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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…
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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 Benefits
Term limits crash
Brad Bumsted of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review notes the irony of how the day after lawmakers beat up the idea of term limits that a poll came out showing overwhelming…
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Budget stalls over spending disputes
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on the how lawmakers could be in for a long summer. Tune in this coming week to THE BOX where the Budget will be the topic…
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Voters not getting say on school tax hikes
Philadelphia Inquirer story on why we need to take Step #2 of the Pennsylvania Diet Plan. If the public schools are the community’s schools, why shouldn’t the communty…
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Reformers Want A Harrisburg ‘Diet’
The Evening Bulletin on the “Put Pennsylvania Government on a Spending Diet” campaign.
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Little Agreement Over Turnpike Leasing
The Evening Bulletin on the Turnpike deal.
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Folmer hears support for cap on spending
Lebanon Daily News story on yesterday’s hearing on the Taxpayer Protection Act.
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Read More: Folmer hears support for cap on spendingState Budget
A Diet Plan for an Obese State Government
Commonwealth Foundation launches campaign to “Put Pennsylvania on a Spending Diet” HARRISBURG, PA — Today, the Commonwealth Foundation announced the launch of a media campaign to educate Pennsylvanians about the…
Press Release
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Rendell as Aragorn
Philadelphia Daily News compares Rendell to Aragorn (of the Lord of the Rings), in his speech to the SEPTA board: A day may come when the courage…
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Are raising prices a crime?
Wall Street Journal on the absurdity of legislation on “price gouging”. Not only have previous investigations over the pase few decades turned up few cases of price gouging, but…
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Make Your Own ‘Star Wars’
The greatest instance of using technology to give power to the masses since Guttenberg invented the printing press, George Lucas announced that clips from all the Star Wars movies…
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“We’re Not the Commonwealth Foundation”
A report from the union-backed, socialist leaning (see note) Pennsylvania Budget & Policy Center calls for enacting the Governor’s Proposed Oil Profits Tax, saying it is a good tax…
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Jesus would back my plan, Rendell says
Ed Rendell cites the Holy Bible to support his government-run health care plan, reported in the Patriot News. He is referring to Matthew 22: 37-39 – Jesus replied:…
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Read More: Jesus would back my plan, Rendell saysGovernment Accountability
Empowering Citizens through Legislative Redistricting & Initiative & Referendum
Thank you Chairman Piccola and members of the Senate State Government Committee for the opportunity to share with you the position and opinions of the Commonwealth Foundation on Senate Bills…
Testimony
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Cato Report on Federal Aid to State
New report from Cato traces the growth of federal aid programs to state. That seems to contradict Governor Rendell’s statements on the budget about how we need higher…
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The Poor Get Richer
Wall Street Journal on the growth in earnings and income of low-income families with children from 1991-2005. The CBO report identifies a few reasons for this, including: job…
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Perzel Turned Away From Budget Meeting
Capitolwire story on John Perzel’s quest to be included in the budget negotiations, see summary on GrassrootsPA.com. Three things about are troubling: 1) That John Perzel is trying to…
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Cost control is true tax reform
A very strong Press Enterprise editorial on real school tax reform – i.e. controlling costs: Enact a Taxpayer Protection Act that would limit increases in state spending to…
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More of the same from Brookings
A new report from the Brookings Institution Restoring Prosperity: The State Role in Revitalizing America’s Older Industrial Cities repeats many of the same recommendations from multiple earlier reports (including…
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Who Killed Health Care?
American Spectator review of Regina Herzlinger’s book, Who Killed Health Care?: America’s $2 Trillion Medical Problem — and the Consumer-Driven Cure. Herzlinger concludes her book by outlining a…
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Response to Congressional Bogeymen on Turnpike
Reason Foundation responds to a letter from two Congressmen advising states against toll road leases and promising to “”work to undo” any contract.
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PSBA Property Tax Reform Blueprint
The PSBA unveiled its Blueprint for Comprehensive Local Tax Reform, which has some good ideas, some misguided notions, and some bad ideas. The Good:1. Create a state funding…
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Read More: PSBA Property Tax Reform Blueprint