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Water Polo Swimsuit Malfunctions CAN Be Revealing

Anonymous on August 9, 2012 - 11:01am

You heard it first on the Rick Smith show! Last night, while guest hosting Rick's show, I used the need for rules in water polo--to prevent players from ripping off each other's swim suits and speedos underwater--as a metaphor for the fact that we need regulations and government policy to achieve "good" competition in our economy (based on productivity, quality, service, and innnovation).

Solid July Tax Collections Start the Commonwealth’s Fiscal Year Out on the Right Foot

Anonymous on August 8, 2012 - 9:51am

General Fund collections totaled $1.84 billion, with $1.81 billion coming from taxes. This is the largest amount of tax collected in July since before the recession and $119 million, or 7.0%, higher than July 2011 tax receipts. This starts the 2012-13 fiscal year off on a positive note, at least in terms of the revenue side of the spending plan.
With one exception, all major category of General Fund revenue collections in July 2012 exceeded those in the prior year.
Here are the details (in $ thousands):

Morning Must Reads: Austerity Economics For The Disabled In Pennsylvania

Anonymous on August 7, 2012 - 9:49am

The Daily Times interviews people impacted by the elimination of General Assistance in Pennsylvania.

Morning Must Reads: 40 million American workers get no paid sick leave

Anonymous on August 6, 2012 - 9:55am

The New York Times comes out strongly in favor of paid sick leave legislation in New York City.  Looking at you Philadelphia.

Third and State This Week: General Assistance Ends, Check In on Economy & Grads Face Global Competition for Jobs

Anonymous on August 3, 2012 - 5:21pm

This week at Third and State, we blogged about the end of General Assistance in Pennsylvania, the state of the economy, American college graduates facing overseas competition for jobs and much more.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

Morning Must Reads: It's Jobs Day

Anonymous on August 3, 2012 - 7:44am

As it is the first Friday of the month. that means we get new data today from the Bureau of Labor Statistics on national employment in June. The official release is at 8:30 a.m.Bill McBride at Calculated Risk puts the consensus forecast at 100,000 jobs added in July. That would be better than June but well short of the job growth needed to bring down the unemployment rate.

Ending Pennsylvania's General Assistance Was Penny Wise but Pound Foolish

Anonymous on August 2, 2012 - 7:08pm

Earlier this week, I was on The War Room with Jennifer Granholm on Current TV to discuss the end of Pennsylvania's General Assistance, a last resort program for very poor Pennsylvanians who cannot work because of an illness or disability and don’t qualify for other assistance. It has provided a ladder up and out of poverty for thousands of Pennsylvanians before that ladder was taken down on Wednesday.

Morning Must Reads: This Isn't The Dual Mandate You're Looking For

Anonymous on August 2, 2012 - 8:39am

The Federal Reserve, which through its control of the money supply is in charge of one of the key levers for regulating the pace of economic growth, is guided by a dual mandate over inflation and unemployment. If consumer prices begin rising too fast, the Federal Reserve will act to slow economic activity. Likewise, when unemployment rises, the Federal Reserve will act to boost economic growth.

Pennsylvania Shuts Down Its Safety Net of Last Resort

Anonymous on August 1, 2012 - 1:29pm

This post by Liz Schott was originally published at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities' Off the Charts Blog
Pennsylvania ended cash assistance today for very poor residents who cannot work and don’t qualify for other assistance, joining many other states that have scaled back or eliminated their General Assistance programs even as the need has grown.

Morning Must Reads: The End Is Nigh for General Assistance

Anonymous on August 1, 2012 - 8:36am

As the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette notes this morning, Pennsylvania's General Assistance program ends today.