Latest Content
Education
Fully funded public education must include cyber charters
Originally published at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review When a parent says that a public school isn’t what it used to be, the implication is usually bad. But for Brenda Jesky,…
Read More: Fully funded public education must include cyber charters
Education
Shapiro Failed on School Choice—Again. There’s Hope Despite Him
Read More: Shapiro Failed on School Choice—Again. There’s Hope Despite Him
Education
Education Needs More Choices—Not More Money
Read More: Education Needs More Choices—Not More MoneyEducation
The Faulty Premise of the Budget Impasse
Governor Rendell wants the taxpayers to spend more on public schools. So do Republicans in the General Assembly—nearly 12 percent more. Yet education funding remains a major obstacle in the…
Commentary
Read More: The Faulty Premise of the Budget ImpasseRegulation
Pennsylvania’s Gambling Addiction
Five years ago this month, Gov. Rendell signed into law the signature policy achievement of his tenure -- legalized slot machine gambling. Act 71 of 2004 allows for 61,000 slot…
Commentary
Read More: Pennsylvania’s Gambling AddictionState Budget
Reject Rendell’s Zugzwang
Observers of the state budget process under Gov. Rendell and a divided General Assembly know that it is akin to a high-stakes chess match, replete with public relations offensives and…
Commentary
Read More: Reject Rendell’s ZugzwangTaxes & Economy
The Road Less Travelled in Pennsylvania
Editor's note: This is the second in a series of occasional commentaries on how Pennsylvania can turn around its economic fortune. In their first installment, “Reviving Pennsylvania,” Brouillette and…
Commentary
Read More: The Road Less Travelled in PennsylvaniaState Budget
Tax Everyone But the Guy Behind the Tree
Gov. Rendell’s hypocrisy on tax policy is on full display this budget season. While Rendell is demanding higher taxes on individuals and most businesses, he is also working to preserve…
Commentary
Read More: Tax Everyone But the Guy Behind the TreeEducation
The “Mis-education” of Ed Rendell
Gov. Rendell wants to increase taxes to continue the double-the-rate-of-inflation spending that has defined his tenure. In order to sell his state budget plan to an increasingly skeptical public, he…
Commentary
Read More: The “Mis-education” of Ed RendellGovernment Accountability
Pennsylvanians Deserve Open Budget Debate
With the approach of June 30th and the end of the state’s fiscal year comes the annual argument in Harrisburg over Pennsylvania’s budget. With Senate Republicans having passed a spending…
Commentary
Read More: Pennsylvanians Deserve Open Budget DebateTaxes & Economy
Government Intervention Prolongs Recessions
Recessions are a tough time for all—many lose their jobs, family incomes shrink, and budgets are squeezed. But recessions are natural and, in the long-run, foster a stronger economy. It…
Commentary
Read More: Government Intervention Prolongs RecessionsEducation
Get the Quarter Back
There is an old joke, with many variations that goes something like this: a foreigner came to visit a friend in America, and they went to watch a Pittsburgh Steelers…
Commentary
Read More: Get the Quarter BackState Budget
Taxing An Infant Industry to Death
Home to the first oil well in the United States, Pennsylvania has returned to the drilling scene in recent years, looking to tap into an estimated 50 trillion cubic feet…
Commentary
Read More: Taxing An Infant Industry to DeathRegulation
Pennsylvania’s Path to Prosperity
In any economic crisis, politicians scramble to “do something” to show voters they’re “on the job.” Ironically, the greatest threat to our recovery is not government’s inaction, but rather its…
Commentary
Read More: Pennsylvania’s Path to ProsperityPublic Union Democracy
Prevailing Wage Law Harms Philadelphias Black Workers
Since construction began on the Philadelphia Convention Center, the city's black construction workers have protested, with good reason, the lack of opportunity for minority workers on public construction projects. Unwilling…
Commentary
Read More: Prevailing Wage Law Harms Philadelphias Black WorkersTaxes & Economy
The Un-Silent Majority
Nearly 10,000 Pennsylvanians rallied on Tax Day, April 15th, against wasteful government spending, high and rising taxes, and burgeoning government debt and deficits. The nonpartisan, anti-establishment “Tea Parties” were held…
Commentary
Read More: The Un-Silent MajorityTaxes & Economy
Tax Freedom Day 2009
Circle April 14th on your calendar this year as Tax Freedom Day for Pennsylvania. While tomorrow is the deadline for filing income tax forms, today is the day Pennsylvanians can…
Commentary
Read More: Tax Freedom Day 2009Energy
Electricity Deregulation: A Successful Transition
Most Pennsylvania residents will soon see significant increases in their electricity bills. Many state lawmakers are concerned about the political backlash they will receive as a result. But it is…
Commentary
Read More: Electricity Deregulation: A Successful TransitionRegulation
Philadelphia’s “Pension Reform” is Generational Theft
Faced with significant budget deficits and the burden of ever-increasing pension contributions, Philadelphia is attempting to finesse itself out of a financial dilemma. In simple terms, the city cannot afford…
Commentary
Read More: Philadelphia’s “Pension Reform” is Generational TheftPublic Union Democracy
The Coming Union Bailout
America's history is filled with stories about entrepreneurs who persevered through repeated failure before eventually succeeding. These pre-21st century men and women didn't get help from the government, they turned…
Commentary
Read More: The Coming Union BailoutEducation
State Can’t Spend Its Way to Student Success
For years, the educational establishment has claimed that not enough is being spent on public schools – that if more money is pumped into the system, student achievement will improve. …
Commentary
Read More: State Can’t Spend Its Way to Student SuccessHealth Care
Free Markets: An Unknown Ideal
President Obama, Governor Rendell, and many in the media have been echoing a similar refrain recently, "Conservatives had their chance. We tried free markets, and they failed." When exactly they…
Commentary
Read More: Free Markets: An Unknown IdealTaxes & Economy
Scotland Students Need More Educational Choices
To plug a $2.3 billion deficit caused by overspending, Gov. Rendell has proposed closing the Scotland School for Veterans' Children. Although the $13 million in state funds the school received…
Commentary
Read More: Scotland Students Need More Educational ChoicesRegulation
Pennsylvanias Spending Problem
Imagine our economy is a pond. In the name of “economic stimulation,” Gov. Ed Rendell goes to one side of the pond, dips in a bucket, pulls it out and…
Commentary
Read More: Pennsylvanias Spending Problem