Free Republic

Actress Jane Fonda, 81, canvassed door-to-door in Scranton, Pennsylvania on August 4 to speak to local voters in the swing state She went door-knocking with Working America, a political non-union workers' group that canvasses to persuade voters to support labor-backed candidatesFonda said she canvassed because she's 'scared for our democracy' She recounted speaking to dispirited Trump supporters who weren't well-educated on his policies  The actress says meeting voters face-to-face is the best way to educate them about political policy and help them make informed votes Fonda says the only way to resolve the 'mess' in D.C. is to 'outsmart the Facebook algorithms and digital...

Trump’s been worried for months that Joe from Scranton might pose a threat to him in Pennsylvania and the Rust Belt that other Dems can’t match. His fears turn out to be well-founded, per Quinnipiac.

Gov. Tom Wolf warned lawmakers on Tuesday that Pennsylvania's finances are a ticking time bomb amid a record-long budget gridlock, as he sent them a spending proposal for the coming fiscal year with no full plan in place for the year that began back in July. The first-term Democrat delivered an approximately $33.3 billion plan for 2016-17 to the Republican-controlled Legislature as he tries again to break down resistance to a multibillion-dollar tax increase that has held up passage of a budget for the current year. Wolf delivered his message in a blunt, 25-minute speech that prompted objections from most...

Gov. Tom Wolf is expected to call today for the Republican-controlled General Assembly to send him a budget that boosts state education funding and provides relief for school district property taxes while raising the rates of the sales and personal income taxes. His plan for doing so includes a proposal to raise the personal income tax rate in July 2015 from 3.07 percent to 3.7 percent, while increasing the eligibility for a poverty exemption, according to a briefing document prepared by the administration. He will propose increasing the state sales tax in July 2016 from 6 to 6.6 percent while...

Pennsylvania property tax relief should be targeted to taxpayers in the few school districts—most particularly in Monroe County—with the highest tax burdens, without completely eliminating school property taxes statewide, says a new report. High property taxes are a problem in only 30 of Pennsylvania’s 500 school districts, according to the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center report released last week. Monroe County’s four school districts rank among the top five districts statewide for percentage of taxable household income going to pay property taxes. […] The average total property tax bill in Monroe County is between $3,000 and $4,000. Households in the...

Pennsylvania has turned its back on small business owners, according to a recent survey. […] “After a two-month survey of thousands of small business owners nationwide, we’ve heard directly from Pennsylvania’s small businesses that the state could do more to support them,” said Jon Lieber, chief economist of Thumbtack.com. “Creating a business climate that is welcoming to small, dynamic businesses is more important than ever, and Pennsylvania’s small businesses think the state could do a better job.” […] Marie Page, owner of Marie Page Cleaning Service in Reeders, said […] “We are taxed like crazy. It is hard to get...

Democratic nominee Tom Wolf has gotten quite the post-primary bounce. In the first poll released after the former Department of Revenue Secretary won the Democratic primary, Tom Wolf holds a twenty point lead over the Governor. According to Rasmussen Reports, 51% of likely voters would support Wolf while 31% would vote for Governor Tom Corbett. Only 14% of respondents were undecided. As expected, Wolf is supported by 83% of Democrats yet only 59% of Republicans favor Corbett. Wolf pulls away 25% of PA Republicans and holds a ten point lead among independents. Meanwhile, among those surveyed Governor Corbett’s job approval...

<p>In legislative session today, state Sens. Daylin Leach (D-Montgomery/Delaware), and Mike Stack (D-Philadelphia) introduced legislation, S.B. 1317, a bill that would end the allowance of a sub-minimum wage for employees who receive tips and raise the overall minimum wage to $12 an hour.</p>