Turnpike Lease Information

  • Nathan Benefield
  • March 9, 2007

Rep. Joe Markosek (House Transportation Committee Chair) has put up a website with Turnpike Lease info. It has a pretty good collection of info, including a letter listing…

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Spending Limits & the Budget

  • Nathan Benefield
  • March 1, 2007

Budget Secretary Michael Masch had some interesting comments about government spending and the proposed Taxpayer Protection Act during yesterday’s Appropriation Committee hearing, courtesy of PLS Committee Summary (subscription):…

Media

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The hidden $866 million tax

  • February 11, 2007

The Morning Call reports that the state (suprise, suprise!) ALWAYS comes out the winner with sales tax rounding. The 6% state sales tax can actually be as high as…

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Record Taxes

  • Nathan Benefield
  • February 6, 2007

Much has been made about Exxon’s “record profits”, but no media focused on their “record taxes“–Exxon paid three times in taxes what they earned in profits. Why is this…

Media

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State judge pay system worse than legislative bonuses.

  • Nathan Benefield
  • February 5, 2007

From Capitolwire.com (subscription): Ditzen also wrote: “For all the controversy surrounding Act 44, I have not heard anyone argue that the salary linkage for state judges to the federal…

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Rendell pushes health plan

  • Nathan Benefield
  • February 2, 2007

Lancaster Intelligencer Journal article on RendellCare. After quoting my commentary on Rendell’s misdiagnosis of the problem, the article then quotes Rendell saying: “‘It’s important for the Legislature to…

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Justice on Trial

  • Nathan Benefield
  • February 1, 2007

The Commonwealth Foundation is co-sponsoring with Democracy Rising Pennsylvania and several other reform groups a survey of judicial candidates.

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State Budget

State Government Spending

  • February 1, 2007

Over the last several decades, the growth in state government spending has exceeded both the rate of inflation and increases in the income of citizens. Unlimited government spending growth has…

Fact Sheet

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Patriot News on Taxpayer Protection Act

  • Nathan Benefield
  • January 31, 2007

The Patriot News has a short story on the Taxpayer Protection Act in their Inside the Capitol segment, unfortunately leading with “A proposed cap on state spending didn’t…

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