RSS FEEDS
Recent Research
NOVEMBER 3, 2010 | News Release by COMMONWEALTH FOUNDATION
Pennsylvania Voters Hit the Brakes on Runaway Government
Electorate says it's time to reduce spending, lower taxes, and restore self-governance
Yesterday, millions of Pennsylvanians collectively hit the brakes on runaway government in Washington and Harrisburg. In race after race, they voted against years of over-spending, over-borrowing, and under-performing. Voters also sent the clear message that they don't want to be governed by the right, the left or the center; the
SEPTEMBER 17, 2010 | Commentary by EDWIN MEESE
Constitution Day and the Perilous Future
On September 17, we celebrate the creation of our Constitution, one of the greatest governing documents ever conceived by the hand of man. This is the day we commemorate the birth of the United States as a nation, based on the rule of law and dedicated to the preservation of personal liberty, political freedom, economic opportunity, and the
JULY 29, 2010 | Testimony by NATHAN BENEFIELD
Lancaster Co. Human Relations Commission
Testimony of Nathan A. Benefield to the Lancaster County Board of Commissioners: July 29, 2010
I hope the Commissioners will seriously consider both the costs and the benefits of the LCHRC. They may find that there is reason to continue this work, but I hope not to pay lip service to "promoting diversity," but for the actual results and performance of the LCHRC's work.
Recent Blog Posts
APRIL 25, 2012
What Does the Primary Earthquake Mean?
I'm writing to you from Pittsburgh, which was, in a certain sense, ground zero of last night's primary earthquake.
Last night, I watched Tom Smith—who has made it a matter of public record that he is a strong supporter of the Commonwealth Foundation—overwhelmingly beat the state GOP-endorsed candidate for the U.S. Senate. Meanwhile, not far from where I was standing, a sitting state representative endorsed by the majority leaders of both chambers of the General Assembly and the state senator he meant to succeed lost badly.
As Pete DeCoursey is reporting this morning (subscription required), those two races were just the beginning. In Blair County, one of the most senior committee chairmen lost his renomination fight. In Cumberland County (where I live) and Schuylkill County, well-known and well-connected state senators had to fight hard in order to keep their seats. Back where I grew up, in Delaware County, the Senate Majority Leader had more of a race on his hands than people expected. Even the Speaker of the House had a squeaker.
So what happened is obvious: There was an earthquake last night. The question is, what does it mean?
It doesn't mean what the left will probably tell you, namely that voters hate Gov. Corbett's long-overdue fiscal belt tightening. Quite the opposite: Voters are saying that it isn't enough.
Just look at the context. It's obvious that the "churn" (as Matt Brouillette says) that began after the 2005 pay raise continues apace. Secondly, if you look nationally, the old saw that the Keystone State is far too blue for real reform is on its last legs. In even bluer states, particularly New Jersey and Wisconsin, new leaders have faced down the government unions, have done much more than our new leaders here, and have been vindicated at the ballot box because they offered an overarching vision that inspired people.
Like it or not, the conservative base does not see that kind of inspiring vision here. That was pretty clear at the recent Pennsylvania Leadership Conference, in whose straw poll 57 percent of respondents said they were dissatisfied with the direction of our state over a year after the departure of Gov. Ed Rendell. After last night, it is now indisputable.
The base is restless, and the rest are unpersuaded. The solution isn't to pivot and provide more patented Pennsylvania milquetoast mush, as we've seen time after time in the past, nor is it to argue that the base just doesn't appreciate what our new leaders have done so far. It is to lead boldly and to inspire. That's what we're hungry for.
Last night, the voters decided to send some new blood to do just that. I'm hopeful last night's victors won't be the only ones who get the memo—because middling mediocrity and falling behind other states are what has gotten us in this pickle to begin with, and in many ways, my children's future depends on whether we do something different, now.
posted by CHARLES MITCHELL | 11:13 AM | 0 comment
APRIL 20, 2012
Veterans: Let's Do It For Them - VOTE!
Why should you vote in the upcoming elections? Hear from three generations of combat veterans, all from the same Pennsylvania hometown, who speak of the selfless sacrifice of our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines and how there is one sure way to honor their service -- VOTE!
Please help answer their charge by sharing this video.
posted by COMMONWEALTH FOUNDATION | 09:50 AM | 0 comment
MARCH 15, 2012
Principled, Punchy Pols Are Popular Pols
I've written previously in this space about Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, who has garnered enormous popularity while governing courageously. Today, with a new Quinnipiac poll about Gov. Tom Corbett's popularity engendering lots of chatter, I want to turn your attention to another relevant governor: Mitch Daniels of Indiana.
These days, Gov. Daniels is a rock star. Just yesterday, one of our CF supporters told me how much he wished Gov. Daniels would run for president, and believe me, he wasn't the first. Observers nationwide have toasted Gov. Daniels' effectiveness in turning the Hoosier State around. What we forget today, though, is that in the middle of his first term, this prophet had no honor in his hometown. The Indianapolis Star ran a pretty unambiguous headline on November 25, 2007: "50% disapprove of Daniels' work." The story noted that the year before, Gov. Daniels' approval rating had been an even lower 37 percent.
You might think, based on that, that Gov. Daniels subsequently turned tail and/or became a private citizen. You'd be wrong. He hasn't let up on taking a scalpel to spending. Less than a year after that poll came out, he won reelection resoundingly, garnering "more votes than any candidate for any public office in the state's history." And since then he has signed a right-to-work law and a major expansion of school choice.
Too many here in Harrisburg think constant caution or even cowardice creates confidence. Gov. Daniels' story says otherwise. We elect leaders to lead. Sometimes that entails making difficult decisions, and we expect those to be explained compellingly along the way. That's exactly what Gov. Daniels has done in Indiana, and the results are obvious—not just in terms of his own political standing, but by the people of his state being better off.
Here's hoping that as this enormously consequential year continues, politicians here in Pennsylvania learn the lessons Gov. Daniels can teach us.
posted by CHARLES MITCHELL | 01:27 PM | 0 comment
