RealClearPennsylvania Articles

At a moment when concerns about high-potency marijuana are rising nationwide, Pennsylvania lawmakers are weighing an industry-backed proposal that would significantly change how the drug is regulated — and pose risks to public health and safety. As the New York Times recently warned, “For-profit marijuana companies have a financial incentive to mislead the public about what they are selling.” When even the New York Times warns about the industry’s financial incentives to downplay risks, Pennsylvania lawmakers should approach its lobbying efforts...

“Go West young man – and grow up with the country.” – New York Tribune Editor Horace Greeley After the 13 colonies were firmly and independently established, the North American continent became a magnet for people all around Europe who were seeking a better life. Although the Appalachian Mountains were initially considered a “barrier” to migration, that quickly changed as thousands of settlers ventured westward to explore unsettled land and potential wealth. President Thomas Jefferson was so enthusiastic about expansion, he made the biggest real estate deal...

The recent drama between the Attorney General of the United States and the White House has cast a dark shadow on the institutional integrity of the U.S. Department of Justice. This crisis of confidence brings to mind a critical moment in history when a President instinctively chose the interests of the citizens he served over his own.  In the summer of 1988, President Reagan appointed former Pennsylvania Gov. Dick Thornburgh as U.S. Attorney General. After Vice President George H.W. Bush defeated Michael Dukakis that November, speculation for a permanent appointment began immediately....

Tax-credit scholarships are vital to Pennsylvania students and families. But they could help even more kids if lawmakers in Harrisburg got out of the way. Of course, I’m talking about Pennsylvania’s flagship scholarship programs: the Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) and Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (OSTC). Since their inception, these programs have helped hundreds of thousands of kids find and afford the schools of their choice. But I am also referring to a new opportunity for Pennsylvania: the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit (FSTC). Enacted July 4, 2025, the new...

Last month, the state House of Representatives passed a bill to raise the minimum wage in Pennsylvania to $15 per hour by 2029. The governor and House Democrats continue to push for this increase, arguing it is unjust that the Commonwealth’s minimum wage has remained frozen at $7.25 since 2009, while neighboring states have increased their wages since then. While likely dead on arrival once the Republican-led state Senate votes on it, this short-sighted attempt to ease very legitimate cost-of-living challenges deserves opposition. The idea of mandatory payroll increases may sound...

If you want to understand where Pennsylvania’s economy is headed, don’t start with GDP or job reports. Start with a different number: $2.3 billion. That is the estimated net income tied to households that left Pennsylvania in just one year, according to new data from the IRS. Pennsylvania is losing more residents than it is gaining and losing more income than it is replacing. Between 2022 and 2023, Pennsylvania experienced a net domestic migration loss of 14,880 people, ranking 38th in the nation. That amounts to a population decline of roughly 0.11% from domestic migration...

Last year, Pennsylvania ranked third in the nation for job growth. Yet young families and workers who flock to the Keystone State face a significant obstacle: a shortage of affordable housing that threatens their future here.   Over the past decade, housing costs in Pennsylvania have nearly doubled. This surge has led to a shortage of approximately 100,000 homes. Outdated housing policies continue to drive a crisis that threatens both residents themselves and the state’s economic future.    Affordable housing is a major factor in whether people want to...

In a few weeks, about 170,000 college students will walk across the stage of Pennsylvania’s many colleges and universities. After years of study and hard work, these young adults will be facing an unprecedented economic situation: college graduates are having a tougher time finding jobs than skilled trades and non-college graduates. The national unemployment rate for college graduates is 6%, versus 4.2% across all Americans. This isn’t an artifact of statistics, either: both groups of workers are aware of it, and in increasing measures. By the widest margin ever recorded,...

Josh Shapiro has a theory of politics. Pennsylvania’s Democratic Governor thinks “politics [is] about getting stuff done and improving people’s lives [by offering] tangible solutions to real problems.” Earlier this week, he came to Erie to promote his new primer on political philosophy, Where We Keep the Light: Stories from a Life of Service. If a packed house, a best-seller, and the highest net approval rating of any big state governor, at 34%, are any indication, voters like Shapiro. This is no small feat in a state where the parties are divided by .01% of the vote....

What does Johnstown, Pennsylvania have to do with San Francisco, California? Or Warminster, Pennsylvania with New York, New York?  Not much, unless you understand what the Left understands – that if you can control Pennsylvania, you can control America.  Sure, we all know Pennsylvania is a swing state, and an important one at that. And politicians running for national office – along with their deep-pocketed donors –invest enormous focus and resources on the Keystone State.  But that’s not what I’m talking about here.  I’m talking about...

