Latest Content
Education
Public Schools Increased Spending to $23,000 Per Student, Ballooned Reserves While Enrollment Declined
Harrisburg, Pa., May 15, 2025 — Pennsylvania school districts increased overall revenue collected in 2023–24 to $23,000 per student, while expanding general fund reserves to $7.4 billion, according to new…
Read More: Public Schools Increased Spending to $23,000 Per Student, Ballooned Reserves While Enrollment Declined
Energy
Pennsylvania Supreme Court Hears Oral Arguments on RGGI
Read More: Pennsylvania Supreme Court Hears Oral Arguments on RGGI
Education
Senate Education Committee Approves Bipartisan PASS Scholarships, Offering Lifeline to Students in Need
Read More: Senate Education Committee Approves Bipartisan PASS Scholarships, Offering Lifeline to Students in Need
Prosperity
New Report: Gig-Workers Prefer Flexibility of Portable Benefits
Read More: New Report: Gig-Workers Prefer Flexibility of Portable BenefitsTaxes & Economy
The Truth about Milton Friedman
David Henderson has a detailed reponse on the Cato-at-liberty blog to a New York Times article on the economic legacy of Milton Friedman. The Times piece presented the…
Media
Read More: The Truth about Milton FriedmanGovernment Accountability
The Keystone Primary Stakes
Michael Barone has a interesting column in the Wall Street Journal about the Pennsylvania primary, with a good, quick synopisis of Pennsylvania’s political history.
Media
Read More: The Keystone Primary StakesTaxes & Economy
Flat Tax vs. Fair Tax
Below is a video from the Center from Freedom and Prosperity on proposals for an overall of the tax system. We covered both the flat tax and fair…
Media
Read More: Flat Tax vs. Fair Tax
South Carolina’s Contender
The Wall Street Journal had a piece on Saturday on the the Vice-Presidential prospects of Mark Sanford. I point it out not because my phone is ringing off the…
Media
Read More: South Carolina’s ContenderEducation
Wisconsin votes to protect cyber schools
As we had noted previously that cyber schools in Wisconsin are also facing attack (primarily from the teachers unions), I thought I would pass along this story Pennsylvania…
Media
Read More: Wisconsin votes to protect cyber schoolsEducation
Which special interest is closest to state capitols?
Education school Jay Greene launched a new blog on education policy with post on the proximity of teacher unions to state capitols. If you stand on…
Media
Read More: Which special interest is closest to state capitols?Health Care
Health Savings Sabotage
The Wall Street Journal has a column on a bill that passed the US House that would undermine Health Savings Accounts (also see the SPN blog on this…
Media
Read More: Health Savings SabotageHealth Care
The Health Insurance Mafia
Here is a great editorial in the Wall Street Journal on how the health insurance industry acts like the Mafia: Most discussions about the rising…
Media
Read More: The Health Insurance MafiaTaxes & Economy
Getting Better, Not Bitter, in Pennsylvania
WebMemo from the Heritage Foundation about whether Pennsylvanians should be “bitter” over all the jobs “lost”. I would point readers to my commentary on Prospering in Pennsylvania, but…
Media
Read More: Getting Better, Not Bitter, in PennsylvaniaGovernment Accountability
58 lawmakers who kept the pay raise
Rock the Capital has released their latest (final) update on the 2005 legislative pay raise – who took the unvouchered expenses, who kept them, who paid them back, who…
Media
Read More: 58 lawmakers who kept the pay raiseGovernment Accountability
“Easy” Real Change, by Newt Gingrich
As promised, here is my review of Newt Gingrich’s latest book, Real Change. This was a frustrating read for me. For starters, Newt’s premise is how we…
Media
Read More: “Easy” Real Change, by Newt GingrichEducation
Answers to Attacks on Cyber Schools
One of our loyal readers asked for some help responding to attacks on Cyber School Funding and a lobbying effort by Pennsylvania School Boards Association (PSBA) in support of HB…
Media
Read More: Answers to Attacks on Cyber SchoolsState Budget
Make Cardboard Checks Vanish
Senator Eichelberger’s stand against posing with cardboard checks when handing out taxpayer-funded grants is getting attention across the state, with a story in the Morning-Call, and…
Media
Read More: Make Cardboard Checks VanishTaxes & Economy
Turnpike Lease Bids Due April 30
Governor Rendell has announced that bids for leasing the Pennsylvania Turnpike will be due at or near the end of April. He also announced many of the terms…
Media
Read More: Turnpike Lease Bids Due April 30Education
New Education Blog
The Fordham Foundation has launched a new blog on education called Flypaper. A couple good posts in their first two days are this one on highlighting “surprising” story…
Media
Read More: New Education BlogTaxes & Economy
Candidate Surveys
Here are some candidate surveys for state legislative candidates: PA Right to Work Stop Teacher Strikes Democracy Rising Project Vote Smart…
Media
Read More: Candidate SurveysTaxes & Economy
Taxpayer Cost of Family Fragmentation
A new report on the taxpayer cost of family breakdown (i.e. divorce and family breakdown), putting the cost to PA taxpayers at over $2 billion annually. Click…
Media
Read More: Taxpayer Cost of Family FragmentationGovernment Accountability
Book Review: Leave us Alone
I am blogging from Seattle, where I am attending a conference on government transparency. One of the best aspects of flying across the county is catching up on some reading.
Media
Read More: Book Review: Leave us AloneTaxes & Economy
What are “purely conservative principles”?
Michael Smerconish comments on the “blueing” of the Philadelphia suburbs (HT: Grassroots PA). Smerconish dismisses the idea that residents are fleeing Philadelphia for the suburbs, noting that…
Media
Read More: What are “purely conservative principles”?Health Care
“Stupid Hicks” Oppose Big Government
I wasn’t going to post anything on Barack Obama’s comments about people “clinging” to guns and religion, until Philadelphia Daily News columnist John Baer offered his Obama can…
Media
Read More: “Stupid Hicks” Oppose Big GovernmentTaxes & Economy
‘Government cannot spend its way out of a recession’
Tony Phyrillas summarizes the House Republicans’ tax reduction package unveiled today. The legislation includes:· Implementing Compete PA business tax relief, which includes removing the cap on net…
Media
Read More: ‘Government cannot spend its way out of a recession’