Common Sense Weekly
Welcome to Common Sense Weekly! This is the Commonwealth Foundation's weekly news roundup of policy issues being debated in Harrisburg and across Pennsylvania.
How to Win Pennsylvania
With its 19 electoral votes, Pennsylvania is the nation’s largest swing state. Vice President Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump have inundated the commonwealth with rallies and events, angling for the support of voters, who, from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia, hold a remarkable range of values and beliefs.
In their national campaigns, Harris and Trump have fixated on wedge issues—immigration and abortion, respectively—to fire up their bases, and the media have focused on the culture war. But economic stability and the cost of living remain Pennsylvanians’ chief concerns.
Recent polling
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from my organization, the Commonwealth Foundation, illustrates this. While inflation has slowed, we found that voters still list it as the country’s biggest problem, with 34 percent saying that rising prices have affected their budgets “a great deal,” and 60 percent holding a negative outlook on the state’s economy.
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New Commonwealth Foundation Leader Aims to Make Pennsylvania the ‘Keystone State’ Again
Andrew Lewis, a former Pennsylvania state
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representative, is the new president at the Commonwealth Foundation
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, the state’s premier public policy organization. He stepped into the job in September, just as America turned its attention to the Keystone State, which will play a decisive role in the 2024 election
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.
In an interview with The Daily Signal, Lewis pinpointed the key issues facing Pennsylvania voters, starting with the higher prices they’re paying for gas, groceries, and housing.
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Pennsylvania Voters Reveal Top Election Issues As 2024 Voting Begins
Inflation and cost of living are the top issues for Pennsylvania
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voters headed into Election Day, according to a new poll from the Commonwealth Foundation.
The survey, taken between September 26-29 of 800 registered voters, found that inflation/cost of living, immigration, and general economic concerns were the top issues for Pennsylvania residents. Across all parties surveyed, 71% said they were worried about their ability to pay for their energy needs.
“The higher prices people are paying for gasoline, electricity, and other energy across the board are shaping their views as voters look to the impact of these issues on their pocket books as their chief concerns,” Commonwealth Foundation Senior Vice President Erik Telford said during a press call Tuesday.
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A reckless property tax hike proposal
Allegheny County Chief Executive (ACE) Sara Innamorato has proposed a massive property tax increase of 46.5 percent. Inflation, declining office tower valuations and other tax collections, along with the exhaustion of federal pandemic money, are among the things being blamed.
If approved by County Council, a property owner with a home valued at the county’s median value of $110,400 would see taxes increase by about $182 a year. Of course, those with more expensive homes would see far higher tax bills. (One county councilor flippantly noted that renters won’t be receiving a higher tax bill. As if their landlords won’t pass on the additional tax in their rents.)
The tax hike is touted as the way to avoid multimillion-dollar budget deficits moving forward. But it is reckless.
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Moody’s Credit Upgrade for Pennsylvania Includes Warning on Spending
Pennsylvania received good news, but also a warning, this week from Moody’s Ratings.
The bond credit rating company upgraded
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the Keystone State’s rating to Aa2 from Aa3 on its about $1.4 billion in General Obligation Bonds. Analysts praised Pennsylvania’s “significant increases” in its reserve funds and its ability to moderate long-term liabilities.
“[This] will provide important flexibility in the event of future budget stress,” wrote Moody’s analysts.
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Check out our brand new resource site for parents at K12ScholarshipsPA.com
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!
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