By David A. Atkinson As state government watchers know, this is the high anxiety time in the political cycle when congressional and state legislative districts are being redrawn.  With the outcome establishing the electoral template for ten years of races, there is abundant anguished commentary about fairness, competitiveness, and community interest.  Nearly everyone has a […]

By David A. Atkinson The name Susquehanna Valley Center for Public Policy represents truth in advertising.  Our mission is to inform citizens and decisionmakers of thoughtful conservative perspectives on the choices facing Pennsylvania in every field of endeavor, from economy and energy to education and environment.  We seek to dig deeper than headlines and slogans […]

David Atkinson The Pennsylvania Constitution is the remarkable operating manual for the commonwealth.  It grants powers and sets limits on state government.  It clearly delineates the guaranteed rights of citizens, which are more numerous than those contained in the federal Bill of Rights.  The environmental declaration is a fine illustration. Our state Constitution is much […]

David A. Atkinson In recent years, it is not easy finding news stories reflecting positively on Pennsylvania’s fourteen state-owned universities.  This cannot be dismissed as fake news, for there are challenges and difficulties aplenty.  Critics complain about rising tuition and declining enrollment.  They question how long it takes some students to attain a degree, and […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

  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 […]

  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 […]