David M. Sanko Harrisburg is considering a new law that would give townships and other local governments in Pennsylvania the authority to place legal advertising on local government websites and in community papers, in addition to the traditional advertising in local newspapers. The proposed House bill would give our member townships the flexibility to determine which […]
The Edward H. Arnold Institute for Policy Studies
Say Thanks To Your Township Supervisor!
By David M. Sanko You may read about them in the newspaper or see them along local roads, plowing snow in the winter or patching potholes in the spring. They’re your township supervisors and staff, and while you may not know them personally, these public servants show up each and every day with […]
Pennsylvania Needs Another ‘Shot in the Arm’ with Broadband Access Expansion
By David M. Sanko, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors Pennsylvania, like many other states, has a digital divide that separates the haves from the have-nots. And at no other time has this divide seemed wider than in the last year when the COVID pandemic brought the demand for internet […]
A Needed Civics Education About The United States Supreme Court
Widespread concern has been expressed about the declining nature of our national debates, with civility, good sense, and semblance of truth being counted as the foremost casualties. No better illustration of the problem exists than that farcical first so-called debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden. An even greater worry is how decreasing emphasis on […]
Remembering Jim Broussard: A Congenial Conservative
Befitting his lack of out-sized ego, the obituary for Professor James Broussard was one entirely in line with Sgt. Joe Friday’s standard admonition: “Just the facts, ma’am.” While conciseness can be a great virtue in our frequently verbose world, in this case it short-sheets a durable legacy. So to borrow from the late Paul […]
Landmark Telemedicine Measure Pulled Offline By Wolf Veto
Agree or disagree with his priorities and methods, Governor Ed Rendell was unmatched in his enthusiasm and capacity for doing big deals to achieve as much of his agenda as he could. He would lay out ambitious spending and program plans, and then say to critics and opponents, just tell me what you want […]
Tom Ridge: Authentic Leader, Patriot, And Hero
The tributes to the late congressman and civil rights pioneer John Lewis provided a marvelous civic education about a shining example of activism on principle, at least for those still open to being educated. One does not have to be of a particular political party or philosophy to admire the character and conscience Lewis displayed […]
A Letter to America: When is a Treaty Not a Treaty? – Explaining the UK-EU Brexit Stand Off
When is a Treaty Not a Treaty? – Explaining the UK- EU Brexit Stand Off The EU said from the very outset in its negotiations with the UK, everything is agreed when it is all agreed, the EU has not agreed the post Brexit Trade Deal with the UK and it is in that context […]
Four Months of Unprecedented Government Malfeasance
The following is adapted from a lecture delivered on June 18, 2020, for a Hillsdale College online symposium, “The Coronavirus and Public Policy.” Over the last four months, Americans have lived through what is arguably the most consequential period of government malfeasance in U.S. history. Public officials’ overreaction to the novel coronavirus put American […]
Is Sudden Top-Down Reform For State Universities A Misdirected Play?
A hard health care lesson of the coronavirus pandemic is how pre-existing conditions greatly increase the risk of infection. The defects in health care coverage, access, and delivery, compounded by the economic deficiencies that contributed to the health care divide, are magnified into malignancies during the pandemic. This is a matter of political complication, […]