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Education
New Survey Shows Overwhelming Support for Bipartisanship in Pa. Budget Process
Harrisburg, Pa., July 2, 2024 — As Gov. Josh Shapiro failed to enact the 2024–25 Pennsylvania budget by the June 30th deadline, voters overwhelmingly support increased bipartisanship in the budget process,…
Read More: New Survey Shows Overwhelming Support for Bipartisanship in Pa. Budget Process![teacher union influence](https://www.commonwealthfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/iStock-2150482568-900x887.jpg)
Public Union Democracy
Teachers’ Unions Influence and the Politics of Education
Read More: Teachers’ Unions Influence and the Politics of Education![shapiro capable of leading](https://www.commonwealthfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/GettyImages-1244606495-900x692.jpg)
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Education
Analysis: Pa. Gov. Shapiro Struggles to Govern, Resulting in Record Lack of Accomplishment
Read More: Analysis: Pa. Gov. Shapiro Struggles to Govern, Resulting in Record Lack of AccomplishmentTaxes & Economy
Pro free-markets and pro-business are not the same
George Mason University economics professor Don Boudreaux draws the important distinction between supporting free-markets and supporting businesses. For example, he writes: “Like many economists, I oppose minimum-wage legislation. But this…
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Read More: Pro free-markets and pro-business are not the sameTaxes & Economy
Should we repeal the minimum wage?
Hans F. Sennholz, Professor Emeritus at Grove City College, says “Good intentions, when guided by error and ignorance, may have undesirable consequences. There is no better example than minimum wage…
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Read More: Should we repeal the minimum wage?Taxes & Economy
Guv can’t find 00.2% in budget fat
AP story: Rendell Vetoes Tax Cuts As any economist worthy of his title would tell Gov. Rendell, using the 5 year total of $1.1 billion is a static (and…
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Read More: Guv can’t find 00.2% in budget fatTaxes & Economy
Lawmakers take break on tax issue
Will either the House or the Senate plan be enough to satisfy taxpayers? Methinks not. Here’s a Pittsburgh Tribune-Review story on the lull before the storm in Harrisburg. The…
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Read More: Lawmakers take break on tax issueTaxes & Economy
“No room at the inn”
At the heart of the Christmas story rests some important lessons concerning free enterprise, government, and the role of wealth in society. Let’s begin with one of the most famous…
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Remember Mark Sanford?
From Paul Jacob’ Common Sense…. Former Congressman Mark Sanford is a good friend of term limits. In fact, he’s so good that a few years back he wrote a book…
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Read More: Remember Mark Sanford?Taxes & Economy
New Population Data
The US Census Bureau released their annual population estimates yesterday. Pennsylvania continues to lag behind: Pennsylvania’s population grew by 0.3% last year, slower than the national growth (0.9%) and…
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Read More: New Population DataEducation
Myths about Public Education
Here is short article summarizing a few of the debunked myths about public education spending: National Center for Policy Analysis – Five Myths About Education. For those still looking…
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Read More: Myths about Public EducationState Budget
Spending limit fear-mongering addressed
Harrisburg Patriot-NewsLetter to the EditorWednesday, December 21, 2005 Stephen Herzenberg of the Keystone Research Center letter (Dec. 13) criticizes, in a most fascinating way, the proposed Taxpayer Fairness…
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Read More: Spending limit fear-mongering addressedRegulation
Corporate “wealthfare” is happening all around us
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review editorial, The PNC rip-off: False renaissance, is just the latest example of taxpayers subsidizing the bottom line of major corporations. Remember the $2 Billion Gov. Rendell…
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Read More: Corporate “wealthfare” is happening all around usEducation
Court Bans Mention of Intelligent Design
The Dover Schools case has reached a conclusion: Judge bars the school district from mentioning ‘intelligent design.’ The lesson to take from this sage is that government run schools…
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Read More: Court Bans Mention of Intelligent DesignPublic Union Democracy
Teachers challenging union dues in California
California teachers have initiated a lawsuit against the two major teacher’s unions in that state over their rights: NRTW – December Foundation Action The Califonia Teacher Association and California…
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Sunshine for Medicaid
Florida Gov. Jeb Bush is leading the way on Medicaid reform. Gov. Rendell would do well to follow his example. However, given that Gov. Rendell measures success in ADDING citizens…
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Read More: Sunshine for MedicaidGovernment Accountability
What We Are Up Against
Paul Jacob’s Common Sense… New York State Senator John Marchi of Staten Island is an old hand at politics. And he doesn’t think much of any idea to oust…
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Read More: What We Are Up AgainstWelfare
WSJ.com – Welfare for the Well-to-do
A Wall-Street Journal article detailing how many Medicaid recipients have worked the system to swindle taxpayers out of millions (and who is blocking reform):WSJ.com – Welfare for the Well-to-do.
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Read More: WSJ.com – Welfare for the Well-to-doEducation
The public school monopoly hates competition
It was always only a matter of when, not if, the defenders of the status quo in public education would seek to hamstring their competition. First, no charter school…
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Say it isn’t so…our government is spying on us?
Are we really surprised that our government could possibly be monitoring us? After all, it is the natural course of governments that enjoy virtually unlimited power. (Need I even…
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Pension grab: Lawmakers at a loss
Editorial from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review warns of the looming crisis of public pensions. The Commonwealth Foundation will soon be releasing a report that shows just how out of…
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Read More: Pension grab: Lawmakers at a lossTaxes & Economy
Privatizing Toll Roads
Good study on privatization of Toll Roads in USA Today, summarized by the National Center for Policy Analysis. It save taxpayers money and generates revenue for government. It will…
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Newspapers Expose “Hidden Costs of Teacher Tenure”
From Labor Reform News… Teachers’ unions top priority, preserving the tenure system and defeating reforms, damages education system, newspaper series finds A group of Illinois newspapers, the Small Newspaper Group,…
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Totalitarian Impulse
Paul Jacobs on the Oklahoma Education Association’s efforts to silence proponents of government spending limits. Sound familiar?…
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