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Government Accountability
Pa. Supreme Court Protects Private Property in New Ruling
Harrisburg, Pa., July 22, 2026 — In a 7–0 unanimous decision, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, in Punxsutawney Hunting Club v. Pennsylvania Game Commission, sided with Pennsylvania landowners and ruled against warrantless searches on open fields. Under previous case law, the open…
Read More: Pa. Supreme Court Protects Private Property in New Ruling
Education
Commonwealth Foundation Releases Analysis on 2026-27 Budget Deal
Read More: Commonwealth Foundation Releases Analysis on 2026-27 Budget Deal
Education
Pa. Lawmakers Pass 2026-27 State Budget, Blocking Shapiro’s Tax Hikes and Preserving Emergency Savings
Read More: Pa. Lawmakers Pass 2026-27 State Budget, Blocking Shapiro’s Tax Hikes and Preserving Emergency Savings
Education
Commonwealth Foundation Applauds Senate Republicans for Advancing Tax Relief and Expanding Educational Opportunity
Read More: Commonwealth Foundation Applauds Senate Republicans for Advancing Tax Relief and Expanding Educational Opportunity
Corbett’s stalled liquor privatization plans revving up again
Media Hit
Read More: Corbett’s stalled liquor privatization plans revving up againRegulation
Privatization Opponent Admits State Stores Don’t Dissuade Drunk Drivers
Liquor privatization will kill your father before you go to college or get married. At least that’s what the UFCW and the PA DUI Association wanted you to believe…
Media
Read More: Privatization Opponent Admits State Stores Don’t Dissuade Drunk Drivers
Corbett expected to make announcement on Medicaid
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Read More: Corbett expected to make announcement on Medicaid
Fracking for the poor, a clown car incident and other Dubious Deeds of the Week
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Read More: Fracking for the poor, a clown car incident and other Dubious Deeds of the Week
Why I Support A Dues Deduction Ban
I have been a teacher in the public schools for 22 years. For 16 of those years I chose to not be in the PSEA/NEA. Instead, I belonged to a…
Media
Read More: Why I Support A Dues Deduction BanEducation
Let Teachers Make Their Own Union Choices
Joe Connolly is a public high school guidance counselor in central Pennsylvania. His school district recently introduced “fair share fees” for non-union workers—meaning educators like Joe will now be forced…
Media
Read More: Let Teachers Make Their Own Union ChoicesTaxes & Economy
Fracking Helps Poor More than Government Programs
The natural gas boom spawned by free enterprise and new technology is doing more to help the poor than LIHEAP, a decades-old welfare program, according to the Wall…
Media
Read More: Fracking Helps Poor More than Government ProgramsPublic Union Democracy
Is Paying Only $2.50 for Health Care Unreasonable?
If you’ve been watching back-to-school news, you’ve probably heard that teachers unions in three Pennsylvania school districts—Shaler Area, Wyoming Area and Old Forge—have gone on strike. Like…
Media
Read More: Is Paying Only $2.50 for Health Care Unreasonable?Regulation
Say it ain’t so! Joe Makes Bank from the PLCB
Remember PLCB CEO Joe Conti? Boondoggles like wine kiosks and inventory shortages should spring to mind. After six years of these and other questionable decisions that remain under…
Media
Read More: Say it ain’t so! Joe Makes Bank from the PLCBRegulation
The Perplexing Problem with Pensions
Traditional pensions are plagued by their dependence on guesswork—estimates on economic growth, employee behavior, and investment return—writes Grove City economist Mark Hendrickson in a recent piece. The errors in…
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Read More: The Perplexing Problem with PensionsRegulation
Video: Wine Expert on Privatization
How does it feel to earn a failing grade? Every Pennsylvanian should know—we recently received an “F” in wine consumer friendliness in a report by the American Wine…
Media
Read More: Video: Wine Expert on PrivatizationHealth Care
Losing the War on Poverty
Bad welfare policy is robbing Pennsylvanians of a better life. Last month, the Cato Institute’s Welfare vs. Work Tradeoff study revealed Pennsylvanians can make more money collecting welfare than…
Media
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Report: Income disparity on rise in state
Media Hit
Read More: Report: Income disparity on rise in statePublic Union Democracy
“Money in Politics” Fosters Big Government
You probably hear a lot about “money in politics,” but rarely do pundits correctly identify the largest source of special interest political spending. According to a new report, big labor…
Media
Read More: “Money in Politics” Fosters Big GovernmentHealth Care
Mailbag: Burdens of Obamacare
Below are few of the most common questions I’ve received in response to my Philadelphia Inquirer op-ed on the failure of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to help low-income…
Media
Read More: Mailbag: Burdens of ObamacareEducation
Are Cyber School Students Second-Class Citizens?
Editor’s Note: Jake Swink is a summer intern at Commonwealth Foundation and, starting in September, will be an active duty 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force specializing in cyber…
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Read More: Are Cyber School Students Second-Class Citizens?
Obamacare premiums should hold steady, report finds
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Read More: Obamacare premiums should hold steady, report findsEducation
Unions First, Teachers & Students Last
The Philadelphia Federation of Teachers (PFT) might take legal action against the School District of Philadelphia for … wait for it … hiring back teachers. The Philadelphia School Reform Commission…
Media
Read More: Unions First, Teachers & Students LastHealth Care
Want to Help the Poor? Don’t Expand Medicaid
Yesterday, we talked about why Michigan’s plan to expand Medicaid was a bad deal for taxpayers. But expansion is a bad deal for patients too. Advocates of expansion make…
Media
Read More: Want to Help the Poor? Don’t Expand Medicaid