Regulation

Cigarette Taxes Encourage Smuggling

  • Nathan Benefield
  • December 5, 2008

A new report from the Mackinac Center (full 99 page report here) estimates the effect of cigarette taxes on smuggling of cigarettes (both “commercial” and “casual” – i.e.

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Taxes & Economy

Free markets are under attack again

  • Nathan Benefield
  • November 12, 2008

Matt Welch has an excellent article on Reason Magazine on the financial bailout and the debate over the role of government and the free market: President George…

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Health Care

Is choosing your health care plan dangerous?

  • Nathan Benefield
  • October 10, 2008

Michael Cannon’s latest commentary on health care reform is a must read: What I saw next was even scarier: The presidential debate, where Barack Obama told me how…

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Government Accountability

Update: State Spending Transparency

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • October 3, 2008

A reader emailed to ask if there are examples of states with online spending databases. Indeed states across the country are adopting transparency legislation while state officials and think tanks…

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Taxes & Economy

How Do You Define “American-Made”?

  • Nathan Benefield
  • August 27, 2008

Mark Perry poses the question about how you define “American-made” cars.  Does it depend on where the car was assembled?  Where the corporate headquarters is?  What percentage of the…

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Taxes & Economy

Pennsylvania could become policy innovator with turnpike lease

  • Nathan Benefield
  • August 26, 2008

The Wall Street Journal had a fairly lengthy cover story on the proposal to lease the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Among the points addressed 1) Other states are looking to PA…

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Government Accountability

Reducing the Size of the General Assembly

  • Matthew Brouillette
  • August 19, 2008

Testimony before the House State Government Committee, August 19, 2008 Thank you, Chairwoman Josephs, and members of the House State Government Committee for the opportunity to testify today on the…

Testimony

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Health Care

How free is PA’s health care market?

  • Nathan Benefield
  • August 18, 2008

The Pacific Research Institute released their U.S. Index of Health Ownership, 2008 last week (full report in PDF).  The report ranks states’ health care markets and regulations based…

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Self-Imposed Ethics Charges

  • July 23, 2008

In an “unprecedented move”, Rep. Charlie Rangel, D-NY has filed Ethics Charges…against himself. This was brought about after The Washington Post ran a series of articles raising questions about Rangel’s…

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