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Report card time: Rendell gets an F minus

• February 8, 2006

Tony Phyrillas on the Liberty Index in The Mercury.

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State Budget

Rendell’s Budget vs. Taxpayer Fairness Act

• February 8, 2006

MEMORANDUM DATE: February 8, 2006TO: All Republican SenatorsCC: Capitol NewsroomFROM: Erik ArnesonSUBJECT: Rendell 06-07 Budget Proposal vs. Taxpayer Fairness Act Gov. Rendell today claimed that his…

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Government Accountability

How a Bill Becomes a Law … PA style

• Nathan Benefield
• February 8, 2006

In an effort to settle a dispute between some shareholders of Philly-based Sovereign Bank, as reported by the Patriot News, some “ghost voting” ocurred in the Senate. The bill,…

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Taxes & Economy

Absurd logic used to support minimum wage

• Nathan Benefield
• February 8, 2006

Yet another example of the limitless rhetoric used to support a minimum wage increase. This time, Rep. Josephs calls out other female legislators, demanding that they support a minimum…

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Taxes & Economy

Spend more now, raises taxes later

• Nathan Benefield
• February 7, 2006

The Cato Institute’s Chris Edwards reports that many states (like maybe Pennsylvania) are following the same mistakes of the late 90s in Busting the State Tax-Revenue Boom. When state…

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Taxes & Economy

Mentality of Minimum Wage Supporters

• February 6, 2006

The Morning Call is reporting that House Republicans may be the only barrier between Rendell and his labor union buddies’ artificial increas in the labor costs in PA. One…

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Mid-Term Grades

• Nathan Benefield
• February 3, 2006

Liberty Index coverage in the Post-Gazette suggests some lawmakers may need to stay “after class”.

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Lawmakers report card

• February 2, 2006

Liberty Index coverage in the great Northwest. Read The Bradford Era story here.

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How to reduce property taxes

• Nathan Benefield
• February 1, 2006

An Americans for Tax Reform study on property tax reform in New Jersey and Massachusetts. While New Jersey attempted to reduce property taxes by creating an income tax with…

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Taxes & Economy

Taxing telecommuters

• Nathan Benefield
• February 1, 2006

New study from the The Tax Foundation on how New York, Pennsylvania, and two oather states attempt to penalize telecommuters who choose not to live there. However, rather than…

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State Budget

Rendell to propose business tax cuts

• January 31, 2006

Attempting to reshape himself as a “pro-business” Democrat after 3 years of punishing job creators, Gov. Rendell gave a sneak peek into next week’s budget address. Remember, this is after…

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Government Accountability

#254 on the Liberty Index lives up (down?) to his ranking

• January 31, 2006

Philly Democratic Senator Vince Fumo (who scored the worst on our Liberty Index) has proposed a graduated income tax to further punish the producers in Pennsylvania. Nevermind that the “rich”…

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Government Accountability

Rep. Metcalfe on the Liberty Index

• January 31, 2006

From a news release from Rep. Daryl Metcalfe… Rep. Daryl Metcalfe: Metcalfe tops Liberty Index for second year in a row. HARRISBURG — Representative Daryl Metcalfe (R-Butler) is again the…

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Government Accountability

Liberty Index in Lancaster

• January 31, 2006

Democratic Rep. Mike Sturla’s response to his F- grade in the Intelligencer Journal is classic: “[T]hese are people who never bothered to drive, or get prescription drugs for their…

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Taxes & Economy

House fails to override veto of tax cut

• January 31, 2006

Patriot-News story on yesterday’s action in the House where many Democrats who originally supported tax cuts renegged on their suppport.

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Education

The PHEAA raises: Another pay-jacking

• January 29, 2006

More on the lobbyist/legislative operative who is now the highest paid state employee … in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

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Taxes & Economy

Minimum logic

• January 28, 2006

A small businessman says, in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, how he’ll deal with Rendell’s minimum wage increase … let go employees. Of course, those pushing this Fascist economic policy…

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Taxes & Economy

The Politics of Ever-Expanding Government

• Nathan Benefield
• January 26, 2006

A quality essay by Steven Malanga on how the recipients of increased government spending support increased government spending. Taxpayers are footing the bill for lobbying by by governments and…

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Regulation

How to milk the system

• January 25, 2006

Pension ruling for judge could ‘open floodgates’ to other claims, says a dissenting judge on the Commonwealth Court. By this court’s reasoning, I should be able to collect money…

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Education

A government big enough to give you everything you want …

• Nathan Benefield
• January 25, 2006

There is a theory (articulate in a piece by Mark Bauerlein) that left-wing academics are engrossed in large scale group think, that when large numbers of the radical left…

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Taxes & Economy

Higher minimum wage will hurt state

• January 25, 2006

The Morning Call reprinted my letter to the governor in today’s newspaper. Also, tune in to WHP 580 AM today from 3-4pm when I will be debating a representative…

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