RealClearPennsylvania Articles

The Service Employees International Union’s 2024 convention might have provided the infamously progressive union with an opportunity to refocus its efforts on workplace representation over divisive, ideologically driven politics. No such luck: the election of April Verrett as SEIU president, a set of resolutions addressing numerous hot-button issues, and a campaign appearance by Vice President Kamala Harris all made clear that SEIU remains committed to its hard-left agenda. Delegates from SEIU locals across the nation gathered in Philadelphia on May 20 for a three-day event to establish...

Being a “purple state,” Pennsylvania has more than its share of Democrats who are self-described moderates. And, because they’re Democrats, many in the mainstream media make sure never to refer to them as “progressives” or “left wing” – let alone “extreme.” But, to paraphrase some old wisdom, if you vote with the left wing of your party almost all the time, and you allow left-wingers to control the legislative agenda, and you never criticize the radicals in your party, then guess what? You’re a left-wing politician. I’m...

The American Dream in Pennsylvania has a price tag: $230,464. That’s the cost for a family of four to live “comfortably” in The Keystone State. The tally is based on the “50/30/20 Rule,” which holds that half of a household’s income should be spent on housing and necessities, a third on nonessentials like eating out and entertainment, and the rest on savings and debt. Here’s the problem: the average household income in Pennsylvania is $100,837, which falls short of the American Dream sticker price by more than a factor of two. In fact, only 10% of...

For me, pharmacy has always been more than a potential career path – it’s the family business, started by my parents who have proudly served as pharmacists in Pittsburgh since the early 1980s. Growing up, dinner-table conversation often revolved around pharmacy talk and patient interactions. When I reached high school and discovered my talents and interests lay in math and chemistry, I decided to follow in their footsteps, working as a CVS pharmacy technician while earning my doctorate in pharmacy at Duquesne University. Today, I work as a Specialty Pharmacy Operations Manager...

Natural gas has been transformative for Pennsylvania’s economy, positioning the state as a global energy leader and providing a reliable and affordable energy source for homeowners and businesses alike. As we head into another election season, lawmakers and voters need to understand the negative impact that policies seeking to limit energy production can have on our economy, consumer prices, and the stability of our energy supply. Pennsylvania is the nation’s second-largest natural-gas-producing state, and we are home to some of the nation’s leading energy producers. The...

In the mid-1950s, when Jim Crow laws reigned in Alabama, state attorney general John M. Patterson – later a Ku Klux Klan-supported governor – filed a lawsuit against the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. The suit alleged that the NAACP was violating a state statute concerning the registration of out-of-state corporations. In reality, the legal action was a thinly veiled attempt to cripple the NAACP by revealing its roster of supporters’ names and addresses to the government and the public. Unwilling to expose its supporters to harassment,...

Too many people are missing the realities of politics, campaigns and governing. Soon to be engaged couples are often warned: “Remember, you’re not just marrying your spouse; you’re marrying the family.” True. In 2024, this is political reality, too. We are at a moment when the two major parties have not only very different positions on issues but also very dramatic differences in priorities. Spoiler alert: if voters – consciously or unconsciously – vote for candidates pledging to “save abortion rights,” they’re getting candidates who...

When climate activists use the term “environmental justice,” they mean it literally. Rather than legislating and passing laws (as is customary in a constitutional republic), they’ve turned to the courts to fight their quixotic battles. Pennsylvania is no stranger to litigating climate-related policies. The Keystone State’s history with the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), for example, has been nothing but litigious. The legal battle began when Governor Tom Wolf unconstitutionally entered Pennsylvania into the multistate compact. A Commonwealth Court ruled...

Founding Father George Mason warned that the power of the United States Senate must be checked and balanced. The upper chamber of Congress, he said, would be like a “screw in mechanics, working its way by slow degrees, and . . . should ever be suspected of an encroaching tendency.” Sadly, many Pennsylvania voters today might use the word “screw” and “Senate” in the same sentence as well – and for many of the same reasons. Mason’s fears were justified: the Senate is a failure, unable to fix itself or the dysfunction in Washington. Millions of...

Spring has sprung in the Philadelphia suburbs. Little League is back in full swing, and the area’s many beautiful walking trails are getting their use. Life is good here – and stable – unlike many other places in the country, at least according to national news. That disconnect is ironic, given this region’s outsized political importance. As a critical area nestled within a critical swing state, the Philly suburbs might hold the keys to the White House this November. But whatever the Biden and Trump campaigns have to offer, it’s not exactly...

