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Energy
Shapiro Energy Policy Is a Formula for Expensive Electricity
Originally published at Delaware Valley Journal Pennsylvania voters are increasingly concerned about rising energy costs. According to recent polling, 80 percent of Pennsylvanians say their utility bills have climbed…
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Regulation
Pennsylvania’s permitting system is broken, and Gov. Shapiro needs to fix it
Read More: Pennsylvania’s permitting system is broken, and Gov. Shapiro needs to fix it
Education
Voters Aren’t Buying What Shapiro Is Selling
Read More: Voters Aren’t Buying What Shapiro Is Selling
Education
Don’t ignore the destructive ideas coming out of Harrisburg
Read More: Don’t ignore the destructive ideas coming out of HarrisburgEducation
Set Our Teachers Free!
Remarks of Matthew J. Brouillette, President & CEO, The Commonwealth Foundation I'm Matthew Brouillette, president of The Commonwealth Foundation. Prior to moving into the world of public policy, I…
Commentary
Read More: Set Our Teachers Free!Regulation
“OutFORCING”: Pennsylvania’s Real Job Loss Culprit
There’s been a great deal of political talk this election season about greedy “Benedict Arnold” companies sending jobs overseas. Gov. Ed Rendell even announced that the Commonwealth would look unfavorably…
Commentary
Read More: “OutFORCING”: Pennsylvania’s Real Job Loss CulpritTaxes & Economy
Will the Taxpayers Benefit from Rendell’s “Strategic Sourcing Initiative”?
"Government should be run more like a business." The underlying sentiment of this oft-repeated phrase is that government should be more efficient and effective when spending our tax dollars. Of…
Commentary
Read More: Will the Taxpayers Benefit from Rendell’s “Strategic Sourcing Initiative”?Taxes & Economy
Taxpayers to Subsidize Risks of Venture Capitalists
As the Republican-led Pennsylvania General Assembly considers a “compromise” version of Gov. Ed Rendell’s so-called “economic stimulus” package, The Commonwealth Foundation declared it to be another step backward for the…
Commentary
Read More: Taxpayers to Subsidize Risks of Venture CapitalistsRegulation
A Solution to the Gambling License Giveaway
It's déjà vu all over again. As Governor Rendell continues lobbying the General Assembly to expand gambling, very little attention is paid to the potential giveaway of valuable slot machine…
Commentary
Read More: A Solution to the Gambling License GiveawayTaxes & Economy
Pennsylvania’s Great Rail Disasters
Every Pennsylvanian agrees that traffic congestion and air pollution are hardly good or desirable things for our cities. But there is much less agreement on what strategies should be used…
Commentary
Read More: Pennsylvania’s Great Rail DisastersEducation
Racial Bias in Pennsylvania Special Education
If you are an African-American or Hispanic male in a predominantly White public school in Pennsylvania, there's a good chance you have been labeled as "Learning Disabled." That is the…
Commentary
Read More: Racial Bias in Pennsylvania Special EducationTaxes & Economy
Bail on These Bonds
If Pennsylvania is the next state to tax, borrow or spend its way to prosperity, it will also be the first. The historical and economic reality is that government is…
Commentary
Read More: Bail on These BondsTaxes & Economy
The Susquehanna Sailors: Taking the Liberty to Live it up on your Property
Ronald Reagan is credited for having once said: "Some people say that the government spends money like a bunch of drunken sailors. That isn't fair. At least the drunken sailors…
Commentary
Read More: The Susquehanna Sailors: Taking the Liberty to Live it up on your PropertyHealth Care
Diagnosis Litigation
Despite a number of obstacles limiting access to affordable insurance, America’s healthcare system remains the envy of the world. But as the current medical malpractice insurance epidemic raging across the…
Commentary
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Quantity Counts 2004
What do you do when you want more money and you already boast the 3rd highest per-pupil revenue in the nation and the highest teacher salaries in the country, when…
Commentary
Read More: Quantity Counts 2004Taxes & Economy
Hang Up on the Cell Phone Tax!
Pennsylvania policymakers frequently talk about building and nurturing a hightech economy in the Commonwealth—yet the latest effort to raise taxes on the wireless telephone industry reveals that many of them…
Commentary
Read More: Hang Up on the Cell Phone Tax!Taxes & Economy
“We refuse to learn from history, and we’re determined to repeat it!”
For the second time in a little more than a decade, Pennsylvania politicians are poised to make sure that the Commonwealth misses out on a developing economic boom by passing…
Commentary
Read More: “We refuse to learn from history, and we’re determined to repeat it!”Taxes & Economy
Restore the First Amendment at Shippensburg University
While the pursuit of diversity at our state and nation’s universities is frequently discussed by journalists and academics, its reach has not been all-encompassing. Indeed, diversity of opinion, and even…
Commentary
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Should Pennsylvania Consolidate Its School Districts?
Rep. Victor Lescovitz (D-Beaver) wants to consolidate Pennsylvania’s 501 school districts into 67 districts or fewer, in an effort to reduce costs. While a few states are going in the…
Commentary
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Hunting for Taxpayers: Pennsylvania’s Big Game Sport
This fall, the newest Cabela’s outdoor superstore—described by a company marketing specialist as “a retail store wrapped up in a museum wrapped up in a restaurant”—opened in Berks County, Pennsylvania.
Commentary
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School Construction and Electoral Participation
Testimony of Matthew J. Brouillette, President, Commonwealth Foundation…
Commentary
Read More: School Construction and Electoral ParticipationPublic Union Democracy
More “Takers” Than “Makers”
Another Labor Day is upon us, but the organized labor union movement in Pennsylvania has very little to celebrate this year. Union membership in the private sector continues its decades…
Commentary
Read More: More “Takers” Than “Makers”Education
Governor Rendells Rewarding Results & Accountability
Testimony of Matthew J. Brouillette, President, Commonwealth Foundation Thank you Chairman Stairs and members of the Committee for the invitation to testify this afternoon on Governor Rendell’s “Rewarding Results and…
Commentary
Read More: Governor Rendells Rewarding Results & AccountabilityTaxes & Economy
The New Pennsylvania Slogan: Pay Me Now and Pay Me Later
Remember the television commercials promoting an automotive oil filter that featured the statement “You can pay me now, or pay me later”? Well, when it comes to business taxes, Pennsylvania…
Commentary
Read More: The New Pennsylvania Slogan: Pay Me Now and Pay Me LaterEducation
Governor Rendells Early Childhood Investment Fund
Testimony of Matthew J. Brouillette, President, Commonwealth Foundation Good afternoon, and thank you Chairman Stairs and members of the Committee for the opportunity to address the topic of early childhood…
Commentary
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