Government & Politics
Republican lawmaker to auditor general: Row offices shouldn’t be ‘press conference tools’
During a budget hearing Wednesday afternoon, Pennsylvania’s auditor general was asked about state pensions, untested rape kits, and an audit of river basin commissions. But something beyond the commonwealth’s finances was on the mind of one House Appropriations Committee member. Rep. Jesse Topper, R-Bedford, told Eugene DePasquale, a Democrat, that he appreciated many of the […]
Treasurer Joe Torsella: Pa’s Rainy Day Fund is ‘nothing to write home about’ but at least it has one again
Pennsylvania’s top financial officer says he’s committed to helping the Commonwealth build up its emergency savings account and that he wants to “continue doing great things” with his office. Right now, the $22.5 million balance sitting in Pennsylvania’s Rainy Day Fund, the account that’s supposed to serve as a hedge against future downturns, is “nothing […]
Who you calling an ‘off-year’ election? | Wednesday Morning Coffee
Good Wednesday Morning, Fellow Seekers. Is there any campaign cycle that gets less love than the dreaded off-year election? Pity it. It’s in a year that’s not divisible by two. As a rule, there aren’t any high-glam offices on the ballot. Not president. Not governor. Not Congress. Not even some ridiculously gerrymandered legislative seat where […]
Sooner – and probably not later – the time for legal weed in Pa. will come | Opinion
There are plenty of obstacles to legal weed in Pa. But it's impossible to put off the debate any longer.
Pa. voters will be working overtime in busy 2019 special election season | Analysis
We run down the off-year campaign cycle that doesn't feel like one.
Pa. counties want safe and secure elections. The state needs to help make that happen | Opinion
Pennsylvania must break its historic cycle and find a different tomorrow, one where counties, the administration and the General Assembly work together to meet our state’s challenges.
Pennsylvania congressman warns of ‘radical’ and ‘socialist’ infiltration in fundraising pitch
Fresh off a successful re-election bid, U.S. Rep. Lloyd Smucker, R-11th District, is making a play for voters’ wallets by asking them to help him fight socialism. “We have self proclaimed Socialists serving in the Pennsylvania State House and in Congress,” Smucker wrote on his Facebook page Tuesday. “Socialist ideas are no longer just in […]
Iraq War vet announces Republican candidacy for Tom Marino’s 12th Congressional District seat
A decorated Iraq War veteran said Tuesday that she’ll seek the Republican nomination for ex-U.S. Tom Marino’s 12th Congressional District seat. Stacy Garrity, of Athens, Pa., in Bradford County, served three deployments in the Middle East, winning two Bronze Stars and the Legion of Merit, her campaign said in a statement. She retired from the […]
Medicare for all? It’s not a matter of ‘whether’ we’ll have it, but ‘when’ | Sean P. Quinlan
It is simply no longer viable or morally acceptable for millions of hard-working Americans to have to endure the fear and reality of being crushed by the worry of medical bills, debt, death and bankruptcy.
Beware the red menace … erm … or something | Tuesday Morning Coffee
Good Snowy Tuesday Morning, Fellow Seekers. To hear President Donald Trump and some of our friends on the right tell it, socialists are the new American nightmare, lurking under every rock and crevice, copies of ‘Das Kapital‘ under one arm, their Billy Bragg records under the other, just waiting to topple American democracy. Raising the specter of the admitted […]
On the agenda for Pennsylvania’s DSA-backed freshmen: small steps toward a larger progressive vision
Elizabeth Fiedler may be new to Harrisburg, but she’s well aware of the math equation that powers Pennsylvania’s capital. In the 253-member General Assembly, Republicans outnumber Democrats 110-91 in the House and 26-21 in the Senate. That fact makes it hard for any Democrat to get a bill passed without wide bipartisan support — let […]
This is where Wolf’s budget rhetoric meets reality | Both Sides Now
By Nathan Benefield Last year, nearly 50 of our neighbors fled Pennsylvania every day. They moved to growing states like Texas, Florida, and North Carolina, seeking opportunity. Meanwhile, we literally can’t pay businesses enough to come here. Recall that Amazon rejected $5 billion in taxpayer-funded bribes and set up “HQ2” elsewhere? It’s time to ask ourselves […]