Criminal Justice Reform
Pennsylvania’s Overspending Problem Still Proving Costly
To balance last year’s budget, Gov. Wolf and lawmakers agreed to dedicate a portion of Tobacco Settlement Fund payments to cover a $1.5 billion bond issuance. This decision to…
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Read More: Pennsylvania’s Overspending Problem Still Proving CostlyTaxes & Economy
Minimum Wage Hike Short-Changes Teens
Higher minimum wages have driven a decline in teenage employment since 2000, according to the Mercatus Center. . . . higher minimum wages are associated with a lower…
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Read More: Minimum Wage Hike Short-Changes TeensState Budget
Gov. Wolf’s Budget Proposals vs. Reality
Last week, Gov. Wolf unveiled a budget that includes another energy tax and approximately $1 billion in new General Fund spending. (This doesn't include large spending increases in the shadow budget.) While the plan would take…
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Read More: Gov. Wolf’s Budget Proposals vs. RealityGovernment Accountability
Three Ways Government Unions Marginalize Members
Unionization doesn’t guarantee representation. Penn State graduate assistants may soon learn this lesson. Shortly after the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board ruled the graduate assistants can unionize, the Pittsburgh Federation…
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Read More: Three Ways Government Unions Marginalize MembersRegulation
Energy Markets Need Reform, Not Subsidies
How many industries can withstand a more than threefold increase in regulatory costs in a decade? Few, if any. Yet that's the reality for nuclear power plants. An…
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Read More: Energy Markets Need Reform, Not SubsidiesRegulation
The PLCB’s Relentlessly Unimpressive Business Model
If you enjoyed a glass of wine or shot of liquor during Sunday’s thrilling Super Bowl, chances are your beverage of choice passed through the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB).
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Read More: The PLCB’s Relentlessly Unimpressive Business ModelState Budget
A Budget of Contradictions
On Tuesday, Gov. Wolf did not deliver the budget address Pennsylvanians needed to hear. Instead, he offered more of the same: a dramatic increase in the size and…
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Read More: A Budget of ContradictionsTaxes & Economy
Disco Governor Wants Money, Money, Money
Money, money, money/Always sunny/In a rich man’s world. Sung by ABBA in 1976. A governing mantra of Tom Wolf in 2018. More tax dollars seem to be Gov. Wolf's answer…
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Read More: Disco Governor Wants Money, Money, MoneyState Budget
Five Things to Know about Gov. Wolf’s Proposed Budget
On February 6, Governor Wolf laid out his plan for the 2018-19 Pennsylvania state budget. Here are the five things you need to know: 1) Spending Increase Exceeds Taxpayer Protection Act…
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