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Health Care

Free lifetime health care will be costly

• December 29, 2005

The growing tab for taxpayer-funded benefits, in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

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Will the General Assembly override Gov. Rendell’s veto?

• December 29, 2005

With strong bi-partisan support of a meager tax cut in both houses of the General Assembly, enough votes exist to override Gov. Rendell’s veto. Rep. Dave Reed is the first…

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Power Motivates Unions

• December 28, 2005

From the Heartland Institute’s School Reform News… Power Motivates Unions Some wonder why the teacher unions, long so fervently opposed to charter schools, are now aggressively trying to recruit…

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“It is seldom that liberty of any kind is lost all at once.”

• December 28, 2005

Walter Williams on why we should guard against any encroachment on liberty, in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

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Pay-raise suit on to high court

• December 28, 2005

…”the state Supreme Court has agreed to hear Stilp’s arguments that the bill was unconstitutional because it allowed lawmakers to skirt a state constitutional ban on mid-term raises by taking…

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Taxes & Economy

Pro free-markets and pro-business are not the same

• December 27, 2005

George Mason University economics professor Don Boudreaux draws the important distinction between supporting free-markets and supporting businesses. For example, he writes: “Like many economists, I oppose minimum-wage legislation. But this…

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Taxes & Economy

Should we repeal the minimum wage?

• December 27, 2005

Hans F. Sennholz, Professor Emeritus at Grove City College, says “Good intentions, when guided by error and ignorance, may have undesirable consequences. There is no better example than minimum wage…

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Taxes & Economy

Guv can’t find 00.2% in budget fat

• December 26, 2005

AP story: Rendell Vetoes Tax Cuts As any economist worthy of his title would tell Gov. Rendell, using the 5 year total of $1.1 billion is a static (and…

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Taxes & Economy

Lawmakers take break on tax issue

• December 26, 2005

Will either the House or the Senate plan be enough to satisfy taxpayers? Methinks not. Here’s a Pittsburgh Tribune-Review story on the lull before the storm in Harrisburg. The…

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Taxes & Economy

“No room at the inn”

• December 24, 2005

At the heart of the Christmas story rests some important lessons concerning free enterprise, government, and the role of wealth in society. Let’s begin with one of the most famous…

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Remember Mark Sanford?

• December 23, 2005

From Paul Jacob’ Common Sense…. Former Congressman Mark Sanford is a good friend of term limits. In fact, he’s so good that a few years back he wrote a book…

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Taxes & Economy

New Population Data

• Nathan Benefield
• December 23, 2005

The US Census Bureau released their annual population estimates yesterday. Pennsylvania continues to lag behind: Pennsylvania’s population grew by 0.3% last year, slower than the national growth (0.9%) and…

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Education

Myths about Public Education

• Nathan Benefield
• December 21, 2005

Here is short article summarizing a few of the debunked myths about public education spending: National Center for Policy Analysis – Five Myths About Education. For those still looking…

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State Budget

Spending limit fear-mongering addressed

• December 21, 2005

Harrisburg Patriot-NewsLetter to the EditorWednesday, December 21, 2005 Stephen Herzenberg of the Keystone Research Center letter (Dec. 13) criticizes, in a most fascinating way, the proposed Taxpayer Fairness…

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Regulation

Corporate “wealthfare” is happening all around us

• December 21, 2005

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review editorial, The PNC rip-off: False renaissance, is just the latest example of taxpayers subsidizing the bottom line of major corporations. Remember the $2 Billion Gov. Rendell…

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Education

Court Bans Mention of Intelligent Design

• Nathan Benefield
• December 20, 2005

The Dover Schools case has reached a conclusion: Judge bars the school district from mentioning ‘intelligent design.’ The lesson to take from this sage is that government run schools…

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Public Union Democracy

Teachers challenging union dues in California

• Nathan Benefield
• December 20, 2005

California teachers have initiated a lawsuit against the two major teacher’s unions in that state over their rights: NRTW – December Foundation Action The Califonia Teacher Association and California…

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Sunshine for Medicaid

• December 20, 2005

Florida Gov. Jeb Bush is leading the way on Medicaid reform. Gov. Rendell would do well to follow his example. However, given that Gov. Rendell measures success in ADDING citizens…

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Government Accountability

What We Are Up Against

• December 19, 2005

Paul Jacob’s Common Sense… New York State Senator John Marchi of Staten Island is an old hand at politics. And he doesn’t think much of any idea to oust…

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Welfare

WSJ.com – Welfare for the Well-to-do

• Nathan Benefield
• December 19, 2005

A Wall-Street Journal article detailing how many Medicaid recipients have worked the system to swindle taxpayers out of millions (and who is blocking reform):WSJ.com – Welfare for the Well-to-do.

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Education

The public school monopoly hates competition

• December 18, 2005

It was always only a matter of when, not if, the defenders of the status quo in public education would seek to hamstring their competition. First, no charter school…

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