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State Budget

Budget Coverage

• Nathan Benefield
• July 3, 2006

Some press coverage of the late night/early morning state budget deal: Herald Standard (Commonwealth Foundation quoted)Pittsburgh TribPost Gazette (Commonwealth Foundation quoted)Philadelphia Inquirer (Commonwealth…

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Platinum Parachutes

• Nathan Benefield
• July 2, 2006

Read the John Kennedy’s latest commentary in today’s Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

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Taxes & Economy

Bill to raise minimum wage gets House’s OK

• July 1, 2006

Economics is once again trumped by political rhetoric in Harrisburg. Who can be against boosting the pay of someone on the lowest rung of the wage ladder? Unfortunately, by raising…

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Taxes & Economy

State spending to jump in ’06-07

• July 1, 2006

Alison Hawkes in the Herald-Standard on budget negotiations.

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State Budget

Rendell: Budget Could Be Worse

• Nathan Benefield
• June 30, 2006

Governor Rendell names states who will be increasing their budgets faster than PA. Ironically, his list is identical to our list of “States we least want to emulate.” From…

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Health Care

$1 Trillion Shock Awaits States, Local Governments

• June 30, 2006

Joe Mysak asks on Bloomberg.com: “How much is it going to cost states and localities to pay for public employees’ health care and insurance after they retire? “Try between…

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State Budget

Budget expected to win support

• June 30, 2006

Budget story in the Patriot-News… “Democrats are having a field day watching the Republicans help negotiate a budget that spends more than the 4 percent increase Rendell proposed in…

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Taxes & Economy

Wage Wars

• June 29, 2006

I discussed the Minimum Wage rhetoric and reality on SmartMoney.com.

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Education

Preschool Algebra

• Nathan Benefield
• June 29, 2006

From Governor Rendell’s News Release: “An independent study by a renowned firm confirms that more than 160,000 students in 48 Pennsylvania schools are benefiting from investments in early childhood…

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Regulation

Senators vs. Pork

• Nathan Benefield
• June 28, 2006

Not a game between minor league baseball teams, but three State Senators (Jane Orie, R-Allison Park, Pat Vance, R-Silver Spring Twp, and Pat Browne, R-Allentown) trying to Shift Focus…

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Health Care

Accounting rule could bust state budgets

• June 28, 2006

Stateline.org highlights the coming fiscal crisis in the states when governments are required to recognize medical benefits liabilities. Excerpt… Just when states found some breathing room after years…

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Education

For School Equality, Try Mobility

• Nathan Benefield
• June 27, 2006

How “funding the child” would provide greater school equity and choice – by Rod Paige in today’s New York Times.

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Regulation

Oink-oink: Spend, spend, spend

• Nathan Benefield
• June 26, 2006

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review editorial on corporate welfare and ‘walking around money’: “Better for Pennsylvanians if their money never ‘walked’ at all.”…

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Taxes & Economy

State leaders won’t confront hard decisions

• June 26, 2006

Columnist in New Jersey’s Express-Times nails it on the head–he writes: “It’s called a tax shift and has nothing to do with reducing the tax burden. In fact, ‘reducing’…

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Government Accountability

Government Reform

• June 26, 2006

Patriot-News on Lynn Swann’s proposals for change…well, sort of change.

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Regulation

Reformers should alter pension plan

• June 25, 2006

In this exclusive Patriot-News commentary, former lawmaker John Kennedy encourages the dozens of future lawmakers (likely 50-60 new faces will be in Harrisburg come January 2007) to eschew the…

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Government Accountability

Voters have spoken; legislators must now act

• June 25, 2006

The Tribune Democrat ran my commentary on the “Mandate for Reform.”…

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Taxes & Economy

Minimum Wage Myth-Busting

• Nathan Benefield
• June 23, 2006

While the minimum wage debate heat up in DC and Harrisburg, check out this article in today’s Wall Street Journal on the “Labor Lost” from increasing the minimum wage…

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Education

Has School Choice Crossed the Rubicon?

• Nathan Benefield
• June 22, 2006

Clint Bolick argues yes in today’s Wall Street Journal. Even Democratic leaders (including Sen. Ted Kennedy and our own Governor Rendell) have signed on to school choice programs (albeit…

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Education

School Tax Hikes in Allegheny County

• Nathan Benefield
• June 22, 2006

Interesting article in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review about property tax hikes. Twenty of 43 school districts in Allegheny are planning to raise tax rates. Their justification is that the county…

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Regulation

Lovely parting gifts

• June 22, 2006

Lancaster New Era on legislative pensions. Once again demonstrating that “serving the public” doesn’t cost, it PAYS!…

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