Commentary

State Budget

The Road to Better Infrastructure

• Tirzah Duren
• January 3, 2020

Anyone who has ever driven on Pennsylvania’s roads knows this state is filled with structurally deficient bridges—3,770 to be exact—and that the skill of artfully swerving around potholes is essential…

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Justice the Right Way

• December 17, 2019

Pennsylvania can continue leading the nation on criminal justice reform while decreasing crime.

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CF Interns Tour the Capitol with Steve Bloom

• November 19, 2019

Commonwealth Foundation interns don’t just get any tour of the Capitol—they get a tour from CF VP Steve Bloom, who walked those same halls as a state representative for eight…

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CF Interns Tour the Capitol with Steve Bloom

• November 19, 2019

Commonwealth Foundation interns don’t just get any tour of the Capitol—they get a tour from CF VP Steve Bloom, who walked those same halls as a state representative for eight…

Commentary

How Three Workers Fought Union Coercion—and Won

• November 19, 2019

It’s not every day that ordinary Pennsylvanians willingly disrupt their lives to stand up for their constitutional rights. Even rarer is achieving an impact that affects thousands of people in…

Commentary

How Three Workers Fought Union Coercion—and Won

• November 19, 2019

It’s not every day that ordinary Pennsylvanians willingly disrupt their lives to stand up for their constitutional rights. Even rarer is achieving an impact that affects thousands of people in…

Commentary

420 N. Third Street: A New Beachhead for Freedom

• November 19, 2019

Picture a state legislator—briefcase in hand, flanked by the media and legislative staff—descending the Capitol steps. This setting looks the same in all 50 states. Our legislator didn’t look out…

Commentary

420 N. Third Street: A New Beachhead for Freedom

• November 19, 2019

Picture a state legislator—briefcase in hand, flanked by the media and legislative staff—descending the Capitol steps. This setting looks the same in all 50 states. Our legislator didn’t look out…

Commentary

50-State Labor Report: Pennsylvania Struggling on Worker Freedom

• November 19, 2019

After the Supreme Court’s Janus v. AFSCME decision, a renewed battle for worker freedom has broken out across the country. The Commonwealth Foundation’s brand-new Worker Freedom in the States report…

Commentary

Educational Improvement Tax Credits Produce Future CEOs, Baroque Painters

• November 19, 2019

Dani is a natural leader with a head for numbers; she’s a high school basketball player in Connellsville, Pennsylvania. In the summer of 2018, her ship came in: she became…

Commentary

Educational Improvement Tax Credits Produce Future CEOs, Baroque Painters

• November 19, 2019

Dani is a natural leader with a head for numbers; she’s a high school basketball player in Connellsville, Pennsylvania. In the summer of 2018, her ship came in: she became…

Commentary

How My Union Trapped and Deceived Me

• November 19, 2019

Being a clerk in one of Pennsylvania’s state-owned Fine Wine & Good Spirits shops is an enjoyable job. I have great co-workers, great customers, and sell great products. But the…

Commentary

How My Union Trapped and Deceived Me

• November 19, 2019

Being a clerk in one of Pennsylvania’s state-owned Fine Wine & Good Spirits shops is an enjoyable job. I have great co-workers, great customers, and sell great products. But the…

Commentary

The Wolf that Cried Charters

• October 9, 2019

Gov. Wolf drums up numerous myths about charter schools.

Commentary

Welfare Checks for Millionaires

• July 8, 2019

This year, I’ll turn 70—a born and raised Pennsylvanian from the Norristown area, I’ve lived in the state most of my life. I’ve been a small business owner in Lancaster…

Commentary

Welfare Checks for Millionaires

• July 8, 2019

This year, I’ll turn 70—a born and raised Pennsylvanian from the Norristown area, I’ve lived in the state most of my life. I’ve been a small business owner in Lancaster…

Commentary

For Years, My Union Exploited Me for Political Influence. So I Left.

• July 8, 2019

I knew since fourth grade I wanted to be a teacher because of the quality of teachers I’d had in northeastern Pennsylvania. I had a desire to help others learn…

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For Years, My Union Exploited Me for Political Influence. So I Left.

• July 8, 2019

I knew since fourth grade I wanted to be a teacher because of the quality of teachers I’d had in northeastern Pennsylvania. I had a desire to help others learn…

Commentary

Work Empowers All Pennsylvanians

• July 8, 2019

I have found nothing more rewarding than my life’s work: empowering others. Over four decades, I’ve been a social worker, counselor, college professor, administrator, director, and mother. In all those…

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Work Empowers All Pennsylvanians

• July 8, 2019

I have found nothing more rewarding than my life’s work: empowering others. Over four decades, I’ve been a social worker, counselor, college professor, administrator, director, and mother. In all those…

Commentary

As a Former Legislator, I Know How Transformative the Taxpayer Protection Act Will Be

• July 8, 2019

Those who watch the inner-workings of Pennsylvania’s politics and policies understand how difficult—and how rewarding—fiscal responsibility in state government can be. Steve Bloom, former four-term state representative from Cumberland County…

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