News & Brews May 6, 2025
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Marijuana mayhem
Well, it all started Sunday, when Pa. House Democrats introduced a bill to legalize recreational marijuana and sell it at state-run liquor stores. Dems moved the bill quickly, and yesterday, it passed out of committee on a party line vote. Not everyone in the marijuana industry is cheering, though. Spotlight PA reports, “Cannabis industry players are concerned about the practicality of such a system, which does not exist in any other state…. Critics also say such a system could potentially lead to criminal liability, since state employees at these stores would be breaking federal law by selling cannabis.” (Gee, what could go wrong?) Republican state Sen. Dan Laughlin (Erie County), who supports legalization, also isn’t a fan of the House bill and reportedly said, “If a bill comes over that sells cannabis out of state stores it’s going in the trash.”
SEPTA bailout: Predictable and irresponsible
The Commonwealth Foundation’s Nathan Benefield and Andrew Holman write in PennLive that last year, they warned, “Without mandated structural reforms, SEPTA … will inevitably return next year, lobbying for another multimillion-dollar handout. That’s exactly what happened.” But the problem isn’t underfunding; it’s SEPTA’s “failing model” that “hasn’t been responsive to rider needs and concerns.” Instead of more state funding, SEPTA should begin “weaning itself from state funding.” Indeed, “Compared to other large transit agencies, SEPTA is the fourth-largest recipient of state funding nationally. Conversely, local support for SEPTA is abysmal. Only 6.8 percent of SEPTA’s revenue comes from the municipalities it serves. Compared to other metro areas, SEPTA has received the smallest share of funding from local government and fares.”
WSJ weighs in on attacks against Fetterman
Wall Street Journal Editorial Page Assistant Editor James Freeman has several thoughts on the brouhaha surrounding Sen. John Fetterman. Freeman writes, “Now that there’s no longer any chance that Sen. John Fetterman (D., Pa.) will be needed to confirm a Biden judicial appointee, some Democrats have begun to suspect there’s something a little off about this guy.” Freeman pokes several holes in the recent NY Magazine piece that started it all (and that includes “anonymous sources”), and then concludes, “It’s striking how few anonymous staff concerns about him were aired in the media during that period when the team needed him to be the 51st vote. These days Sen. Fetterman is a little older and perhaps a little wiser. In a polarized Senate he has become notable for his willingness to consider individual people and policies before instantly reacting with partisan talking points. Isn’t it at least possible that this is a sign of improving mental health?”
Pa. considers how to manage ‘power hungry data centers’
StateImpact Pennsylvania reports, “Utility regulators are bracing for a surge in electricity demand driven in large part by the opening of new, power-intensive data centers in Pennsylvania.” The story continues, “In Pennsylvania, tech companies are calling for fair treatment and predictability, while utilities are asking for policies to protect against exorbitant costs to connect the new users, which they otherwise would have to pass on to ratepayers. Players in this dynamic recently presented their arguments to Pennsylvania’s Public Utility Commission, which is tasked with ensuring reliable utility service at reasonable rates.”
‘Evidence – and its limits – in school choice debate’
James Paul, a fellow at the Educational Freedom Institute, the executive director of the West Virginia Professional Charter School Board, and a former Pennsylvanian, has a great piece in The74, positing that even with evidence that school choice works, “The case for school choice should never rest primarily on academic evidence…. Research can inform the conversation, but it must not define it.” Instead, “The best argument for educational freedom has never been statistical. It’s moral. It’s about affirming the right of families to raise their children according to their own beliefs. A successful education system isn’t just one that boosts college attendance; it’s one that respects parental authority.”