Is Shapiro Responsible?

Here’s the Commonwealth Foundation’s weekly news roundup of policy issues debated in Harrisburg and across Pennsylvania. Have a great weekend!
 

New Poll: Pennsylvanians Hold Shapiro Responsible for Budget Impasse​​​​

By a double-digit margin, a strong plurality of voters believes Shapiro is ultimately responsible for finalizing the state budget. A large majority of voters also oppose his spending plan.

Check out all the results from the latest edition of the Commonwealth Foundation’s “Common Ground in the Commonwealth” polling series.

If SEPTA is Sacred, Then It Must be Deal-Worthy

Apparently, it’s out of bounds to point out that a taxpayer-funded (84 percent of its budget) mass transit system that’s losing money, riders, and credibility shouldn’t threaten to cut back on transit routes that people actually use—that it’s both bad policy and cynical to use its riders as pawns, trying to extort money from taxpayers.​​

More on Public Transit: Judge Orders Full Restoration of SEPTA Service

​​​​Good Question

Wall Street Journal: A Mail-Vote Job for Josh Shapiro

The big picture is that Pennsylvania’s mail-voting law hasn’t been clear for three straight elections. Could the state please fix it? Control of Congress or the White House might someday hang on whether to tally a pile of 10,000 rejected Pennsylvania ballots.​​

​​​​Public Agencies in Pennsylvania Spend Millions to Lobby State Government

Across Pennsylvania, at least 90 local governments have paid nearly $7 million in taxpayer money to hire 38 private lobbying firms since last year—all to influence lawmakers and secure more state funding.​

Stay tuned for next week’s 
Common Sense Weekly.