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.

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Josh Shapiro isn't a "different Democrat"

Gov. Josh Shapiro is a “different Democrat,” or so claim national pundits. The governor has made unorthodox yet inconsequential statements condemning terrorism, rebuking antisemitism on college campuses, discouraging citizens from murdering corporate executives, and defending Punxsutawney Phil against PETA. And with his recent flirtation with national politics, Shapiro seems eager to ride this concocted brand all the way to the White House in 2028.

But, as his state budget address this week demonstrates, Shapiro is far from different. In what might be the first campaign speech of the 2028 presidential campaign, the governor offered the same typical liberal policies and rhetoric we’ve heard before.

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Wall Street Journal Slams Shapiro's Budget

​​One way to discern a Governor’s priorities is to watch what he does in a pinch. Faced with a structural budget deficit, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro isn’t seeking economic growth to climb out of the hole. Instead he’s proposing to dig the state in deeper.

Mr. Shapiro’s budget plan for next year would push spending to $52 billion, 8% more than the current fiscal year, according to an analysis by the Commonwealth Foundation. He’s asking legislators for $824 million in new school spending, bringing the annual total to $17.7 billion, a 38% increase over 2021. He wants to devote nearly $300 million to bailing out transit systems in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, where ridership has shrunk.

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Pennsylvania public schools are failing — and more money won't help

Imagine bringing home a report card full of Ds and Fs. How would your parents react? Also, would this be a good time to ask for a raise in your allowance? Sadly, this is what’s happening with Pennsylvania public education.

Every two years, the U.S. Department of Education assesses public schools nationwide and publishes the National Assessment of Educational Progress, or the Nation’s Report Card, findings. The January release shows Pennsylvania schools aren’t making the grade: About 7 in 10 Pennsylvania eighth graders cannot read or perform math at grade level.

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Three Mile Island is “ahead of schedule.” Here’s why this is good news.

Three Mile Island—the previously shuttered nuclear reactor and soon to be the Crane Clean Energy Center—is “ahead of schedule,” according to spokespeople.

Here's why this is good news for Pennsylvania — but one major hurdle remains.

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Commonwealth Foundation on Fox News Radio

Curious to learn how Trump’s Labor Secretary pick, Lori Chavez-DeRemer, might impact public sector union policy? David Osborne, Senior Fellow of Labor Policy at Commonwealth Foundation, discusses this and more on the Guy Benson Show!

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