Education
Here’s some friendly advice to the new Pennsylvania general assembly
Originally published at The Patriot-News Pennsylvania lawmakers swore their oath of office in Harrisburg, and a new legislative session is upon us. As two former…
Read More: Here’s some friendly advice to the new Pennsylvania general assemblyThe state government is ultimately held accountable to the people through the electoral process—but that should not be the only line of defense against government overreach or waste. Taxpayers deserve a transparent government that works for them. Reforms are needed to reduce corruption and limit the scope of government to its constitutional authority. Additionally, reforms that ensure a transparent budgeting process, a fair electoral process, and a streamlined regulatory process should be pursued to increase the government’s integrity.
Government Accountability
Majority of Union Members are now Government Employees
The Heritage Foundation points out an interesting fact – 51% of union members are government workers, according to the most recent data, an all-time high. And I assumed General…
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Best and Worst Bonusgate Quotes
Following the indictment of 10 State House Republicans (a current lawmaker and a former lawmaker and 8 staff), the Pennsylvania Capitol has been abuzz (click here for a…
Media
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Shady State Contracts and the Need for Transparency
Auditor General Jack Wagner reprimanded the Department of General Services for their failure to execute and oversee state contracts. Since 2003 a large number of contracts have not been…
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Tort Reform – Keep It a State Issue
The US House health care bill not only has little significant tort reform, it in fact limits states from enacting meaningful tort reform. This statement taken directly from the…
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Full Time Legislator, Part Time County Councilman?!?
Capitolwire (subscription) is reporting that State Representative Mario Civera (R- Delaware), who was recently elected to the Delaware County Council, is now rethinking resigning, and planning both to stay…
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Break Up SEPTA
How can Pennsylvania lawmakers avoid this mess? The first step is to open mass transit in Philadelphia to competitive contracting, whereby private companies would compete to operate SEPTA's network.
Commentary
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Pennsylvania Spending Transparency Moves a Step Forward
The Pennsylvania House State Government Committee advanced HB 1880, sponsored by Representative Rick Mirabito, that would create an online database of state spending, similar to legislation already enacted…
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Big Government Leads to Big Lobbying
The Philadelphia Inquirer has a story today that Pennsylvania business groups – especially in natural gas, tobacco, and gambling industries – spent a lot of money lobbying during the…
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Bonusgate Developments and Senate Reforms
Tom Barnes of the Post-Gazette notes that the Pennsylvania Senate is outlining a number of new rules, largely related to legislative staff and taxpayer dollars being used to support…
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Transparency and Performance in Government
The Mercatus Center has a new working paper on the importance of government transparency. Authors Jerry Brito and Drew Perrault argue that, “Transparency is a means to an end…
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Size Isn’t Everything
Sen. Dave Argall has introduced another attempt to reduce the size of Pennsylvania’s General Assembly. Pennsylvania is ranked 2nd in the nation for largest state legislator size (totaling…
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CF Blog Roundup
Here are some recent CF mentions in the blogosphere. Reason Out-of-Control notes many of the same concerns we have with giving the Turnpike Commission carte blanche to toll I-80…
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There is No Defense for WAMs
Among the many faults with WAMs, perhaps the most egregious is that taxpayers can never figure out where this money is going. For example,…
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Auditor General Says No-Bid Contracts are Costing State Taxpayers
Pennsylvania Auditor General Jack Wagner issued a scathing rebuke of the Rendell administration’s use of no-bid contracts, specifically in relation to over a half-billion dollars given to Deloitte for…
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Common Sense on Legislative Size
Paul Jacob’s latest “Common Sense” deals with the size of the Pennsylvania Legislature. Jacob advises: [D]on’t cut the size of the legislature. But by all means cut the…
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Why Tort Reform is Ignored in the Health Care Debate
The discussion surrounding tort reform is often subdued when talking about health care costs. Trial lawyers, like the American Association for Justice, claim that undermine litigation costs as a part…
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Weekly Blog Roundup
The uproar over the budget this week has spurred many bloggers to look to CF research and analysis: Grassroots PA and Sights on Pennsylvania give links to Nate…
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What Voters Think of PA Judges and Courts
A recent statewide public opinion survey conducted by The Federalist Society – in advance of November’s judicial elections – showed Pennsylvania voters overwhelmingly support our system of judicial selection…
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Wither Spending Transparency in PA?
Over the past few years, and throughout the state budget debate, the Commonwealth Foundation and other state and national groups have called for state…
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Pennsylvanians Divided by Soda
Pennsylvanians seem divided by geography on a key debate. No, not the state budget, or national health care (well, those too), but on whether it should be called ‘Soda’, or…
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Shrink or Grow the Size of Legislature
NCSL’s blog, The Thicket, has a post up about debating reducing or growing the size of the legislature. Pennsylvania serves on the shrinking size, as that is an oft-cited…
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