Media

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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Say it isn’t so…our government is spying on us?

• December 17, 2005

Are we really surprised that our government could possibly be monitoring us? After all, it is the natural course of governments that enjoy virtually unlimited power. (Need I even…

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Pension grab: Lawmakers at a loss

• December 17, 2005

Editorial from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review warns of the looming crisis of public pensions. The Commonwealth Foundation will soon be releasing a report that shows just how out of…

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Taxes & Economy

Privatizing Toll Roads

• Nathan Benefield
• December 16, 2005

Good study on privatization of Toll Roads in USA Today, summarized by the National Center for Policy Analysis. It save taxpayers money and generates revenue for government. It will…

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Newspapers Expose “Hidden Costs of Teacher Tenure”

• December 15, 2005

From Labor Reform News… Teachers’ unions top priority, preserving the tenure system and defeating reforms, damages education system, newspaper series finds A group of Illinois newspapers, the Small Newspaper Group,…

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Totalitarian Impulse

• December 15, 2005

Paul Jacobs on the Oklahoma Education Association’s efforts to silence proponents of government spending limits. Sound familiar?…

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Welfare

Privatization of Welfare Administration

• Nathan Benefield
• December 13, 2005

An interesting study of how Texas is contracting out many technical aspects of their public assistance offices and streamlining the application process: NCPA Brief Analysis #539, A New Frontier…

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The state of Pennsylvania: Rendell’s ‘growth’ …

• December 12, 2005

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review on Gov. Rendell’s “cooking of the books” on job creation.

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State Budget

… tap-dancing pigs

• December 12, 2005

Editorial on spending limits from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

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Education

Striking teachers strike again…and again…and again…

• December 11, 2005

Students in the northeast PA school district of Crestwood may be getting a few more days off, thanks to the PSEA labor unions efforts to raise taxes on homeowners…

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Pension costs to rise

• December 11, 2005

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review story on the rising costs of government-sector employee pensions. While the private sector recognized long ago the need to move away from “defined benefit” to “defined…

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Taxes & Economy

The Minimum Wage: DeWeese as Marx

• December 11, 2005

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review editorial board said it, not me…but they’re right!! This may be the week that the Democrats attempt to artificially increase labor costs in PA. The irony,…

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Federal Government Subsidizes AARP

• Nathan Benefield
• December 9, 2005

The federal government subsidizes AARP to the tune of $80 million, according to HUMAN EVENTS ONLINE. What does AARP use the money for? Lobbying for, among other…

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Taxes & Economy

Help low wage workers by taking away their jobs?

• Nathan Benefield
• December 9, 2005

From the National Center for Policy Analysis: In June 2004 Santa Fe became one of three cities in the United States to pass a city-wide minimum wage applying…

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Jesus doesn’t want you to shop at Wal-Mart

• Nathan Benefield
• December 9, 2005

More hysteria from Wal-Mart critics – who have taken union dues to buy ads claiming the Bible commands us not to shop at Wall-Mart: Wal-Mart Critics: Where Would Jesus…

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Government Accountability

Capital Gains Tax Reform Benefits Seniors, Pennsylvanians

• Nathan Benefield
• December 8, 2005

The Tax Foundation released an analysis of federal capital gains and dividend taxes: The Tax Foundation – Majority of Seniors Benefit from Reduced Capital Gains and Dividend Tax Rates.

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State Budget

Spending Limits: The Facts for Pennsylvania and the Truth about Colorado

• December 8, 2005

MEDIA CONFERENCE CALL12.08.05, 3:00PM Commonwealth Foundation and Americans for Prosperity to Hold Media Conference Call TODAY Spending Limits: The Facts for Pennsylvania and the Truth about…

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