Latest Content
Fairness
New Analysis Reveals Striking Partisanship of Government Union Spending
Government unions spent more than $33 million on political causes and only 5.2 percent of PAC contributions went to non-Democratic candidates. Harrisburg, Pa., April 16, 2025 — Government unions…
Read More: New Analysis Reveals Striking Partisanship of Government Union Spending
Prosperity
Independent Fiscal Office Exposes Shapiro’s Overinflated Revenue Projections
Read More: Independent Fiscal Office Exposes Shapiro’s Overinflated Revenue Projections
Education
Senate Republicans School Shapiro Administration, Stand up for Students and Taxpayers
Read More: Senate Republicans School Shapiro Administration, Stand up for Students and Taxpayers
Commonwealth Foundation Announces Promotion of Elizabeth Stelle to Vice President of Policy
Read More: Commonwealth Foundation Announces Promotion of Elizabeth Stelle to Vice President of Policy
Courting disaster, tyranny
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review editorial on the need to update the civics books.
Media
Read More: Courting disaster, tyranny
Motorists face new costs for highways – USATODAY.com
USA Today article on alternatives to raising gasoline taxes in financing transportation.
Media
Read More: Motorists face new costs for highways – USATODAY.com
Freedom Man
Dr. Thomas Sowell, the Rose and Milton Friedman Senior Fellow at Stanford’s Hoover Institution, eulogizes Milton Friedman in today’s Wall Street Journal.
Media
Read More: Freedom Man
Decades-old law assures lawmakers a 2-percent salary hike
The pay raise that DIDN’T get repealed.
Media
Read More: Decades-old law assures lawmakers a 2-percent salary hike
Leasing out turnpike could be $30B windfall
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review story on the opportunity policymakers can consider in lieu of raising taxes and fees to pay for transportation infrastructure needs.
Media
Read More: Leasing out turnpike could be $30B windfall
Sense of Irony?
The PA House Democratic Leadership Letter features two items that either show a sense of irony, or a complete blindless to the shadiness of Harrisburg politics. The first items…
Media
Read More: Sense of Irony?
McCain: Defeat Was Payback for Losing ‘Our Principles’
From the New York Times. McCain hits all the ways conservatives looked to big government – spending increases, new entitlement programs, trying to bribe voters with pork barrel projects,…
Media
Read More: McCain: Defeat Was Payback for Losing ‘Our Principles’
Learning from the election
The lesson from the Congressional election is “Money can’t buy me love” says Ed Feulner. Feulner will give the Keynote address at the Commonwealth Foundation’s Gala on December…
Media
Read More: Learning from the election
Poverty and Spending
Report released Tuesday from the Goldwater Institute shows that states with the lowest taxes and spending reduced their poverty rates, while states with the highest taxes and spending saw…
Media
Read More: Poverty and Spending
Pension and retirement benefits for lawmakers
The Beaver County Times on the retirement benefits for Democrats Veon, LaGrotta, and Leskovitz. As nearly one-quarter of the Legislature makes its final adieu next week,they face a…
Media
Read More: Pension and retirement benefits for lawmakers
Preaching the Gospel of Small Government
This New York Times story is the first of a two-part series on the state-based public policy think tank movement.
Media
Read More: Preaching the Gospel of Small Government
Milton Friedman Passes Away at 94
Milton Friedman Passes Away at 94. Mr. Friedman’s ideas and work have had a profound influence on the Commonwealth Foundation and on me. Here are some additional links and…
Media
Read More: Milton Friedman Passes Away at 94
Here we go again
After dozens of incumbent Congressional Republicans lost and a Wall-Street Journal poll showing that voters’ number one domestic issue was banning pork projects (following the explosion in the number…
Media
Read More: Here we go again
Think Twice on Tax Credits (Even Popular Ones)
Tax Foundation analysis shows that tax credits mean that only 40% of income is taxed – in other words, if we eliminate these tax credits we could cut federal…
Media
Read More: Think Twice on Tax Credits (Even Popular Ones)
New CPI & Lawmakers COLA
The October Consumer Price Index was released today – while this will be studied by investors and economic analysts for multiple reasons, it is also of note for this…
Media
Read More: New CPI & Lawmakers COLA
Commonwealth Foundation on PCN
If you missed today’s luncheon on Transportation funding, you can catch in on PCN – Pennsylvania Cable Network tomorrow at 2:15 pm.
Media
Read More: Commonwealth Foundation on PCN
What should the Dems do?
Greg Mankiw analyzes new VA Senator Jim Webb’s editorial in the Wall Street Journal on income inequality: Erecting barriers to trade, raising the minimum wage, encouraging the cartelization…
Media
Read More: What should the Dems do?
Reform on trial in Harrisburg
Editorial by yours truly in the York Dispatch…
Media
Read More: Reform on trial in Harrisburg
PHEAA Ordered to Open Books
The Commonwealth Court rules that the Open Records law, which applies to all state agencies, applies to PHEAA, which is a state agency that had refused to disclose many of…
Media
Read More: PHEAA Ordered to Open Books
State eyes gas tax increase
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review coverage of the Transporation Funding Commission’s report and proposals to increase various taxes for increased transportation Spending.
Media
Read More: State eyes gas tax increase
House votes to remove inheritance property tax
The PA House has voted to eliminate the state inheritance tax over four years, the Post-Gazette reports.
Media
Read More: House votes to remove inheritance property tax