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Energy
Fracking could decide the election in Pennsylvania — and nationwide
Originally published at the New York Post Pennsylvania may be the deciding state in the 2024 election. And new polling from my organization makes clear energy may be the deciding…
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Three Mile Island Demonstrates the Value of Free Markets
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It’s Not Just Fracking — Pennsylvanians Oppose Harris’s Climate Policies
Read More: It’s Not Just Fracking — Pennsylvanians Oppose Harris’s Climate PoliciesTaxes & 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
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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…
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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
Read More: Hunting for Taxpayers: Pennsylvania’s Big Game SportEducation
School Construction and Electoral Participation
Testimony of Matthew J. Brouillette, President, Commonwealth Foundation…
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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
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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
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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
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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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Governor Rendells Plan for a New Pennsylvania
Testimony of Matthew J. Brouillette, President, Commonwealth Foundation Thank you Rep. Argall and members of the House Appropriations Committee for the opportunity to speak to you this afternoon on…
Commentary
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Earth Day Reality Check: Embrace the Truth Not Environmental Hysteria
Forty years ago, native Pennsylvanian Rachel Carson and author of Silent Spring wrote “We stand now where two roads diverge.” Carson’s statement accurately reflects the current state of Pennsylvania’s regulatory…
Commentary
Read More: Earth Day Reality Check: Embrace the Truth Not Environmental HysteriaTaxes & Economy
Governor Rendell Strikes Out With Economic Development Bonds
Governor Ed Rendell moonlights as a cable television sports commentator. So when Pennsylvanians recently saw headlines reading “Rendell Wants $2 Billion for Bonds,” many of them could be forgiven for…
Commentary
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