State Budget

Immunizing Taxpayers from Chronic Overspending

  • Nathan Benefield
  • October 7, 2014

Last week, two major bond rating agencies (Fitch and Standards & Poor’s) downgraded Pennsylvania’s debt rating citing poor fiscal health. While this should worry voters—taxpayers will be forced to pay…

Commentary

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Education

Rendell’s Legacy Handcuffs Schools

  • James Paul
  • September 12, 2014

Former Governor Ed Rendell wrote to the Philadelphia Inquirer and took issue with our policy points on Philadelphia school trends. The Inquirer…

Media

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State Budget

S&P Worried About Pennsylvania’s Overspending

  • Nathan Benefield
  • April 25, 2014

Standard & Poor’s is sounding the alarm, once again, on Pennsylvania’s record of overspending. A new S&P report singles out the commonwealth for not putting our fiscal house in order,…

Media

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Regulation

A Risk Too Great: Bonds Alone Could Worsen Pension Crisis

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • March 14, 2014

Is your family ready to bend their budget to pay for Pennsylvania’s pension crisis? State pension costs are set to drive up the average family’s taxes by nearly $900 annually,…

Media

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Education

A Public School Funding SOS

  • Priya Brannick
  • February 28, 2014

The governor has proposed $10.1 billion for public schools, slightly higher than last year, which was then a record high. So what’s all the fuss about cuts?  At the same…

Commentary

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Regulation

End Special Subsidies to Lower Taxes for All

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • February 26, 2014

Taxpayers have spent millions on four different occasions to subsidize the infamous “Sony site” in Westmoreland County. In the 1970’s Volkswagen got $70 million in state aid under Gov.

Media

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State Budget

Gov. Rendell Left Pennsylvania a Big Deficit

  • Nathan Benefield
  • February 24, 2014

Recent headlines have former Gov. Ed Rendell challenging Gov. Tom Corbett on the issue of the deficit he left the current administration. Gov. Corbett has campaign ads stating he closed…

Media

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Education

7 Little-Known Facts on Pennsylvania Public School Spending

  • Priya Brannick
  • February 11, 2014

For years, teachers unions in Pennsylvania have claimed the governor cut $1 billion from schools. But the real story is more complicated. A huge influx of federal stimulus funding expired,…

Media

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Public Union Democracy

Union Dues Pay for PSEA Politics (Again)

  • Priya Brannick
  • November 26, 2013

Last week we highlighted a number of election-related ads the Pennsylvania State Education Association paid for using its members’ dues money—without their permission or knowledge. The state’s largest teachers…

Media

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