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Education
Who will Harris pick for vice president? Why Shapiro and Whitmer aren’t the answers.
Originally published at USA Today Joe Biden is out. Kamala Harris is almost certainly in. The question now is: Who will the likely Democratic presidential…
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Education
Special Needs Students Thrive in Cyber Charters
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Education
Fully funded public education must include cyber charters
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State Budget
The High Cost of Fiscally Responsible Compassion
For the naysayers of disciplined and effective government spending, the Pennsylvania House Appropriations Committee has published “Republican Stewardship of State Government: 1995-2003.” Complete with a tagline, “Meeting the Challenge with…
Commentary
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Pennsylvania Needs School Board Rent Control
Pennsylvanians are once again being reminded this spring that they never actually own their homes; they only “rent” them from their local school board. As school districts across the commonwealth…
Commentary
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The Fight for Educational Freedom
Matthew J. Brouillette, president of The Commonwealth Foundation, delivered the following remarks at The Heritage Foundation's Resource Bank dinner in Chicago on May 29, 2004, in honor of Virginia Walden-Ford,…
Commentary
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Closing Loopholes to Tighten the Noosehole
Two leading Pennsylvania House Democrats are taking aim at the Commonwealth’s surviving corporate taxpayers. Reps. Mike Veon and David Levdansky say that legal provisions in the tax code—“loopholes” in their…
Commentary
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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
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“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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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“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
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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
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