Education

For Most Teachers, Status Quo Pension a Lousy Deal

  • James Paul
  • May 16, 2017

Illuminating new research confirms what CF has been saying for years: Pennsylvania’s pension system is a bad deal for teachers. In EducationNext, authors Chad Aldeman and Kelly Robson…

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Taxes & Economy

Pennsylvania’s ‘Economic Iron Curtain’

  • Gordon Tomb
  • May 15, 2017

Imagine discovering buried treasure on your property. Suddenly, you can provide for your family, send your kids to college debt-free, pay off your parent’s mortgage, or fund your retirement. It…

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Regulation

Liquor “Modernization” a Financial Flop

  • Nathan Benefield
  • May 12, 2017

Last year, the legislature enacted a law allowing restaurants and a small number of grocery stores to sell wine and “modernizing” the government liquor stores to “run more like…

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State Budget

Charting Pennsylvania’s Past Can Shape Its Future

  • May 12, 2017

Decades of poor policy decisions have contributed to Pennsylvania’s current fiscal struggles. Not coincidentally, as the size and scope of government has increased, so have the commonwealth’s financial and economic…

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Education

New SRC Member Slams Ghost Teaching

  • James Paul
  • May 10, 2017

Estelle Richman, appointed by Gov. Wolf to Philadelphia’s School Reform Commission (SRC), was unanimously confirmed to the position today by Pennsylvania’s Senate. The SRC is tasked with overseeing Philadelphia’s…

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Government Accountability

Taxpayers Collect Millions for Government Unions

  • Jessica Barnett
  • May 10, 2017

Since 2010, Pennsylvania state government has used taxpayer resources to transfer $244 million to government union treasuries. This figure includes millions for highly political activities. According to records obtained via…

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Health Care

Obamacare Repeal Could Strengthen Medicaid

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • May 10, 2017

There is no shortage of dire warnings from the press, medical industry lobbyists, and other left-leaning organizations about the American Health Care Act's (AHCA) landmark Medicaid reforms. At the…

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Regulation

A Visitor?s Guide to Buying Booze in PA

  • May 10, 2017

Planning a dinner? Picking up a hostess gift? Here’s our handy shopping guide to keep things E.A.S.Y.*  *Every Annoying Stop You have to make to get what you need.

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Health Care

Five Pre-Existing Condition Myths Debunked

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • May 9, 2017

What happens when Obamacare mandates drive insurance companies out of the marketplace? One breast cancer survivor in Maricopa County, Arizona—which lost all but one Obamacare…

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Government Accountability

Paycheck Protection Closes Corruption Loophole

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • May 8, 2017

Philly Corruption All-Stars, that's the title of the recent Philadelphia Citizen series featuring a decade-by-decade rundown of the most corrupt city politicians. Philadelphia and Pennsylvania's reputation for political corruption…

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Health Care

Latest Obamacare Repeal Effort Full of Opportunity

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • May 5, 2017

As the past seven years have shown, no one in Congress is qualified to make healthcare decisions for Pennsylvanians. The latest version of the American Health Care Act will give…

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Public Union Democracy

How Government Union Dues Subsidize Partisan Politics

  • Jessica Barnett
  • May 5, 2017

The 2016 election cycle reveals big spending from big labor, according to a report released by the National Institute for Labor Relations Research (NILRR). NILRR discovered $1.7 billion in…

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Taxes & Economy

Perception v. Reality Check on Pennsylvania’s Economy

  • Nathan Benefield
  • May 4, 2017

Yesterday, Elizabeth noted how Pennsylvania lost 13,000 college-educated millennials to other states in 2015. Overall, Pennsylvania lost 45,000 residents in interstate migration last year. Why are millennials and…

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Taxes & Economy

Pennsylvania’s Self-Inflicted Lobotomy

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • May 3, 2017

Every day, 36 college graduates flee Pennsylvania for better opportunities in other states, according to a new Independent Fiscal Office trends report. Overall, there was a net outflow of…

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State Budget

Pennsylvania Deficit Watch: May 2017

  • May 3, 2017

Pennsylvania’s financial problems continue to mount. April’s revenue collections were well below the Department of Revenue’s official estimate, which means the state’s deficit will likely be larger than expected.

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Regulation

Should Pennsylvania Subsidize Horse Racing?

  • May 2, 2017

Last month the House passed a General Fund budget that included more than $56 million in corporate welfare reductions. At the time, we indicated even more reductions were possible given…

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Education

Ten Reasons for Optimism

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • April 28, 2017

This week state lawmakers advanced a plethora of good policy, from legislation to finally end the government liquor monopoly to a bill that would improve health care in rural areas.

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Regulation

The Keystone State of Corporate Welfare

  • April 27, 2017

Pennsylvania’s corporate welfare culture is pervasive. The state has the dubious distinction of leading the nation in subsidy payments since 2007—without getting much in return. This large transfer of wealth…

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State Budget

Adventures in State Budget Wonderland

  • April 26, 2017

In Lewis Carroll’s classic wonderland tale, Alice famously asks the Cheshire Cat, “Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?” “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” the…

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