Regulation

Corporate Welfare and Cronyism in Bethlehem

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • November 5, 2015

Election day was a quiet affair in most communities, but in Bethlehem residents used the a local election to protest the appearance of cronyism in connection with a new corporate…

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Public Union Democracy

Dear Kids

  • Nathan Benefield
  • November 4, 2015

On October 21, more than 100 days after his veto touched off Pennsylvania’s ongoing state budget impasse, Gov. Tom Wolf sent a letter to the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers…

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Transparency Trend Continues

  • November 3, 2015

Here we go again. Yesterday the Pottsgrove School District reached an agreement with the local teachers union on a new contract. The details are, as Evan Brandt of The…

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Regulation

A PLCB Special: Red Ink

  • November 3, 2015

Supporters of the state liquor monopoly defend the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) as a cash spigot for the state, which is one of the reasons they refuse to support privatization.

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Government Accountability

Union Dues fund SuperPAC Attack Ads

  • Nathan Benefield
  • November 2, 2015

Pennsylvanians for Judicial Reform—a new “SuperPAC” (technically an “Independent Expenditure Committee”) registered in August—has spent about $2.5 million on attack ads in the Pennsylvania Supreme Court race. Who…

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Meet the Most Controversial Teacher in America

  • Brittney Parker
  • November 2, 2015

Rebecca Friedrichs is no stranger to controversy. A teacher and former union member, her case against the California Teachers Association will be taken up by the U.S. Supreme Court…

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Education

Sobering Results on The Nation’s Report Card

  • James Paul
  • November 2, 2015

Over the last quarter century, national education scores in both reading and math have modestly trended upward—until this year. The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) recently released its biannual…

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Public Union Democracy

The Voluntary Deductions Facade

  • October 29, 2015

Paycheck protection detractors defend using taxpayer resources for partisan politics by insisting union members can voluntarily deduct political donations from their paychecks, but this excuse misses the point. Taxpayers aren't offered a choice. They're…

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One Teacher Can Make a Difference

  • Brittney Parker
  • October 29, 2015

This past summer, veteran teacher Rebecca Friedrichs found herself in the limelight. The U.S. Supreme Court decided to take up her case against the California Teachers Association regarding union…

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