Education
Lawmakers can ease financial worries of Pennsylvanians
Originally published at LNP The struggle is real. When asked about their families’ financial situation, only 17% of Pennsylvanians see themselves as better off now than two years ago,…
Read More: Lawmakers can ease financial worries of PennsylvaniansHigh taxes make for a slow-growing economy. And communities feel the pinch of high taxes as more and more native Pennsylvanians leave the Keystone State to prosper elsewhere. To remain economically competitive, Pennsylvania must lower state taxes and ensure businesses have the opportunity to succeed. Lower taxes will incentivize more individuals to call Pennsylvania their home, ultimately spurring our statewide economy forward.
Public Union Democracy
New York? Fuhgeddaboudit. Lansing!
As I write this, most of Pennsylvania’s political glitterati has its mind on New York City, where the annual Pennsylvania Society gathering is underway. But my mind is on…
Media
Read More: New York? Fuhgeddaboudit. Lansing!Health Care
Lawmakers Challenge Obamacare’s “Most Harmful Provisions”
On Tuesday Rep. Gordon Denlinger sent an updated version of a letter to Governor Corbett urging against the creation of a state exchange and expanding Medicaid under the Affordable…
Media
Read More: Lawmakers Challenge Obamacare’s “Most Harmful Provisions”Regulation
Fishing in Barrel Lands Union Support
Unnecessary, unfair and un-American? Welcome to the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, the government liquor monopoly that union boss Wendell Young has made a lucrative career defending. As papers across the commonwealth continue…
Media
Read More: Fishing in Barrel Lands Union SupportHealth Care
But It’s Only A Few Billion More…
Medicaid spending will increase by more than one trillion dollars nationally over the next decade if all states participate in the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion, according to new analysis by…
Media
Read More: But It’s Only A Few Billion More…Criminal Justice Reform
Three of Four Alarms Still Ringing
Late last month, the Independent Fiscal Office released its annual report looking at Pennsylvania’s economy and forecasting state budget expenditures and revenues. The trends remain alarming. Most notably, state…
Media
Read More: Three of Four Alarms Still RingingHealth Care
5 Must-Know Facts About Health Care Exchanges
The election has been settled, but the future of the Affordable Care Act is far from it, as decisions are now in the hands of governors and state lawmakers. One…
Media
Read More: 5 Must-Know Facts About Health Care ExchangesRegulation
Film Credits More Blooper Reel than Blockbuster
Film industry lobbyists are renewing calls for more corporate welfare for the film industry, through expansion of Pennsylvania’s Film Tax Credit. As we’ve noted time and…
Media
Read More: Film Credits More Blooper Reel than BlockbusterState Budget
Federal Funds Aren’t “Free”
There’s no such thing as a free lunch—meaning everything in life, including government programs, must be paid for. Unfortunately, many advocates of government health insurance expansion explain the Affordable…
Media
Read More: Federal Funds Aren’t “Free”Regulation
Pennsylvania’s Tax Burden Ranks 10th (Again), but Pension Bomb Ticking
Last week, America kept its president and Congress, and Pennsylvania’s legislature stayed largely the same too. There’s another thing that Pennsylvanians can count on—ranking 10th in the United States for…
Media
Read More: Pennsylvania’s Tax Burden Ranks 10th (Again), but Pension Bomb TickingPublic Union Democracy
Stones to Take on Goliath
My friend Jon Caldara of our sister think-tank in Colorado eloquently and humorously offers an important lesson from the election—the results stem not from a short-term campaign, but from…
Media
Read More: Stones to Take on GoliathHealth Care
What Does Election Mean for Obamacare?
While exit polling shows a majority of voters support full or partial repeal of the Affordable Care Act, this outcome remains unlikely. President Obama will not reverse his…
Media
Read More: What Does Election Mean for Obamacare?Public Union Democracy
Election Lesson: Bring Wisconsin to Pennsylvania
The Wall Street Journal today writes about “Big Labor’s Losses” in Tuesday’s election. This may seem hard for many Pennsylvanians to fathom, given the role government union bosses…
Media
Read More: Election Lesson: Bring Wisconsin to PennsylvaniaPublic Union Democracy
Election Day: 5 Things to Remember
1. The election results won’t slay Goliath. The special interests who feed off of tax dollars—government union bosses, trial lawyers, extreme greens, crony capitalists that rely on corporate welfare,…
Media
Read More: Election Day: 5 Things to RememberState Budget
Debt or Prosperity? It’s Our Choice
Can Americans afford slower economic growth and a lower standard of living in the future? That will be the impact of growing government debt on the economy, according to a…
Media
Read More: Debt or Prosperity? It’s Our ChoiceRegulation
How Big is the Pension Bomb?
Taxpayers will have to pay $1,385 more each year for 30 years to fully pay off pension liabilities, according to a new study on the cost of pension plans…
Media
Read More: How Big is the Pension Bomb?Taxes & Economy
Will Shale Boom Change Election?
The shale gas boom has boosted the economy in key battleground states like Ohio and Pennsylvania, which may help President Obama, despite his hostility towards fracking—the process which…
Media
Read More: Will Shale Boom Change Election?Education
Pa. Teachers Unions Among America’s Most Powerful
Pennsylvania’s teachers unions rank fourth among all U.S. states in their strength and influence, according to a report released this week from the Fordham Institute. We trail only Hawaii,…
Media
Read More: Pa. Teachers Unions Among America’s Most PowerfulHealth Care
Contain Medicaid Fire, Turn Hose on Pension Crisis
Last night’s presidential debate (despite the focus on foreign policy) featured much talk on skyrocketing debt and unsustainable entitlement programs. Protecting the middle class from growing debt isn’t a problem…
Media
Read More: Contain Medicaid Fire, Turn Hose on Pension CrisisHealth Care
Why Repeal? The Affordable Care Act’s Costs to Pennsylvanians
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act—or "Obamacare"—will take more than $500 billion from American taxpayers by 2022, raise costs to state governments and increase the cost of private health…
Poll
Read More: Why Repeal? The Affordable Care Act’s Costs to PennsylvaniansTaxes & Economy
Pa. Job Growth Triples National Rate
Last week saw the release of September state jobs data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Media coverage of this jobs report focused on the unemployment rate only, which…
Media
Read More: Pa. Job Growth Triples National RateCriminal Justice Reform
Pennsylvania Gets Landmark Corrections Reform
On Tuesday, Pennsylvania passed the final piece, House Bill 135, of a landmark corrections reform package that transforms our ailing prison system to one that works better for YOU. Commonwealth Foundation…
Media
Read More: Pennsylvania Gets Landmark Corrections Reform