No one has taught me more about the curse of fentanyl than my friend Blair County Sheriff Jim Ott. Jim lost his 33-year-old son Josh to fentanyl. Now he goes into schools across the Commonwealth and tells kids the truth: one pill can kill. Jim's grief and tragedy are not unique. Too many Pennsylvania families have been devastated by this drug. On the campaign, I promised to do everything in my power to stop it. We’ve made progress, but there is more to do. That’s why I am in Allentown today with FBI Director Kash Patel meeting with Jim and other families struck by fentanyl and...

In every way that matters, energy is life. For the half-million Pennsylvanians who work in manufacturing – people who show up every day to make real things from real materials – electricity is not an abstraction. It is the difference between a shift that runs and one that doesn’t. It is the difference between a Pennsylvania address of origin on a product, and a Chinese one. That's why I’m alarmed by the growing chorus of voices in Harrisburg and beyond who seem eager to walk away from the competitive power market that has served this Commonwealth extraordinarily well....

Springtime in Washington, D.C. kicks off annual budget negotiations in Congress, with lawmakers coming off of passing about 90% of the budget through regular order – their most successful appropriations cycle in 30 years. That raises an obvious question: With Congressional approval still hovering around 15% amid heavy polarization and an otherwise unproductive Congress, how did they manage to pull this off? The answer is one Washington thought it had left behind: earmarks. Once synonymous with corruption and excess, earmarks have reemerged in a far more transparent and accountable form....

Gov. Josh Shapiro keeps repeating the claim that Pennsylvania is the only growing state in the Northeast. But that’s not true. Residents continue to leave Pennsylvania for greener pastures. New data from the Internal Revenue Service shows that Pennsylvania lost 15,000 residents on net to other states in 2023. Those residents took with them $2.3 billion in annual income. This outmigration spans all age groups, but it is especially pronounced among working-age professionals and higher-income earners. These are the very people who drive economic growth. And they are leaving for...

No one has taught me more about the curse of fentanyl than my friend Blair County Sheriff Jim Ott. Jim lost his 33-year-old son Josh to fentanyl. Now he goes into schools across the Commonwealth and tells kids the truth: one pill can kill. Jim's grief and tragedy are not unique. Too many Pennsylvania families have been devastated by this drug. On the campaign, I promised to do everything in my power to stop it. We’ve made progress, but there is more to do. That’s why I am in Allentown today with FBI Director Kash Patel meeting with Jim and other families struck by fentanyl and...

Pennsylvania’s “Get Stuff Done” (GSD) governor has a favorite state department that he’s willing to staff to the rafters: his personal, dedicated PR team. As published reports last summer detailed, Gov. Josh Shapiro now sports 21 employees in his Executive Office, “dedicated to promoting” his image. But earlier this month, in response to an official Right to Know request, Shapiro’s administration contended that he had never surfed the web on a state-owned device. So, all his social media posting – is it done exclusively by staff? Or all on...

Pennsylvania’s teachers have the lowest morale in the country. According to the most recent Education Week survey, it is not about pay, curriculum, or testing. Instead, it’s the parents. Pennsylvania teachers overwhelmingly say student behavior is not improving. In fact, they are among the most pessimistic about whether things are getting better at all. Together, they point to a deeper cultural shift: the rise of helicopter parenting as a dominant force in the classroom. For years, “helicopter parenting” was treated as a punchline, a stereotype of overly attentive...

On February 28th, Donald Trump made a bigger gamble than ever took place at any of his Atlantic City casinos. Betting that a joint U.S.-Israeli decapitation strike on Iran would result in another overnight, low-cost operation that the president could tout as a quick victory, Trump has risked both his electoral coalition and the fate of his second term. Instead of toppling Tehran in an instant, President Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have jumpstarted a regional war involving more than half a dozen countries. Ceasefire offers have been rejected out of hand by both sides. The...

In the lead-up to the 2024 presidential election, viral social media posts claimed that record numbers of Amish registered to vote. For example, one post that received national attention claimed that as many as 180,000 Amish registered to vote in Pennsylvania’s Lancaster County.. Such a claim was echoed by former Trump advisor Jan Halper-Hayes. Even Elon Musk, reacting to media posts that the Amish supported Donald Trump at the ballot box, noted that, “The Amish may very well save America!” But to what extent did members of the Old Order Amish community in Lancaster County...