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.

Public Union Democracy

Prohibition in Pa: 94 Years Old Today and Still Kicking

  • January 17, 2014

For Immediate Release Commonwealth Foundation Contact: 717-671-1901 Prohibition in PA: 94 Years Old Today and Still Kicking Gov. union leaders keep Pennsylvania stuck in the…

Press Release

Read More: Prohibition in Pa: 94 Years Old Today and Still Kicking

Regulation

For Pennsylvania, Prohibition Never Ended

  • January 17, 2014

It has been 94 years since the beginning of the nationwide prohibition on the production, distribution and sale of alcohol. Fortunately, states had the good sense to repeal the 18th…

Media

Read More: For Pennsylvania, Prohibition Never Ended

Health Care

How Government Unions Support Obamacare

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • January 14, 2014

Government unions such as the NEA and SEIU lobbied for passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which will raise the cost of health care through various mandates…

Media

Read More: How Government Unions Support Obamacare

Taxes & Economy

The True Cost of Minimum Wage

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • January 9, 2014

If a higher minimum wage benefits workers, why not push it to $20 or $30 or even higher? Because experience shows minimum wage increases actually hurt the very workers they…

Commentary

Read More: The True Cost of Minimum Wage

Public Union Democracy

Government Unions’ Lottery Misinformation Campagin

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • January 6, 2014

“Save the PA Lottery,” “Seniors pay the price,” and “Corbett’s secretive scheme” are just a few examples of how government union bosses employed scare tactics to conduct a massive misinformation…

Media

Read More: Government Unions’ Lottery Misinformation Campagin

State Budget

Budget Burdens Bring Consequences

  • January 3, 2014

Know that feeling a month after Christmas when the credit card statement shows you blew your holiday budget? Imagine the pain you’d experience after six consecutive years of spending beyond…

Commentary

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Taxes & Economy

EPA Regulations Threaten Pennsylvania Jobs

  • Gordon Tomb
  • January 3, 2014

The prospects for Pennsylvania coal industry have gotten so bad that Tom Crooks has contemplated moving his company from the state to find greener pastures Crooks is vice…

Media

Read More: EPA Regulations Threaten Pennsylvania Jobs

Regulation

2014: A Year for Pension Reform

  • Jessica Barnett
  • January 2, 2014

Pension reform promises to be on the forefront of the legislative agenda in the new year, and for good reason. PSERS and SERS, the state’s two pension systems for…

Media

Read More: 2014: A Year for Pension Reform

Education

Top 5 Articles of 2013

  • Nathan Benefield
  • December 31, 2013

Yesterday, we gave you the 5 most popular blog posts of 2013.  Today, we are highlighting the 5 most read articles of 2013 on our website. 1) The (Growing)…

Media

Read More: Top 5 Articles of 2013

Education

Top 5 Blog Posts of 2013

  • Nathan Benefield
  • December 30, 2013

As 2013 winds to a close, we thought we’d run down the top stories of the past year.  Here are Commonwealth Foundation’s top 5 blog posts, as chosen by you…

Media

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Public Union Democracy

The Unemployed Need Opportunities, Not Handouts

  • Nathan Benefield
  • December 19, 2013

Those suggesting the federal government continue its temporary extension of unemployment benefits point to our stagnant economy and high unemployment as justification.  But, in truth, these results have been caused…

Commentary

Read More: The Unemployed Need Opportunities, Not Handouts

Taxes & Economy

More Than Their Fair Share

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • December 17, 2013

A fair and sound tax policy requires that people or businesses pay for the government they use, including the cost of extracting natural gas.  Yet despite the passage of a…

Media

Read More: More Than Their Fair Share

Health Care

“Healthy PA:” What’s It All Mean?

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • December 13, 2013

Last Friday, Gov. Corbett released full details of his Healthy PA initiative, which seeks to expand government-funded health insurance under Obamacare (using Medicaid expansion funds to pay private insurance…

Media

Read More: “Healthy PA:” What’s It All Mean?

Public Union Democracy

Detroit Warning: Reform Needed to Save Pensions

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • December 4, 2013

“They are going to take away your pension!” is a common scare tactic used by Pennsylvania government union leaders to oppose pension reform (even though private school unions have…

Media

Read More: Detroit Warning: Reform Needed to Save Pensions

Regulation

Not in the Holiday Spirit(s)

  • December 3, 2013

If you like a good deal, nothing beats shopping during the holidays. Retailers will do whatever it takes—sales, coupons, early bird specials—to get an edge over their competition, all to…

Media

Read More: Not in the Holiday Spirit(s)

Taxes & Economy

Mailbag: Is Pennsylvania Taxed Too Little?

  • November 21, 2013

In response to a blog post on Pennsylvania’s bleak budget future, a reader took issue with the claim that Pennsylvania has the 10th highest state and local tax…

Media

Read More: Mailbag: Is Pennsylvania Taxed Too Little?

Health Care

Pennsylvania’s Bleak Budget Future

  • November 19, 2013

Pennsylvania’s fiscal outlook looks bleak according to a detailed report examining state revenue and spending released by the Independent Fiscal Office (IFO) last week. The agency projects a general…

Media

Read More: Pennsylvania’s Bleak Budget Future

Government Accountability

Obama Supporter Soured by Obamacare Ordeal

  • November 19, 2013

Lynn Larrick doesn't fit the usual profile of someone angry with President Obama. She's a staunch Democrat, a retired Philadelphia teacher, and a union member. But when she—like more than…

Commentary

Read More: Obama Supporter Soured by Obamacare Ordeal

Health Care

A Sign of Things to Come?

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • November 13, 2013

Cancelled health care plans, an unusable exchange website—do we still trust the federal government to deliver on its health care promises? In what could be a sign of what’s to…

Media

Read More: A Sign of Things to Come?

Regulation

A Band-Aid for Broken PLCB

  • November 12, 2013

A change has come to Pennsylvania’s state-controlled liquor monopoly that will improve the customer experience, according to the PLCB. Are we finally going to get liquor privatization after eight decades?…

Media

Read More: A Band-Aid for Broken PLCB

Regulation

Union Supports 401(k)s for Philadelphia Teachers

  • Nathan Benefield
  • November 12, 2013

Thousands of school teachers in Philadelphia will see their retirement plans switched to 401(k)-type plans next year—and the union representing those teachers is okay with the reform. Shocked? I should…

Media

Read More: Union Supports 401(k)s for Philadelphia Teachers