Government & Politics

Iraq War vet announces Republican candidacy for Tom Marino’s 12th Congressional District seat

BY: - February 12, 2019

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 […]

COMMENTARY

Medicare for all? It’s not a matter of ‘whether’ we’ll have it, but ‘when’ | Sean P. Quinlan

BY: - February 12, 2019

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.

COMMENTARY

Beware the red menace … erm … or something | Tuesday Morning Coffee

BY: - February 12, 2019

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

BY: - February 12, 2019

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 […]

COMMENTARY

This is where Wolf’s budget rhetoric meets reality | Both Sides Now

BY: - February 12, 2019

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 […]

COMMENTARY

Wolf’s budget plan will move Pa. forward – here’s how | Both Sides Now

BY: - February 12, 2019

The Legislature's Republican majority to recognize the practical and moral necessities of governing and enact this budget.

Lt. Gov. John Fetterman offers ‘safe space’ for opinions on legalizing marijuana

BY: and - February 11, 2019

It was the opening night of a listening tour that will take Gov. Tom Wolf's No. 2 all over Pennsylvania.

Could this be the year Pennsylvania lawmakers ban LGBTQ discrimination?

BY: and - February 11, 2019

The legislation, nicknamed the Fairness Act, has never been brought up for a vote. This year could be different.

Suburban Philly lawmaker’s bill would require schools to teach students about dating violence

BY: - February 11, 2019

A Montgomery County lawmaker is hoping the second time’s the charm on bill that would require Pennsylvania high schools to teach “dating violence” education to their students. In a ‘Dear Colleague’ memo sent out late last week, Rep. Thomas P. Murt, a Republican from Hatboro, cited Centers for Disease Control data showing that “approximately 10 percent […]

A state House hearing for Pa.’s budget watchdog turned into a minimum wage Q&A

BY: - February 11, 2019

A budget hearing Monday for Pennsylvania’s independent fiscal watchdog agency turned into a proxy fight over Gov. Tom Wolf’s plan to boost Pennsylvania’s minimum wage. Lawmakers on the House Appropriations Committee used a Monday appearance by the state’s Independent Fiscal Office to crack the hood on Wolf’s plan to increase the wage from the current […]

Bipartisanship is passé. No one told Jordan Harris.

BY: - February 11, 2019

The new House Democratic whip is savvy enough to forge allies in unlikely places.