Commentary

Education

Parent to Parent: 3 Keys to Stay Sane and Healthy During COVID-19

• Colleen Hroncich, Marc LeBlond
• March 19, 2020

If you haven’t been living under a rock, you know all Pennsylvania public schools have been closed. What do parents and educators need to know?…

Commentary

Regulation

Tale of Two Workers

• Tirzah Duren
• March 12, 2020

The rhetoric surrounding public service and actual compensation for public service are two different stories. Average total compensation (salary and benefits) for a Pennsylvania state employee is now $104,506. That’s…

Commentary

Education

Fast Lies and Slow Truths

• Marc LeBlond
• March 11, 2020

All students—regardless of school type—deserve a student-based funding system. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, only 14% of the $1.2 billion Special Education appropriation is distributed based on categories of…

Commentary

Education

Slots for Scholars?

• Andrew Abramczyk
• March 5, 2020

Use of gambling revenue to fund colleges is both economically and morally questionable.

Commentary

Health Care

No Easy Pass This Year on Cost Overruns

• Andrew Abramczyk
• March 3, 2020

Legislators are questioning the administration's chronic overspending habit, but they aren't getting many answers.

Commentary

Entrepreneurs — Enemies or Visionaries?

• March 2, 2020

Are entrepreneurs peddling in obscene greed or are they visionaries who benefit our society? And how does entrepreneurship connect to politics and policy? Commonwealth Foundation…

Commentary

Education

State System Error: Proposed Scholarship Program is a Bailout

• Andrew Abramczyk
• February 27, 2020

Governor Wolf's scholarship plan is a disguised bailout for the financially distressed State System colleges.

Commentary

Education

Government Unions Threaten to Eclipse School Choice

• Kevin Mooney
• February 25, 2020

Governor Tom Wolf and other elected officials are pulling in millions of dollars from government unions that oppose school choice and exert considerable influence at the expense of education reform. …

Commentary

Education

Can Our Kids Afford to Wait While Harrisburg Schools Improve?

• Marc LeBlond
• February 24, 2020

Last fall, several House education committee members cited ongoing improvements in Harrisburg City School District as the reason to oppose scholarships for Harrisburg kids. But are things really getting better?…

Commentary

The Taxpayer Protection Act

• February 24, 2020

Pennsylvania state spending has more than tripled in the last 50 years, far outpacing the economy and families’ ability to pay for it. It's time to stop the spending and…

Commentary

Health Care

Gov. Wolf Should Unleash Pennsylvanians’ Ingenuity to Improve Medicaid

• Elizabeth Stelle
• February 20, 2020

It’s time for Pennsylvania to pursue proven ways of improving the quality of Medicaid services, while reducing the burden on taxpayers.

Commentary

Public Union Democracy

Union Dues Fuel Political Activism, Records Show

• Kevin Mooney
• February 18, 2020

Considering government unions draw heavily from their dues to fund political activism, public school teachers who prefer not to fund this political activism of their state and national unions should…

Commentary

Appropriating Inappropriately – Gov. Wolf’s 2020 Budget

• February 17, 2020

It's difficult to see how your state government spends your money, but you can hear about it in our latest…

Commentary

Energy

5 Ways Carbon Taxes Harm PA

• Tirzah Duren
• February 13, 2020

When Governor Wolf announced his decision to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) through executive order this past October, he also sent the message that PA is closed for business. For businesses operating…

Commentary

Health Care

Where Have All the Human Service Dollars Gone?

• Elizabeth Stelle
• February 10, 2020

Nearly half of Pennsylvania's budget goes to human services or welfare. Governor Wolf wants to increase human service spending by $1.4 billion next year. But how well are these programs…

Commentary

Regulation

Wolf’s Wage Mandates Undermine Workers

• Elizabeth Stelle
• February 7, 2020

Governor Wolf's new overtime pay rules and his sixth minimum wage proposal is a one-two punch that could send our economy reeling.

Commentary

State Budget

5 Takeaways from Governor Wolf’s 2020 Budget Address

• Nathan Benefield
• February 4, 2020

Governor Wolf unveiled his sixth budget proposal today. Here are five key takeaways.

Commentary

School Choice: A Bridge Over Troubled Waters

• February 3, 2020

Lenny McAllister of Commonwealth Foundation explains why school choice matters so much to families of all backgrounds and how it can bring about a true…

Commentary

Education

Every Child Is Unique — That’s Why School Choice is Common Sense

• Colleen Hroncich
• January 31, 2020

No single school can meet the needs of every child who happens to live within a certain radius. No one thinks the government should assign people to a grocery store,…

Commentary

Taxes & Economy

Pennsylvania Loses 54 People Every Day

• Nathan Benefield
• January 30, 2020

How long before Pennsylvania becomes one big ghost town? New Census data shows that Pennsylvania lost a net of 19,588 residents to other states in 2019—that’s a loss of 54 people…

Commentary

Education

Tax Credit Scholarships Give Families Options

• Colleen Hroncich
• January 29, 2020

National School Choice Week is a great time to celebrate the diverse educational options that are available to kids throughout Pa. But it’s also a time to focus on increasing…

Commentary