News & Brews April 11, 2025
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SEPTA’s ‘dirty dozen reasons’ it doesn’t deserve a bailout
Here we go again. The Inquirer reported that the beleaguered Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority is warning of service cuts and possible layoffs due to a “funding crisis.” And Gov. Shapiro is once again trying to divert taxpayer dollars to bail them out. But the truth is SEPTA doesn’t deserve a bailout, and the Commonwealth Foundation’s Nathan Benefield gives a dirty dozen reasons. Among them:
- SEPTA hasn’t adjusted routes based on rider needs in 60 years.
- SEPTA has given $50 million to a company owned by the Chinese government—for non-existent rail cars.
- SEPTA will waste an incredible $230 million developing a new key card system, after spending $285 million on the last one—which doesn’t work.
Need more reasons? Click here.
Lloyd Smucker’s new role in budget negotiations?
As lawmakers in Washington hash out federal spending, POLITICO says that U.S. Congressman Lloyd Smucker (Lancaster & York counties) is taking on an atypical (for him) role. “Smucker has emerged in recent months as a key player in high-stakes negotiations over the GOP legislative agenda.” The story deems this unusual as Smucker “isn’t a member of the House Freedom Caucus. He doesn’t do fire-breathing Fox News hits. And he doesn’t talk trash about Republican congressional leaders.” What does Smucker have to say about all this? “If we don’t change course, we’re going to see some sort of economic calamity, some sort in the not-too-distant future, in my opinion. So I think this is our opportunity to at least take the first step towards fiscal sanity.”
Pa. voter registration: A cartographic experience
And now, for our semi-regular update on Pa. voter registration numbers. The latest data from the Pa. Department of State shows registered Democrats now outnumber registered Republicans by just over 176,000. This is a huge change from just over a decade ago, when Dems outnumbered Republicans by more than one million. PoliticsPA has created an interactive county-level map showing, among other things, the change in registration in each county since January 1, 2024.
Dugan outraises Krasner, but is Soros in the wings?
Democrat Patrick Dugan, who is challenging incumbent Philly District Attorney Larry Krasner in the Democrat primary for the role, is “far outpacing” Krasner on the fundraising front, the Inquirer reports. As of April 1, Dugan had about $427,600 in his campaign account, compared with Krasner’s $164,800. And unions are among Dugan’s top supporters. Krasner’s campaign, meanwhile, says it’s “powered by ordinary people.” Please pardon us as we guffaw at the implication. George Soros put more than $1.5 million into Krasner’s first race for DA. Last time we checked, no one considers George Soros “ordinary.” Whether Soros funds will again flow to Krasner remains to be seen. But we’ll be watching—if we can stop laughing, that is.
Shapiro’s small business plan is merely a ‘photo op’
U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick is advocating for a constitutional amendment that would implement term limits for both U.S. House and U.S. Senate members. The former would be limited to six two-year terms, and the latter would be limited to two six-year terms. “Our Founding Fathers never imagined that Congress would become an institution filled with career politicians who stay on well past retirement age,” McCormick said. “Congress shouldn’t be a place where people can get comfortable in their jobs.” The Post-Gazette reports that McCormick’s effort “mirrors a resolution introduced in the House by Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Levittown.”