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Published in The Commonwealth Foundation
Article
Legislature Should Double-Down on Reinventing Government
Imagine if Stephen King had written Green Eggs and Ham. What if Dr. Seuss had penned The Shining ? Gov. Wolf’s third budget address, this February, was an equally disorienting shift in tone and substance — almost as if the most liberal governor in the country were polishing his conservative credentials. Record-setting...
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Article
Opportunity Knocks for State Budget Innovation
“Nothing is more expensive than a missed opportunity.” Pennsylvanians should heed these words from author H. Jackson Brown, Jr. in the upcoming budget season. Governor Wolf and key legislative leaders repeatedly called this year’s state budget an “opportunity”—and rightly so. The governor’s approach this year is vastl...
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Article
Harrisburg’s New Year’s Resolutions Should Include These Reforms
Spend more time with family, live a healthier lifestyle, learn a new skill. These New Year’s resolutions pop up year after year. Although they are worthwhile goals, by some statistics fewer than 10 percent of people actually achieve their New Year aims. It turns out wishing for something doesn’t make it happen. Meanin...
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Article
Give Children the Best: Education Savings Accounts
When Gregory Swingle was a toddler, doctors worried autism would prevent him from ever being able to speak. By the time he reached Kindergarten, Gregory was not being well served in the local public school. His mother, Katie, didn’t blame the teachers— she knew Gregory needed a learning environment specifically tailor...
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Article
Manufacturing: The Bullied Child of Pennsylvania Industry
National Manufacturing Day— which fell on the first Friday of October— was a great opportunity to recognize the manufacturing sector’s immense contributions to Pennsylvania’s economy: $79 billion in gross state product and 575,000 jobs. Regrettably, the day also highlighted one of the sector’s biggest hurdles: an unfr...
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Article
Solutions Are Closer Than We Think
Ask any Pennsylvanian what he or she wants in life, and the answers will probably be remarkably similar: a great job, freedom to make choices, the best opportunities for their kids, and overall happiness. Yet, the debates over what politics will deliver these outcomes are marred by partisan rhetoric and politics that...
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Article
Corporate Welfare Burdens State Budgets
The Stanley Cup isn’t likely to go on display in living rooms across Pennsylvania, but state taxpayers deserve a piece of the trophy. After all, they subsidized this year’s final. The Pittsburgh Penguins faced the San Jose Sharks inside the Consol Energy Center — an arena financed by the Keystone State to the tune of...
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Article
Why Harrisburg Matters
Sometimes, policy debates in the state Capitol can feel like Star Wars—happening “a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away.” While you’re busy building your business, investing in your community, raising a family, and planning for the future, who has the time—or inclination—to think about what happens under the Capi...
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