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Good morning, and welcome to Broad + Liberty's Weekly Reads.

What We’re Hearing: “Governor Shapiro would have you think the Commonwealth is abounding in riches and the cash is burning a hole in our pockets, but this is very misleading when the Commonwealth has a structural deficit, and the Governor’s proposed budget does nothing to address it.” - Sen. Seth Grove (R-York)

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** 1. What books are really ‘banned’ in local school districts? ([link removed])
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By Beth Ann Rosica

“Last month, this point was made quite clear in an article in The Free Press ([link removed]) , entitled ‘The Truth About Banned Books.’ The author, James Fishback, surveyed the library catalogs for thirty-five of the largest public school districts in eight red and six blue states. “What I discovered isn’t so much a problem of banned books. It’s that kids are often exposed to only one side of the story.”

Fishback’s research showed that the vast majority of districts had significantly more liberal leaning books than conservative leaning books. He opined, ‘should libraries carry books that peddle progressive ideas? Absolutely, but only if they carry books that advocate for conservative ones too, so our young minds can benefit from the full spectrum of opinions. Unfortunately, in the school districts I surveyed, this isn’t the case.’

Given the amount of debate on this topic locally and the impact on local school board elections, I decided to use Fishback’s methodology to analyze library holdings in twelve districts across the suburban collar counties.”

Why It Matters. “While many of us would like to stop talking about library books and focus on the real task at hand, addressing learning loss, the progressives can’t seem to let it go. Some of them insisted on being sworn in on a stack of so-called ‘banned books.’ Please ignore the fact that these books are available at the local public library and Amazon.

The point that I assume these newly elected officials were trying to make is that these books were under scrutiny for being located in a public school library. Never mind that school libraries have limited space and librarians must make decisions about what to procure, maintain, and discard from the collection on a regular basis. Someone is making a choice every day about what’s available in the library, and it can’t be every book ever published.”

Quotable. “The next time you hear someone talking about book bans, ask them if Woke Racism or Capitalism and Freedom are in their school library.”

Continue Reading ([link removed])


** 2. PA nonprofit involved in controversial 2020 election grants now making donations to Democrat-aligned PACs ([link removed])
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By Todd Shepherd

“A relatively new nonprofit that orchestrated the distribution of grants to county election offices all across Pennsylvania in the runup to the 2020 presidential vote has recently made donations to Democratic-aligned political action committees, further undercutting the organization’s own claims it is nonpartisan.

The revelations shed more light on a nonprofit that, while launched in the Trump era, has remained active and has hosted voter registration parties in Bucks County in advance of Tuesday’s special election for House District 140. Those parties have included live bands with giveaways like free coffee and funnel cakes, and ‘amazing prizes like couches and coolers!’

According to its website ([link removed]) , ‘The Voter Project is a non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring all Pennsylvania voters can cast a ballot in a safe, secure, and convenient way.’ The project is organized as a 501(c)4, meaning it is a nonprofit, but it can engage in certain activities that a 501(c)3 could not.”

Why It Matters. When is a non-partisan group not non-partisan? When it funnels all its money to groups supporting one party. Todd’s reporting shows why groups’ claims to be unbiased should not be taken at face value. Trust, but verify.

Quotable. “The Voter Project’s 990 does not indicate any grants to any organizations that could arguably be characterized as right of center.”

Continue Reading ([link removed])


** 3. Lightning Round
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* Seth Grove: The surplus, the rainy day fund, and why Shapiro’s budget gets it wrong ([link removed])
* Guy Ciarrocchi: America — Out of many, one ([link removed])
* Gina L. Pope: Did taxpayers pay for Shapiro’s vacation flight to Hilton Head? ([link removed])
* Andy Bloom: Hur Report tells voters their suspicions about Biden were true ([link removed])
* Lawsuits allege government union officers engaged in dubious financial schemes ([link removed])

What We’re Reading...
The Way of the Fetterman? Ruy Texiera this week wrote on his Substack, The Liberal Patriot, about the one Democrat who seems to be beating the odds in appealing to moderate and independent voters in a swing state ([link removed]) : John Fetterman. While his fellow Dems seem terrified of offending the activist left, Fetterman has become the surprising standard-bearer for normal people. Any Democrat — or Republican — who followed his lead would be a force to be reckoned with in the Keystone State.

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With gratitude,

— The Editors at Broad + Liberty
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