Rosie Ruiz won the Boston Marathon in 1980, shattering the fastest female time record and had hardly broken a sweat when she crossed the finish line. Ms. Ruiz was stripped of her title just eight days later when officials discovered she rode the subway to the finish line. Similarly, in the grueling marathon that has […]
The Edward H. Arnold Institute for Policy Studies
Judges and Political Campaigns Do Not Mix Well
May 13, 2016 By David Atkinson, Associate, Susquehanna Valley Center From a public policy perspective, raising the mandatory retirement age of Pennsylvania’s judges seems sensible. However, voters see it differently. Had the primary ballot question on the subject actually counted, it would probably have been rejected. Voters do not appear in the mood to give […]
New Poll Finds Pennsylvanians Concerned About Proposed EPA Power Plant Regulations
Strongest Opposition Voiced in Hardest-Hit States Such as Pennsylvania Watch Behind the Headlines with Rep. Jeff Pyle, Chairman of the Pennsylvania House Coal Caucus, who discusses how damaging these regulations will be on Pennsylvania’s economy. Polling data released October 22, 2014 by the Partnership for a Better Energy Future (PBEF), a coalition of 175 members […]
National Civil War Museum: An Asset To Be Appreciated
History buffs have become accustomed to and accomplished at defending historical sites and properties against assaults from developers. It is a rarer occurrence for an established museum to come under a concerted political assault aimed at closing the facility and auctioning off the collection. Unfortunately, this is not merely a matter of scary speculation. There […]
To Create Better Jobs and Schools Governor Wolf Needs a Robust Healthcare Industry
The Wolf administration is missing an opportunity to fulfill its pledge “to create jobs that pay and schools that teach” by advancing a budget that cuts $166 million in hospital funding. The fact is, Pennsylvania hospitals generate jobs and keep Pennsylvanians healthy so they can earn and learn. We urge Wolf to support the hospital […]
How Come Our Cash-Strapped Universities in the US and England Can Afford So Many Administrators?
It took Oxford 40 years to catch up with Cambridge in appointing a woman vice-chancellor, but Louise Richardson — ex-St Andrews, Irish, Catholic, terrorism expert — is to take over from the chemist Andrew Hamilton. He is leaving early to head New York University for an eye-watering £950,000 a year. His successor will inherit a […]
Closed Primaries Give Voters Clearer Choices in Elections
There is ongoing debate in our commonwealth and nation about open and closed primaries. It always heats up as we near a presidential primary season. Pennsylvania is a closed-primary state, meaning only those voters registered as either Republicans or Democrats may vote to select their party’s nominees for the general election. In states with open […]
We Must Save The Syrian City of Palmyra Or The Maniacs Will Raze Civilisation
The other day, I was trying to persuade a political friend of the urgency of doing something to save Palmyra. To be fair to him he understood the horror of what could happen in the next few days. My friend had never been to the ancient city, so I tried to evoke the glory of […]
Yes, Pennsylvania There is a Pension Crisis – Now What Are We Going to Do About It?
Yes, Pennsylvania, there is a pension crisis. No amount of political rhetoric can alter the fact that years of hefty benefit increases, fund losses and negligent underfunding have left the state’s two largest pension funds–covering both teachers and other state workers–in a huge budget hole. The $27 billion Pennsylvania State Employees’ Retirement System and $51.7 […]
Another Look at Downsizing the State Legislature
In our form of democracy, good ideas are discussed over and over across the years with little evidence of progress. Over the last two legislative sessions, measures to reduce the size of the General Assembly passed the House but died due to inaction in the State Senate. Perhaps this will be the year that change […]