  • March 16, 2007

The PA Gaming Control Board, is demanding that the applicants who did not receive a slots license pay $84 million, reported by the PA Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. In other…

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House GOP will limit PSAs

  • Nathan Benefield
  • March 16, 2007

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports that the PA House GOP will limit “public service announcements” to three per year per members. Even I buy the logic that the state needs to…

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PHEAA runs up bills for wives

  • Nathan Benefield
  • March 15, 2007

Listing of PHEAA Conference expenses compiled by Jan Murphy featured in the Tribune Review. The list is absolutely amazing. Meanwhile Sen. Michael O’Pake stated that the PHEAA board,…

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Free-Market Health Reform

  • Nathan Benefield
  • March 15, 2007

GOP legislators have introduced a healthcare reform plan based on market principles to challenge the governor’s government run healthcare proposal. Unfortunately that is going on in California, not Pennsylvania (at…

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HSAs and ER visits

  • Nathan Benefield
  • March 15, 2007

A Harvard Medical School study links high deductible health plans (which include HSA plans) to fewer emergency room visits. Turns out (as the Commonwealth Foundation has said many…

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The end of PHEAA?

  • Nathan Benefield
  • March 14, 2007

Governor Rendell says PHEAA “doesn’t have any reason to exist” in the Patriot News. Though it comes with a caveat: “There has to be a culture change at PHEAA,…

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Turnpike Hysteria

  • Nathan Benefield
  • March 14, 2007

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports that Timothy Carson, vice chairman of the Turnpike Commission, explains what would happen if the Turnpike were to be leased to a private firm: tolls could…

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