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New Swing State Poll: PA Voters Evenly Divided, Presidential Election a Toss Up
Harrisburg, Pa., July 26, 2024—Public support for Donald Trump and Kamala Harris is evenly divided in Pennsylvania, according to a new statewide survey of Pennsylvania voters, with Harris leading Trump 47%…
Read More: New Swing State Poll: PA Voters Evenly Divided, Presidential Election a Toss Up
Education
TV Ad Exposes Shapiro as “All Talk, No Results”
Read More: TV Ad Exposes Shapiro as “All Talk, No Results”
Education
Why is Gov. Shapiro Afraid of His Own Campaign Promises?
Read More: Why is Gov. Shapiro Afraid of His Own Campaign Promises?
Education
President and CEO Charles Mitchell on Philadelphia’s Morning Answer with Chris Stigall
Read More: President and CEO Charles Mitchell on Philadelphia’s Morning Answer with Chris StigallState Budget
Where to Find Ideas to Balance the PA Budget
John Micek of the Morning Call has a piece today noting that the two candidates for Governor — Dan Onorato and Tom Corbett — have promised no, or few, new…
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What’s the matter with Pennsylvania Republicans?
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Read More: What’s the matter with Pennsylvania Republicans?Taxes & Economy
Why Do We Need a Severance Tax?
Proponents of a natural gas severance tax have been offering several arguments supporting a tax, here are the three main talking points used by tax advocates: 1) Higher taxes will…
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Despite $5 billion debt, gubernatorial candidates promise no tax hikes
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Read More: Despite $5 billion debt, gubernatorial candidates promise no tax hikesGovernment Accountability
State to CF: Transparency Denied
A couple months ago, we requested the salary information of state employees for our new openPAgov database (if you missed the launch, we currently have Pennsylvania school district…
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Read More: State to CF: Transparency DeniedTaxes & Economy
Video: Natural Gas and Pennsylvania’s Business Climate
Here is bonus footage from our upcoming video series, Know the Drill, about the natural gas boom in Pennsylvania. In this clip, Brian Grove, who works for Chesapeake Energy,…
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Read More: Video: Natural Gas and Pennsylvania’s Business ClimateTaxes & Economy
The Downside to Government Spending
While federal stimulus funding for turtle tunnels, ant colony research, iPod Touch devices for students, and Blackberry smart phones for smokers might stimulate a few Americans,…
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Read More: The Downside to Government SpendingHealth Care
PA Medicaid Enrollment Reaches All-Time High
One in six Pennsylvanians are now eligible for Medicaid or Medical Assistance, thanks to the economic downturn and generous eligibility standards. The Post-Gazette reports 2.2 million individuals now rely…
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Read More: PA Medicaid Enrollment Reaches All-Time HighTaxes & Economy
Video: Cost of Natural Gas Drilling in Pennsylvania
In this video, from a 2009 Commonwealth Foundation luncheon, State Senator Mary Jo White speaks about the costs of drilling in Pennsylvania compared to other similar states. To learn…
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Read More: Video: Cost of Natural Gas Drilling in PennsylvaniaHealth Care
Why Obama Can’t “Sell” the Health Care Law
The AP writes that President Obama blames himself for not “selling” the health care law — this despite giving dozens of speeches on the issue and spending millions…
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Read More: Why Obama Can’t “Sell” the Health Care LawTaxes & Economy
All Is Not What It Appears to Be
Hey! Did you know that what is depicted in those nature documentaries is not always genuinely “in the wild?” It’s often set up in controlled circumstances, according to Chris Palmer,…
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Public-sector unions serve no public interest outside themselves
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Read More: Public-sector unions serve no public interest outside themselvesTaxes & Economy
The Hail Mary for Solar Subsidies
Solar power advocates’ fight to triple the state’s costly solar energy mandates took a new turn this week. Proponents, including DEP Secretary Hanger and Governor Rendell, urged the…
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Read More: The Hail Mary for Solar SubsidiesState Budget
Being Tough on Crime Is Not Enough
With one in 28 Pennsylvanians in jail or prison, on probation, or on parole in 2007 — at the cost of more than $1.8 billion — Pennsylvania is at a…
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Read More: Being Tough on Crime Is Not EnoughTaxes & Economy
Video: Bradford County Residents Talk About a Natural Gas Tax
In this video, part of a forthcoming series on the Marcellus Shale natural gas boom in Pennsylvania, residents from Bradford County speak out about the proposed natural gas severance…
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Read More: Video: Bradford County Residents Talk About a Natural Gas TaxEducation
Commonwealth Foundation Launches Online Portal Tracking Education Spending and Achievement in Pennsylvania
Harrisburg, PA – How much does education cost the average Pennsylvania taxpayer? What percentage of students passes basic achievement tests? How much is per pupil spending in a given district?…
Press Release
Read More: Commonwealth Foundation Launches Online Portal Tracking Education Spending and Achievement in PennsylvaniaRegulation
Film Tax Credits are Bad Economics
Josh Barro of the Manhattan Institute hammers on film tax credits, which have been so popular among lawmakers in Pennsylvania and other states, who love when movie stars…
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Read More: Film Tax Credits are Bad EconomicsTaxes & Economy
Video: Natural Gas Drilling Jobs
For our upcoming video series on the Marcellus Shale natural gas boom in Pennsylvania, Know the Drill, we visited Bradford County and spoke with local officials, rig workers, contractors, and…
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Read More: Video: Natural Gas Drilling JobsTaxes & Economy
Solar Claims Need Scrutiny
There’s nothing wrong with solar energy, but government officials (like Gov. Rendell and Environmental Protection Secretary John Hanger) shouldn’t mislead the public to drum up support for taxpayer funding of…
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Read More: Solar Claims Need Scrutiny