Media

Public Union Democracy

Obama’s Run-Around of Congress

• May 20, 2010

Q: What do Card Check and Net Neutrality have in common? A: They are bad policy ideas Congress won’t pass, yet the White House is finding ways to work…

Media

Taxes & Economy

Specter to Blame for Specter’s Demise

• Nathan Benefield
• May 20, 2010

We try not to engage too much in political punditry here, but the latest Terry Madonna and Michael Young Politically Uncorrected piece, on the end of Sen. Arlen Specter’s…

Media

Taxes & Economy

Citizen’s Guide to the Tenth Amendment

• May 20, 2010

The Institute for Policy Innovation has produced a short informational guide to the Tenth Amendment. The Tenth Amendment was ratified in order to guarantee individual rights and responsibilities for…

Media

Government Accountability

Corbett Wins, Subpoenas Twitter for Names of His Critics

• Nathan Benefield
• May 19, 2010

As part of the Grand Jury investigation, Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett has filed a subpoena against Twitter to reveal the names of two anonymous Twitter accounts (HT…

Media

Regulation

PA Pension Crisis Video

• Nathan Benefield
• May 19, 2010

Here is a great video highlighting the looming crisis in Pennsylvania’s state pension plans (specifically PSERS).  Not sure who created this, but it’s worth a watch. For…

Media

Government Accountability

Conklin Would Serve as LG and State Rep

• Nathan Benefield
• May 19, 2010

If the results hold, and they remain extremely close, Scott Conklin would be the Democrat nominee for Lieutenant Governor and for reelection to his PA House seat. Conklin recently promised…

Media

Government Accountability

Election Day Live Chat

• May 18, 2010

Join Commonwealth Foundation staff and PA Independent reporters, as well as invited bloggers, to discuss the Pennsylvania primary election results and happenings throughout the day.  Post your questions and…

Media

Regulation

Violations Carry a Hefty Price in the Marcellus Shale

• Elizabeth Stelle
• May 17, 2010

In a recent Citizen Voice article, Scott Perry, the director of Oil and Gas Management at the DEP explains how costly environmental infractions can be for drilling companies. The…

Media

Regulation

Republicans Talk about Privatizing State Parks

• May 17, 2010

Recently, there has been some speculation about whether Pennsylvania Republican lawmakers are considering leasing the state parks to private companies to operate. Competitively contracting management of our state park…

Media

Government Accountability

Rendell’s No-Bid State Forest Lease

• May 17, 2010

Last week, Gov. Rendell announced 32,896 acres of state forest land had been leased to Anadarko Petroleum for drilling for $120 million. The no-bid deal was for land previously…

Media

Regulation

F&M Poll Shows Voters Support Liquor Store Privatization

• Nathan Benefield
• May 14, 2010

The latest Franklin & Marshall College poll spends, not surprising, a good deal of time on election-related questions, but has a few related to current policy proposals in Harrisburg. …

Media

Taxes & Economy

The Price of Wind

• Nathan Benefield
• May 13, 2010

The Wall Street Journal has a good article about how wind generation drives up electric rates in Massachusettes, and will continue to do so as alternative energy mandates are…

Media

Special hypocrites

• May 13, 2010

Media Hit

Government Accountability

How Rendell Gets Shills

• Nathan Benefield
• May 13, 2010

In each of their “budget updates” (see: this one or this one) the Department of Public Welfare ends with this line “For information on…

Media

Taxes & Economy

Bad Pennsylvania Policy Spreads to DC

• Elizabeth Stelle
• May 12, 2010

In the past couple of weeks, debate in Washington has ramped up over implementing national alternative energy mandates. Senator Jeff Bingaman has included the standards in his American Clean…

Media

Drillers spending millions to influence Harrisburg, study finds

• May 12, 2010

Media Hit

Energy industry pumps legislators

• May 12, 2010

Media Hit

Government Accountability

Fact Checking Special Interests’ Attack on Natural Gas

• Nathan Benefield
• May 11, 2010

Misinformation spewed continually at Common Cause’s press conference on natural gas campaign contributions (see CF News Release) held today at the Capital. Here are…

Media

Taxes & Economy

Re: What About Jobs of Other Colors?

• May 11, 2010

Katrina’s post on Friday that highlighted Energy Ventures Analysis’s job destruction realism about Pennsylvania’s proposed alternative energy mandates is buttressed by similar research elsewhere, including …

Media

Health Care

Obama Concedes CF was Right About Slacker Mandate

• Nathan Benefield
• May 11, 2010

I hate to toot my own horn (wink wink), but a few months ago, I wrote that a “slacker mandate” included in the federal health care bill would fail…

Media

Public Union Democracy

Special Interests Denounce “Special Interests”

• May 11, 2010

HARRISBURG, PA (05.11.10) — The Commonwealth Foundation expressed disappointment today that special interest groups which demand taxpayer subsidies for certain energy companies are attacking Pennsylvania’s natural gas companies for simply…

Press Release