Every family, business owner, and taxpayer in Pennsylvania should be able to increase their financial security without undue interference from our state government. Free-market policies that limit taxes, allow entrepreneurs to innovate and create jobs, and offer stability to families will put our state on track to become a national leader. Policies that enact spending limits, cut taxes, and reduce regulations will help Pennsylvania avoid debt and restore sound fiscal planning that will benefit citizens in the years to come.

Health Care

A Blueprint for a Prosperous Pennsylvania: Welfare Reform

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • May 9, 2014

Pennsylvania is facing an estimated $1.2 billion deficit next fiscal year. To bring the budget into balance without tax increases or borrowing, spending reforms must be implemented. In our…

Media

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Education

School Spending is the Issue

  • Nathan Benefield
  • May 9, 2014

My letter to the editor in yesterday’s York Daily Record addresses some inaccuracies about education spending in Pennsylvania. Your editorial on education funding (“Funding formula a good…

Media

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Education

Fewer Districts Seek Big Property Tax Hikes

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • May 8, 2014

Government union leaders like to claim mythical state education funding cuts caused widespread school property tax increases. But new data shows fewer school districts are actually receiving exceptions…

Media

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Taxes & Economy

Minimum Wage Backers Leave Young Minorities Behind

  • May 8, 2014

Commonwealth Foundation Contact: 717-671-1901 Minimum Wage Backers Leave Young Minorities Behind Wage mandates push black youth out of the job market Today, Big Labor-backed groups will rally to…

Press Release

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Taxes & Economy

Dangers of a Severance Tax

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • May 7, 2014

Given the fiscal challenges facing the state, many advocacy groups are calling for new taxes on natural gas. However, lawmakers should be aware that a severance tax will make Pennsylvania…

Memo

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State Budget

A Blueprint for a Prosperous Pennsylvania

  • May 6, 2014

We have been warned: Pennsylvania is on a path to higher taxes, fewer jobs, more debt, and a lower standard of living if the state does not rein in…

Media

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Taxes & Economy

Severance Tax Benefits the Powerful at Citizens’ Expense

  • Gordon Tomb
  • May 6, 2014

Washington County farmer Shawn Georgetti was living paycheck to paycheck before the Marcellus Shale boom. Thanks to a natural gas lease, he’s finally been able to upgrade his 30-year-old equipment.

Commentary

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Health Care

Five Reasons the Exchanges are Failing

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • May 2, 2014

Over 8 million Americans and 300,000 Pennsylvanians signed up for health insurance on the Obamacare exchanges according to data released by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)…

Media

Read More: Five Reasons the Exchanges are Failing

Regulation

Will More Choice and Convenience Really Kill Your Kids?

  • April 30, 2014

In a move that reeks of desperation, the United Food and Commerical Workers Union (UFCW) released a new ad with a ridiculous message: liquor liberalization will kill your kids.  …

Media

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State Budget

Tax Cuts To Blame for Pennsylvania’s Budget Deficit?

  • Nathan Benefield
  • April 30, 2014

As we have pointed out in the past, Pennsylvania’s legacy of overspending has created a looming deficit, threatening to destroy our fiscal house. Yet, some lawmakers and public officials…

Media

Read More: Tax Cuts To Blame for Pennsylvania’s Budget Deficit?

Health Care

Poverty Isn’t a Partisan Problem

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • April 29, 2014

Here’s a sobering fact: 13.1 percent of Pennsylvanians live in poverty despite billions spent every year on the social safety net. Simply throwing more money at the problem won’t make…

Media

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State Budget

S&P Worried About Pennsylvania’s Overspending

  • Nathan Benefield
  • April 25, 2014

Standard & Poor’s is sounding the alarm, once again, on Pennsylvania’s record of overspending. A new S&P report singles out the commonwealth for not putting our fiscal house in order,…

Media

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Government Accountability

Happy Tax Freedom Day, Pennsylvania!

  • Bruce Cornibe
  • April 21, 2014

Happy Tax Freedom Day! It took from January 1 until today for Pennsylvanians to have earned enough income to pay off their federal, state, and local taxes for the year. …

Media

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Health Care

My Obamacare Plan is Failing Me

  • Priya Brannick
  • April 15, 2014

Tuesday is the last day to sign up for health insurance on the Obamacare exchange. Luckily I’ve already purchased an exchange plan. But barely one month into my new health…

Commentary

Read More: My Obamacare Plan is Failing Me

Taxes & Economy

Taxes Not Popular in Pennsylvania

  • Nathan Benefield
  • April 10, 2014

Shocker! (Not really). A new Gallup poll finds that the majority of Pennsylvanians—58 percent—think state taxes are too high. Pennsylvania’s polling falls right in line based on our tax…

Media

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Taxes & Economy

The Harmful Effects of a Minimum Wage Increase

  • April 7, 2014

In his 2014 State of the Union address, President Obama proposed increasing the minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 an hour. Although it sounds beneficial to low-wage workers, minimum wage…

Fact Sheet

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Health Care

Washington isn’t Interested in Fixing Medicaid

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • April 4, 2014

“We have been legitimately working very hard with them and frankly, I’m very disappointed with the turn in discussions in the last week,” said Governor Corbett (paywall) on the federal…

Media

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Regulation

Booze Monopoly Bad for Business

  • April 1, 2014

This winter, a snow storm knocked the power out at the Continental Tavern, but Frank used a generator to keep his doors open and his customers in good spirits. The…

Commentary

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Health Care

Obamacare Fails to Deliver on Key Promises

  • March 31, 2014

For Immediate Release Commonwealth Foundation Contact: 717-671-1901 Obamacare Fails to Deliver on Key Promises More Pennsylvanians have lost coverage than gained because of Obamacare March 31, 2014,…

Press Release

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Health Care

Protected from Obamacare

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • March 31, 2014

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act promised to provide more affordable and better health care for all. Unfortunately, the law has delivered just the opposite—so much so that President…

Media

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Regulation

NFIB Study Finds PA Minimum Wage Bills Kill Jobs

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • March 28, 2014

Thanks to a recent minimum wage increase, 61 percent of New Jersey businesses are likely to raise their prices. In addition, a Congressional Budget Office analysis found increasing…

Media

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