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State Budget

Should American troops die for pork?

• Nathan Benefield
• May 9, 2006

A look at the $17 billion in Pork Spending added to the President’s request for funding of troops and Hurricane Katrina Relief from the Heritage Foundation.

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Education

Substitute teaching goes private

• May 9, 2006

In Michigan, the Grand Rapids Public Schools have figured out a way to save the taxpayers money–contract out for substitute teachers. It saves $$$ from having to be socked…

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Taxes & Economy

State Quashes Economic Freedom

• Nathan Benefield
• May 9, 2006

The Pennsylvania State Department’s Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs release their list of disciplinary actions yesterday. Among the egregious violations were: auctioning without an auctioneers license, cutting hair…

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Education

Lawmakers must cure loan agency’s identity crisis

• May 7, 2006

My PHEAA commentary in the Harrisburg Patriot-News.

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Taxes & Economy

The Gas-Tax Hustle

• May 6, 2006

by Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr. I’ll have my own take on “The Government’s Gas Problem” on Monday. Check out the main article at www.CommonwealthFoundation.org then!…

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Education

65% Solution? Reduce School District Size

• Nathan Benefield
• May 5, 2006

Analysis of school district spending by size by in the EIA Communique. The finding is that larger districts spend a lower percentage on classroom instruction (and more in adminstrative…

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Education

Philly Schools Need Improvement

• Nathan Benefield
• May 4, 2006

Jay Greene in today’s Philadelphia Inquirer.

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Taxes & Economy

How to Soak the Rich (the George Bush Way)

• Nathan Benefield
• May 4, 2006

Good piece in the Wall Street Journal on the effects of tax cuts.

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Galbraith’s follies

• May 3, 2006

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review editorial on “one of the anointed liberals of the last century.” “The Canadian-born adviser to presidents and Harvard economist had a generous spirit, generous with money not…

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Taxes & Economy

Property tax proposal has lots of loopholes

• May 3, 2006

Good coverage by Christina Gostomski (and John Micek) of the Allentown Morning Call on the faux taxpayer protections in the bill moving to the House today.

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Taxes & Economy

State’s tax-reduction debate is about the wrong thing

• May 3, 2006

Good timing for the Allentown Morning Call to run my op-ed on our property tax relief scholarship act. As the counter to yesterday’s passage of Act 72 warmed…

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Expert: Property tax plan won’t help for long

• May 2, 2006

Rick Dreyfuss in the Allentown Morning Call: ”I would fully expect that any reduction the average homeowner sees in property taxes would be offset by increases … It’s just…

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State Budget

Line-Item Veto Draws Sen. Byrd’s Scorn – Yahoo! News

• Nathan Benefield
• May 2, 2006

Shockingly, the man responsible for more pork-barrel spending than anyone opposes limiting pork-barrel spending. From Yahoo! News…

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Education

Scholarships as tax relief

• Nathan Benefield
• May 2, 2006

Read Matt Brouillette’s commentary in today’s York Dispatch.

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Public Union Democracy

Thanks Union Bosses!

• May 2, 2006

Watch this Center for Union Facts commercial that will be running nationally this week. Learn more at UnionFacts.com.

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Taxes & Economy

Taxing Oil

• Nathan Benefield
• May 1, 2006

A “windfall” tax on “big oil” will only reduce the supply of oil and increase the cost of gasoline, writes Pittsburgh Tribune-Review columnist Colin McKnickle. It is a shame,…

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Regulation

State jobs: Pay, perks make for popular work

• April 30, 2006

Reading Eagle story on government jobs.

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Taxes & Economy

Free Enterprise and Taxpayer Protection Act

• April 27, 2006

An issue the Commonwealth Foundation has weighed in on, government “enterprises” that compete with private businesses. Read more about it here. Below is the Capitolwire.com story on yesterday’s hearing…

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Regulation

Auction Slots Licenses

• April 27, 2006

The Commonwealth Foundation called for auctioning off the slots licenses in 2003 and 2004, but the gambling proponents decided to “sell” them at a 90% discount rate.

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Education

Educating From the Bench

• April 27, 2006

Judges order legislators to spend more on schools, and taxpayers see less in return. Dr. Jay P. Greene in today’s Wall Street Journal.

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Taxes & Economy

Minimum wage, maximum folly

• April 26, 2006

Walter Williams in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

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