Third and State

This week on Third and State, we blogged about the upcoming state budget, the end of adultBasic, a questionable business climate ranking, and much more!

In case you missed it:

• On the state budget and the economy, Sharon Ward shared a podcast featuring her and Jan Jarrett of PennFuture discussing the state budget principles that will create jobs and ensure the long-term economic success of the Commonwealth. Mike Wood, meanwhile, challenged comments made this week by Budget Secretary Charles Zogby that Pennsylvania's budget woes are due to overspending. Mike points out that nearly every state in the nation — low-spending and high-spending alike — is facing a budget shortfall this year thanks to a recession-driven decline in revenue collections.
• On the economy, Mark Price blogged about the problems with a new business climate ranking from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce that seems to favor states with lower wages and less human development. Mark also shared a funny but informative video of the Daily Show’s Jon Stewart discussing pay on Wall Street and for teachers. 
• On health care, Chris Lilienthal highlighted a New York Times story on the end of Pennsylvania's adultBasic health insurance program this week and what that means for the more than 41,000 Pennsylvanians who lost their coverage.
• Finally, on jobs and wages, Stephen Herzenberg noted that The Economist agrees with the Keystone Research Center on one thing: people don’t take government jobs to get rich.

More blog posts next week. Keep us bookmarked and join the conversation!