Government Accountability

Every Generation Needs A Revolution

  • Matthew Brouillette
  • November 23, 2009

Pennsylvania's government is a prime exhibition of Lord Acton's well-known admonition that "power corrupts."…

Commentary

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Public Union Democracy

Pennsylvania: An Unequal Opportunity Employer

  • November 17, 2009

Equal opportunity has long been a cherished ideal in America. Yet state government is engaging in unequal contracting practices.  Governor Rendell's administration is mandating discriminatory Project Labor Agreements (PLAs) on…

Commentary

Read More: Pennsylvania: An Unequal Opportunity Employer

Health Care

Notes on Health Care Reform

  • November 12, 2009

Two slightly important questions are being neglected regarding the Health Care Reform bills in Congress: their constitutionality and their morality. Are the bill just passed in the House and that…

Commentary

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Government Accountability

Break Up SEPTA

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • November 10, 2009

How can Pennsylvania lawmakers avoid this mess? The first step is to open mass transit in Philadelphia to competitive contracting, whereby private companies would compete to operate SEPTA's network.

Commentary

Read More: Break Up SEPTA

Energy

End Rate Caps to Create Electric Choice and Competition

  • Matthew Brouillette
  • November 9, 2009

Concern about potential price hikes in the midst of a recession may motivate some lawmakers to push for legislation to halt or delay that expiration under the guise of consumer…

Commentary

Read More: End Rate Caps to Create Electric Choice and Competition

Tort Reform Key to Reducing Health Care Costs

  • October 28, 2009

As Washington continues debating how to curb health care costs, one area  largely ignored is medical malpractice reform.  Ample evidence from states indicates tort reform is central to overhauling the…

Commentary

Read More: Tort Reform Key to Reducing Health Care Costs

Regulation

Punishing the Next Generation: The Rendell Pension Legacy

  • Richard Dreyfuss
  • October 14, 2009

As the Rendell administration moves inexorably toward its finish line in January 2011, it is reasonable to begin considering the issues awaiting the next governor. Of significant note is Rendell's…

Commentary

Read More: Punishing the Next Generation: The Rendell Pension Legacy

Regulation

An Honest Debate About State Spending

  • Nathan Benefield
  • October 6, 2009

Throughout the budget process, Rendell has used this same tactic, called a "Washington Monument" ploy.  From claiming education would be set back decades, to asserting state police would have to…

Commentary

Read More: An Honest Debate About State Spending

State Budget

Re-examine Public Welfare Spending

  • September 30, 2009

Pennsylvania has, as of this writing, gone 90 days without a budget, longer than any other state.  The impasse has been driven by Gov. Rendell's demand for higher spending and…

Commentary

Read More: Re-examine Public Welfare Spending

Regulation

Torts, Taxes Hinder Pennsylvania’s Prosperity

  • Matthew Brouillette
  • September 29, 2009

Wrongheaded economic development policies and one of the nation's worst labor climates are serious impediments to Pennsylvania's prosperity. As if those obstacles were not enough, the commonwealth also has saddled…

Commentary

Read More: Torts, Taxes Hinder Pennsylvania’s Prosperity

Education

Reform, Not More Spending, Key to College Affordability

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • September 24, 2009

This year's budget debate has generated several silly schemes, including a few related to higher education funding. But Gov. Rendell's proposed video poker tax and  House Democrats' ploy to move university appropriations off-budget do…

Commentary

Read More: Reform, Not More Spending, Key to College Affordability

Government Accountability

Reforming the Budget Process in Pennsylvania

  • Matthew Brouillette
  • September 22, 2009

In the political world, 2009 will be remembered as the year that Pennsylvania went longer than any other state without a budget.  The Commonwealth went months past the June 30th…

Commentary

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State Budget

Senate GOP Can Still Protect Taxpayers

  • Matthew Brouillette
  • September 18, 2009

Earlier this year, state Senate Republicans drew a line in the sand, stating they would not support a budget that: 1) spends more than last fiscal year;  2) includes broad-based…

Commentary

Read More: Senate GOP Can Still Protect Taxpayers

Regulation

Philly Pension “Reform”: A Vote to Raise Taxes Now and in the Future

  • Matthew Brouillette, Richard Dreyfuss
  • September 11, 2009

The state budget impasse hinges on the inability of Governor Rendell and the House Democrat Majority to garner enough votes for state tax increases.  Yet for now it seems enough…

Commentary

Read More: Philly Pension “Reform”: A Vote to Raise Taxes Now and in the Future

Health Care

Whoops, We Were Wrong…

  • Nathan Benefield
  • September 9, 2009

One of our goals at the Commonwealth Foundation is to predict the effect of proposed public policies.  Most of the time, we are proven correct, and humbly announce, "We told…

Commentary

Read More: Whoops, We Were Wrong…

Regulation

Pennsylvania’s Failed Economic Development Spending

  • Matthew Brouillette
  • September 4, 2009

State and local governments are locked in a constant competition to attract and retain businesses.  Unfortunately, instead of addressing a poor business climate and flawed economic policies, they have increasingly…

Commentary

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Public Union Democracy

Tolling I-80 is a Recipe for Disaster

  • September 3, 2009

Once again, state lawmakers, bureaucrats and special interest groups are looking for another way to grab more money from Pennsylvanians.  The latest rendition is tolling Interstate 80 across the northern…

Commentary

Read More: Tolling I-80 is a Recipe for Disaster

Energy

Rendell’s Mixed Energy Agenda

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • September 1, 2009

Governor Rendell frequently talks about the need to combat rising energy costs. Yet he continues to support policies that will increase Pennsylvanians’ electric bills and endanger thousands of jobs in…

Commentary

Read More: Rendell’s Mixed Energy Agenda

Regulation

Keep on Truckin’

  • August 26, 2009

With Harrisburg gridlocked by the state budget impasse and Washington battling over national health care, an issue vital to Pennsylvania lurks below the radar.  The debate is over…

Commentary

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Health Care

ObamaCare Is Bad Medicine for Pennsylvania

  • Nathan Benefield
  • August 25, 2009

America faces divergent prescriptions for health care reform—one calling for more government control, the other for patient empowerment.   Unfortunately President Obama, Governor Rendell, and Democrats in Congress and…

Commentary

Read More: ObamaCare Is Bad Medicine for Pennsylvania