Commentary

Op-Ed: Pennsylvania parents challenge teachers unions in fight for children’s education

• Kevin Mooney
• February 5, 2021

Marc LeBlond, a senior policy analyst at the Commonwealth Foundation, a free market think tank based in Harrisburg, sees an opening for parents to advance school choice initiatives.

Commentary

Education

Op-Ed: Pandemic Demonstrates the Value of Catholic Education

• Colleen Hroncich
• February 5, 2021

It’s tough to compete with “free” – even if your product is in high demand. That’s a lesson Catholic schools know well. In the past year, this point has been…

Commentary

State Budget

Three Takeaways on Gov. Wolf’s 2021 Budget

• Nathan Benefield
• February 3, 2021

Our commonwealth faces a structural budget deficit. Families need education lifelines to get back on track. Small businesses need regulatory and tax relief to stay afloat. Patients need more options to access care.

Commentary

Op-Ed: The dangerous legacy of emergencies like Covid-19

• Elizabeth Stelle
• February 2, 2021

Recent crises show that trading liberty for security risks a permanent loss of freedom.

Commentary

Op-Ed: Checks and balances needed even during crises

• Stephen Bloom
• February 1, 2021

Here in Pennsylvania, Gov. Tom Wolf has too often imposed drastic restrictions without public accountability and transparency. As it stands, the commonwealth ranks among the nation’s most restrictive states —…

Commentary

Op-Ed: Pennsylvania students are suffering from the state’s ‘epic fail’ on pandemic schooling

• Kevin Mooney
• January 26, 2021

For now, many Pennsylvania school districts have settled on a “hybrid” approach wherein students attend school for two days but then learn remotely for the other three days. In households…

Commentary

Op-Ed: Pennsylvania Will Reflect Voter Mood During Biden Presidency

• Nathan Benefield
• January 25, 2021

In other words, suburban voters favor moderation – as the election results showed. But despite his campaign persona, Biden may already be inching closer to leftist economic policies. As Axios…

Commentary

Op-Ed: The last line of defense against a governor’s overreach

• Charles Mitchell
• January 19, 2021

Pennsylvanians understand the dangers of COVID-19. Sadly, they also fear how Wolf’s unilateral powers imperil their future. That’s why the state Legislature, whose members just heard from their constituents during…

Commentary

Pa. Governor’s Emergency Powers Out of Step with Most States

• Elizabeth Stelle
• January 15, 2021

Pennsylvania’s emergency powers rules make our state sixth-worst in the nation, tied with others like New York and Delaware, according to the Maine Policy Institute’s Balance of Power Index. The…

Commentary

Op-Ed: Will a Biden Presidency Reflect His Scranton Roots?

• Charles F. McElwee
• January 13, 2021

Biden’s persona is doubtless shaped by his Scranton roots, which he proudly referenced even before the 2020 campaign. It’s important to understand how the former vice president is a product…

Commentary

Op-Ed: Pa. Lawmakers must challenge endless Covid lockdowns in 2021

• Tirzah Duren
• December 29, 2020

How Pennsylvania lawmakers can help job creators — and those they support — recover in 2021.

Commentary

An election crisis like no other?

• Elizabeth Stelle
• December 24, 2020

If you think 2020 is bad, you don’t know 1876.

Commentary

Life In The Christmas City

• Charles F. McElwee
• December 24, 2020

Pennsylvania’s Bethlehem tells the tale of two economies in the pandemic era.

Commentary

Op-Ed: The restaurant revival that turned into a revolt

• Jennifer Stefano
• December 23, 2020

This trend is especially evident in Pennsylvania, where Gov. Tom Wolfannounced a three-week indoor dining ban on Dec. 10. His announcement came on…

Commentary

Energy

Climate Change Initiative Would Raise Costs Without Environmental Benefits, Critics Say

• Kevin Mooney
• December 22, 2020

If Pennsylvania joins a multistate climate change agreement that restricts carbon dioxide emissions, energy prices will increase and jobs will be lost in response to new regulatory…

Commentary

Energy

Energy Shows Why Regulatory Reform is Key

• Tirzah Duren
• December 21, 2020

Right now in Pennsylvania —the second-largest energy-producing state behind Texas— Governor Wolf is using executive action to attempt to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). This interstate…

Commentary

No, Pennsylvania Lawmakers can’t Pick their own Electors

• Jennifer Stefano
• December 18, 2020

The truth is, there is tradition around voting in Pennsylvania, but, more importantly, there are laws. Those laws and the powers they delegated to Pennsylvanians in the voting booth should…

Commentary

Op-Ed: Gov. Wolf’s COVID-19 restrictions will decimate small businesses across the state

• Jennifer Stefano
• December 16, 2020

Pasquale and Anna have 30 employees who rely on them to earn a living. That’s why their family decided to keep paying all their employees and not to take any…

Commentary

Liquor Monopoly Can’t Make the PLCB Successful

• Tirzah Duren
• December 8, 2020

After closing state stores, the PLCB attempted online sales, but the website was unable to handle the increased traffic. As a “solution,” the PLCB implemented lottery-like randomization to limit online purchases and…

Commentary

Energy

Op-Ed: Pennsylvania Governor’s Climate Regulations Draw Bipartisan Opposition as Hearings Begin

• Kevin Mooney
• December 7, 2020

The Wolf administration’s own estimates reportedly show that the tax from selling allowances would generate $2.36 billion over the next decade, which energy consumers would pay through their…

Commentary

Op-Ed: Pennsylvania Passes the Buck on State Budget

• Nathan Benefield
• December 7, 2020

Wolf and the legislature didn’t consider these eventualities when they completed the budget. Instead, during this bleak holiday season, they set up struggling families for a bigger tax bill next…

Commentary