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Welfare

PA lagging in Welfare to Work

• Nathan Benefield
• September 8, 2006

Pennsylvania is among a handful of states that need to improve the number of welfare recipients working, the AP reports. Under new federal law, states are required to have…

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Regulation

Hair Braiding Drama

• Nathan Benefield
• September 6, 2006

Patriot News article on the fear of unlicensed hair-braiders vs. the danger in regulatory professions (though they emphasize the former). Read Stephen Albert’s commentary on the burdens of…

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Health Care

Will Mandatory Health Insurance Work?

• Nathan Benefield
• September 6, 2006

NCPA Analysis of Health Insurance Mandates, such as the new Massachusetts law and proposals discussed at recent hearings in Pennsylvania. Bottom line: they won’t work, and they could drive…

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Government Accountability

The real meaning of ‘reform’

• Nathan Benefield
• September 5, 2006

Brad Bumsted column in Sunday’s Pittsburgh Tribune Review on the need for legislative reform. He cites the recent Commonwealth Foundation study on reforms needed.

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Taxes & Economy

Incomes and Politics

• Nathan Benefield
• September 2, 2006

Wall Street Journal article on income disparity and inconsistent political rhetoric.

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Education

School choice leads to less segregation

• Nathan Benefield
• September 1, 2006

Contrary to the rhetoric of many opponents of school choice, two new studies from the Milton & Rose Friedman Foundation shows that private schools participating in the voucher programs…

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Taxes & Economy

Household Income Analysis

• Nathan Benefield
• September 1, 2006

Interesting note by the The Tax Foundation on recent household income data. While a recent Census Report indicates that real median household income (adjusted for inflation) has declined since…

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Education

The best education reform: More sleep.

• Nathan Benefield
• September 1, 2006

Wall Street Journal editorial on why schools should start their days later. I’ve never considered this from a policy point of view, but I know that for 13 years,…

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Education

SAT Scores and PA Schools

• Nathan Benefield
• August 31, 2006

SAT Scores Nationally, scores dropped, primarily attributed to a change in the test format. Pennsylania continues to lag behind, ranking 47th in the nation in average combined SAT score.

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Health Care

Tax Credits for Health Care

• Nathan Benefield
• August 31, 2006

While Pennsylvania lawmakers discuss mandating universal health care coverage, a Census Bureau report indicates fewer people are receiving health insurance from their employers, and more are paying for…

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Taxes & Economy

Soak the Poor

• Nathan Benefield
• August 31, 2006

Analysis of how not “extending the Bush tax cuts” (i.e. raising taxes dramatically in 2011) would hurt low- and moderate-income familes from Investors Business Daily, summarize here by…

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Taxes & Economy

Economic Benefit of Wal-Mart

• Nathan Benefield
• August 30, 2006

Op-Ed by Robert Samuleson in today’s Washington Post on how Wal-Mart’s low-price policies benefit all Americans – doing a much better job controlling inflation than the Federal Reserve. “A…

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Health Care

Reveal Health Care Costs

• Nathan Benefield
• August 30, 2006

Health care pricing – the only good or service I can think of where you don’t learn the price until the bill comes – may be changing. USA Today…

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Public Union Democracy

Ending Teacher strikes

• Nathan Benefield
• August 30, 2006

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review weighs in on how best to end teacher strikes in PA.

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Regulation

Fines for Sex without a License

• Nathan Benefield
• August 29, 2006

Legislation proposed by State Rep. Keith McCall would require prospective massage therapists to take 600 hours of classroom training, have instruction in CPR and HIV, pass an exam, and…

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Regulation

Pa. bureaucracy pursues a love of licensing

• Nathan Benefield
• August 29, 2006

Read Commonwealth Foundation intern Stephen Albert’s commentary on the regulation of economic freedom in today’s York Dispatch.

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Regulation

The 1% Solution

• Nathan Benefield
• August 29, 2006

Read Commonwealth Foundation senior fellow Rick Dreyfuss’s latest commentary on senate health care cost sharing in today’s Patriot News.

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Taxes & Economy

Rendell-conomics

• Nathan Benefield
• August 28, 2006

According to News Release from the Governor, he has revitalized local communities by locating state offices in downtown locations. Apparently the key to economic growth is bigger state government…

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Government Accountability

Legislative leaders need a diet

• Nathan Benefield
• August 26, 2006

A must-watch story from KDKA exposing how many legislators leaders take $141 per-diem for “lodging and meals” every day they are in Harrisburg, then charge taxpayers for catering or…

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Taller people are smarter

• Nathan Benefield
• August 25, 2006

Groundbreaking study shows that taller people are smarter. I will cite this study frequently when debating people shorter than I.

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Taxes & Economy

How to fix our road

• Nathan Benefield
• August 25, 2006

A book released from the Independent Institute discusses various options for transportation agencies to privatize, outsource, and use market incentives for road repairs and usage.

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