Union Red Herring Erring

  • June 2, 2011

The recent Pennsylvania AFL-CIO media campaign to malign Rep. Scott Perry by saying he wants to “punish workers” is as off base as it is disingenuous. The union, for…

Media

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Public Union Democracy

Pennsylvania’s State Union Contracts

  • June 2, 2011

On June 30, 2011, 15 of the state's 19 government union contracts expire, with two more expiring in August. These 19 public sector unions represent 62,271 state employees, whose compensation…

Fact Sheet

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Education

Make the Case to Voters

  • Nathan Benefield
  • June 1, 2011

My letter to the editor in today’s Post-Gazette on school tax referendum. The article “Groups Fighting…

Media

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Education

Pa. Education – A State of Emergency

  • June 1, 2011

At the start of our nation, founding father John Adams was as concerned with the positive development of our offspring as he was with that of the republic.  Seeing the…

Commentary

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Taxes & Economy

WITF Marcellus Forum Viewers Guide

  • Nathan Benefield
  • May 31, 2011

Tonight at 8 p.m., WITF TV will air an hour-long “Marcellus Shale Forum”. While the discussion should be informative for most viewers wanting to learn about the Marcellus Shale…

Media

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Taxes & Economy

What’s the Difference Between a Tax and a Fee?

  • Elizabeth Stelle, Nathan Benefield
  • May 31, 2011

The latest media narrative this week seems to be that Americans for Tax Reform’s Grover Norquist is controlling Pennsylvania lawmakers, by stating that a proposed “impact fee” is a…

Media

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Education

Violence Rips Worst Pa. Schools!

  • May 31, 2011

In the 2009 school year, Pennsylvania’s bottom five percent of failing public schools had an alarming amount of violent incidents totaling more than 5,400. Not only are these 100,000 students trapped in failing schools, but…

Media

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Education

Questions for Appropriators on Higher Education

  • Nathan Benefield
  • May 27, 2011

Since Gov. Corbett presented a budget which reduced state taxpayer funding for institutions including Penn State, Temple, Pitt, and the State System of Higher Education, college administrators, faculty and lobbyists…

Media

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Regulation

Privatizing “Yellow Pages” Government

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • May 26, 2011

This report surveys the scope of Yellow Pages Government in Pennsylvania, looks at examples of state and local privatization throughout the country, and outlines best practices to equip lawmakers to…

Report

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