Taxes & Economy

Act 44 & Transportation Funding

• September 4, 2008

In July 2007, the Pennsylvania General Assembly passed and Governor Ed Rendell signed Act 44. This legislation authorized the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) to increase tolls on the Turnpike;…

Fact Sheet

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

State Budget

What Congress is up to

• Nathan Benefield
• July 24, 2008

While the Pennsylvania General Assembly is on vacation, Congress is not – and they are up to no good. 1) The House passed the housing bailout bill, which backs…

Media

Government Accountability

Mark Cohen takes on James Madison

• Nathan Benefield
• July 16, 2008

In Federalist #51, James Madison writes of the need to create laws and instititutions to protect citizens against abuses by ambitious men in government: If men were angels,…

Media

Regulation

Time to end earmarks and WAMs

• Nathan Benefield
• July 7, 2008

Good op-ed in the Patriot News by William G. Williams on the need to end Congressional earmarks and WAMs by the PA General Assembly: For years in…

Media

US Transportation Sec. Peters likes Turnpike lease deal

• Nathan Benefield
• May 28, 2008

US Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters expressed support for the Pennsylvania Turnpike lease deal on the department’s blog. Toll Roads News has the coverage. Peters notes: “If the…

Media

Government Accountability

The Cerberus of the General Assembly

• Nathan Benefield
• May 14, 2008

In Greek Mythology, the river Styx separates the earth from Hades. A giant three-headed dog named Cerberus guards the river, allowing the dead to enter Hades, but preventing anyone—save a…

Commentary

Education

Determining the Cost of an Adequate Education

• Nathan Benefield
• March 5, 2008

The Pennsylvania General Assembly recently commissioned a $650,000 study to determine what it “costs” to educate a child. The firm winning the commission reported that the state should increase spending…

Commentary

Regulation

Specter and the NFL

• Nathan Benefield
• February 3, 2008

The response to news that Arlen Specter wants to hold hearing with the NFL over “spy-gate” has been met with universal disdain – see, for instance, Don Boudreaux’s…

Media