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The Real Candidates For Office

• Nathan Benefield
• June 21, 2006

Read Grant Gulibon’s latest commentary in The Evening Bulletin.

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Government Accountability

Taxpayers spending over $1 million on lawyers to defend pay raise

• Nathan Benefield
• June 19, 2006

As first broken by the Philadelphia Inquirer: “”Do I like hiring lawyers to defend these kinds of suits? No, I hate to do this,” said House Majority Leader Sam…

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Public Union Democracy

Your Tax Dollars at Work

• Nathan Benefield
• June 19, 2006

Fine tribute to public sector unions, paid for with your tax dollars. I guess we were wrong to identify the Historical and Museum Commission as an example of pork…

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Regulation

Ousted legislators find silver lining

• June 18, 2006

From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: “Some lawmakers who lost their jobs in the May primary will collect pensions almost as big as their current salaries. “Powerhouse Republican Sen. Robert Jubelirer,…

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Taxes & Economy

Does faux reform kill real reform?

• Nathan Benefield
• June 16, 2006

Brad Bumstead in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review on the likelihood that significant property tax relief is dead following the passage of the facade of reform passed Wednesday. Read our News…

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Government Accountability

Is there a Speaker in the House?

• June 16, 2006

According to Pete DeCoursey of Capitolwire.com, House Speaker John Perzel said this last night on public television’s “Smart Talk”: “When I see that a tattoo artist in the city of…

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Health Care

Reduce Health Insurance Cost Through Competition

• Nathan Benefield
• June 15, 2006

NCPA Analysis of how allowing insurers to offer healthcare coverage across state boundaries would reduce the cost of insurance. Examining only a handful of states, they find a discrepancy…

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Taxes & Economy

FEMA funds spent on divorce, sex change

• Nathan Benefield
• June 14, 2006

AP story on fraud in FEMA aid – as much as $1.4 Billion (16% of all FEMA aid for Katrina and Rita victims) may have been used improperly. My…

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Education

Arrogant PHEAA: More stonewalling

• Nathan Benefield
• June 13, 2006

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review editorial review on how the public agency PHEAA refuses to disclose how they spend their money. Hence we propose privatizing PHEAA in our Pennsylvania Piglet…

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Government Accountability

Agency: Unvouchered expenses ‘income’

• June 12, 2006

The REPUBLICAN & Herald notes that two lawmakers paid taxes on their “unvouchered expenses.” But I thought UEs are not “income” so as not to be a direct violation…

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Public Union Democracy

Union officials must come to grips with reality of today’s economics

• June 11, 2006

George McGovern, former U.S. Senator from SD and 1972 Democratic presidential candidate, shows that he’s s slow learner, but a learner nonetheless. This commentary in today’s Patriot-News says what…

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Regulation

New York’s Pension Peril

• June 9, 2006

E. J. McMahon, the director of the Manhattan Institute’s Empire Center for New York State Policy, writes in the New York Post about NY’s pension problem.

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State Budget

Don’t spend state surplus; instead trim the pork : The Morning Call Online

• June 9, 2006

Commonwealth Foundation Fellow Grant Gulibon in today’s Morning Call.

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State Budget

Cut (half) the Waste!

• Nathan Benefield
• June 8, 2006

Williamsport Sun-Gazette editorial on the Pennsylvania Piglet Book 2006.

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Public Union Democracy

TV ad targeting unions raises profile of campaign against labor leaders

• June 8, 2006

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette story on the Center for Union Facts’ commercial. Check out the commercial here.

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Taxes & Economy

The More You Know … The More You Wish You Didn’t

• Nathan Benefield
• June 7, 2006

How does a $56,000 salary sound? Not bad? What if that salary was for working on a political campaign? Still better? Now imagine that salary was for your 2nd job,…

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Regulation

Lawmaker Pensions too generous

• Nathan Benefield
• June 7, 2006

Coverage of lawmaker pensions (and our Pension Study) in The York Daily Record.

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Taxes & Economy

Tax Dollars Spent on PR

• Nathan Benefield
• June 5, 2006

The Patriot News reports on how your tax dollars are working hard to fund the public relations campaigns of legislative leaders – namely House Speaker Perzel spending $5,000/month on…

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Regulation

Nice Pensions for Lawmakers

• Nathan Benefield
• June 5, 2006

Coverage of lawmakers’ pensions in the Chambersburg Public Opinion and Lebanon Daily News.

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Public Union Democracy

And you probably thought the Soviet Union collapsed!

• June 2, 2006

The union water-boys at the Keystone Research Center had Paul Krugman in Harrisburg last night, as reported in the Patriot-News. Gotta love Krugman’s solutions for our economic woes.

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Taxes & Economy

Groups target legislative spending

• June 2, 2006

From the Courier Times: “Asked about the WAMS — legislative grants for economic development — Rep. Scott Petri, R-178, said, “I don’t know any one of them I would…

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