If President Biden thought that he would get a warm welcome in his birth state of Pennsylvania last month, he was sorely mistaken. Struggling Pennsylvanians lined the streets as he drove through Pittsburgh, voicing what Americans around the country are feeling: Bidenomics doesn’t work.  A recent poll confirms this, with findings showing that Pennsylvanian voters – including members of Pennsylvania’s growing Latino community – are not happy with how Biden is handling the economy.  The president would have us believe that he inherited a mess and is doing his...

As inflation persists, Pennsylvania voters are rejecting increased government spending, according to new polling data released by the Commonwealth Foundation. Inflation and the rising cost of living remain Pennsylvanians’ chief concerns. With more than two-thirds of voters saying that high prices are eating away at their standard of living, it’s no wonder that a plurality reports their family is worse off than two years ago. Unsurprisingly, voters concerned with living costs reject proposals that would take more money from their paychecks to fund government programs and subsidize...

Elite universities can work toward greater free speech, but things won’t improve until legacy campus publications are challenged. “We have conservative columnists, but we fact-check them twice,” said the then editor-in-chief of The Daily Pennsylvanian during my freshman year at the university, in response to a question about publishing conservative views. Undeterred by the warnings of campus conservatives, I applied to and was accepted to the paper’s Opinion section, where I wrote for four years. I felt that it was my obligation to offer a different perspective from...

Young people graduating from high school face tough choices about what to do next. For many, college costs too much. But that problem is just one among many that threaten the future of our Commonwealth. Higher education is expensive. College enrollment is declining. Kindergarten classes are shrinking. Our population is aging. Too many Pennsylvania high school graduates are won over by out-of-state colleges. And even many of those who do stay in Pennsylvania for college are taking their talents to other states after they earn their degree. As a result, projections for Pennsylvania’s...

I’m an 81-year-old, seventh-generation farmer working with my son T. Richard on a multigenerational grain and hay farm in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. We grow corn, soybeans, wheat, rye, and hay. I'm proud to see him out there by himself at night, and regret that I can’t always join him. As the Bible says in John 3:16: “That God so loved the world, he gave his only son.” I don’t know if I’d be able to do that, but I know I am fortunate to have a son who wants to continue the family farming tradition. He is raising his two teenage sons in the same...

After decades of effort, passenger rail is making its way to Northeastern Pennsylvania. Rail connecting Scranton to New York City has enormous potential, and it can play a pivotal role in connecting New York City and Lackawanna County to Luzerne County. Many see passenger rail as a conduit for job opportunities, especially because many companies offer hybrid options for workers. We may see workers moving to Northeastern Pennsylvania and traveling to New York City a few times per week. The trip is three hours one way, too long to function as a daily commute, but it can offer benefits to the...

Recently, I attended my grade school reunion in South Philly – St. Monica, Class of … A classmate, greeting me after decades of not seeing each other, said: “Hey Guy, do me a favor, please. Can you tell the Republicans to focus on winning?” (Nice to see you, too, Sal!) If Donald Trump wins Pennsylvania, Joe Biden cannot be reelected. If Dave McCormick goes to the Senate, it’s no more Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. If Republicans can pick up just one more statehouse seat, they will recapture the majority in that body. The threat of tripling taxes on small...

During the 2021–22 election cycle, an obstinately pro-government union majority took over Michigan’s state government after the four largest public employee unions spent $2.6 million to elect politicians of their choice. And the union-backed majority has launched an attack on Michigan workers and taxpayers in the 15-months since. Before the union takeover, Michigan law prohibited the use of public resources to help unions collect dues. Now, taxpayers are paying for the collection of union dues and contributions to union political funds. Michigan lawmakers...

During the 2021–22 election cycle, an obstinately pro-government union majority took over Michigan’s state government after the four largest public employee unions spent $2.6 million to elect politicians of their choice. And the union-backed majority has launched an attack on Michigan workers and taxpayers in the 15-months since. Before the union takeover, Michigan law prohibited the use of public resources to help unions collect dues. Now, taxpayers are paying for the collection of union dues and contributions to union political funds. Michigan lawmakers...