Education

Holding All Schools Hostage

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • October 29, 2015

Fell Charter Elementary School near Scranton will stop paying teachers next month and the school is considering a four-day week thanks to the state budget stalemate. Fell's announcement is…

Media

Read More: Holding All Schools Hostage

Health Care

Obamacare Premiums Rise, Again

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • October 28, 2015

Mark your calendars (for disappointment)! On November 1 healthcare.gov will launch its third open enrollment season. Here in Pennsylvania, premiums for the second highest silver plan will climb, on average, by 11…

Media

Read More: Obamacare Premiums Rise, Again

Public Union Democracy

Justice for All

  • October 28, 2015

Sarina Rose counted on the justice system to punish the person who harassed her during a labor dispute. The system let her down. The Philadelphia Inquirer covered her ordeal…

Media

Read More: Justice for All

Government Accountability

A Revolving Door of Corruption

  • James Paul
  • October 26, 2015

The revolving door of politics—when top government officials change careers and become consultants for the industry they once regulated—is alive and well in Pennsylvania. Except in the case of the…

Media

Read More: A Revolving Door of Corruption

Corporate Welfare Fails Again

  • October 26, 2015

Two stories published in the past week offer perfect examples of questionable returns from economic development spending, otherwise known as corporate welfare. In the first story, Keystone Crossroads examined…

Media

Read More: Corporate Welfare Fails Again

Five Ways Gov. Wolf is Sustaining the Status Quo

  • Nathan Benefield
  • October 26, 2015

During his budget address, Gov. Tom Wolf said “It's not good enough to just say no and continue with the same old same old.” More recently, taking to social media,…

Media

Read More: Five Ways Gov. Wolf is Sustaining the Status Quo

State Budget

Lawmakers Move to Protect Posterity

  • October 23, 2015

The State House recently passed two bills designed to chip away at the commonwealth’s mountain of debt—12th highest among states as recently as 2012, and only growing since. The…

Media

Read More: Lawmakers Move to Protect Posterity

State Budget

Wolf’s Good Cop, Bad Cop Act

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • October 23, 2015

During 100-plus days of the state budget impasse, Gov. Wolf’s words and actions have been consistently inconsistent, leaving taxpayers and lawmakers confused. Commonwealth Foundation President and CEO Matt Brouillette noted,…

Media

Read More: Wolf’s Good Cop, Bad Cop Act

Criminal Justice Reform

Audio: Guilty Until Proven Innocent?

  • Jonathan Reginella
  • October 22, 2015

In Pennsylvania, civil asset forfeiture laws allow law enforcement agents to legally seize property without convicting an individual of a crime. These laws turn justice on its head, allowing police…

Media

Read More: Audio: Guilty Until Proven Innocent?