Regulation
Harris’s Price Controls Ignore Basic Economics
Originally published at Delaware Valley Journal Vice President Kamala Harris wants to make groceries cheaper. However, her vague proposal to ban “price gouging” will have the opposite effect. Economists,…
Read More: Harris’s Price Controls Ignore Basic EconomicsEvery family, business owner, and taxpayer in Pennsylvania should be able to increase their financial security without undue interference from our state government. Free-market policies that limit taxes, allow entrepreneurs to innovate and create jobs, and offer stability to families will put our state on track to become a national leader. Policies that enact spending limits, cut taxes, and reduce regulations will help Pennsylvania avoid debt and restore sound fiscal planning that will benefit citizens in the years to come.
Related Issues
Health Care
Medicaid Expansion: The Price was Wrong
Governor Corbett made the right call yesterday when he decided to recommend against expanding Medicaid in Pennsylvania. Here is my letter to the editor to the Philadelphia Inquirer explaining…
Media
Read More: Medicaid Expansion: The Price was WrongState Budget
Gov. Corbett’s Budget Stands with Taxpayers
Statement of Matthew J. Brouillette, president and CEO of the Commonwealth Foundation, Pennsylvania’s free-market think tank, on Governor Corbett’s budget proposal: Gov. Corbett has chosen to prioritize government spending…
Press Release
Read More: Gov. Corbett’s Budget Stands with TaxpayersState Budget
Spending Restraint Fosters Economic Growth
Critics, and likely election challengers, of Gov. Tom Corbett point to the singular fact that the state’s unemployment rate is higher than the national average (though not significantly,…
Media
Read More: Spending Restraint Fosters Economic GrowthHealth Care
Lawmakers: Medicaid Expansion Not the Answer
Rep. Gordon Denlinger and 37 House members sent a letter to Governor Corbett, urging the governor not to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare).
Media
Read More: Lawmakers: Medicaid Expansion Not the AnswerHealth Care
Affordable Care Act: Costs to Pennsylvanians
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act—often dubbed "Obamacare"—will cost Americans $1.2 trillion from 2012 to 2022 according to the Congressional Budget Office. These projections do not account for the…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Affordable Care Act: Costs to PennsylvaniansRegulation
Liquor Liberty at Long Last?
Yesterday, Gov. Tom Corbett unveiled his proposal for privatizing the government-run liquor stores and bringing Pennsylvania into the 21st century when it comes to the sale of alcohol. Pennsylvania…
Media
Read More: Liquor Liberty at Long Last?Regulation
PLCB Declares Emergency, Reign of Error Continues
From the “You Just Can’t Make This Stuff Up File,” we bring you word the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board has declared an emergency today. That’s right, I said it, an…
Media
Read More: PLCB Declares Emergency, Reign of Error ContinuesRegulation
PLCB’s Sultan of Syrah Surrenders Silently
For those in the public relations business, a state-issued news release dropped on a weekend buttressed by a holiday is the media equivalent of the midnight pay raise. But that’s…
Media
Read More: PLCB’s Sultan of Syrah Surrenders SilentlyRegulation
Pension Bomb to Hit Pennsylvania Families
Are you ready to pay an additional $1,000 in state and local taxes alone? Prepared to see your child's teacher laid off? Thanks to bad promises politicians made to good…
Commentary
Read More: Pension Bomb to Hit Pennsylvania FamiliesTaxes & Economy
How Do Pa. Gas Taxes Stack Up?
In the wake of reports Gov. Corbett will unveil a transportation funding plan that includes increasing the cap on the Oil Company Franchise Tax, the Tax Foundation has put…
Media
Read More: How Do Pa. Gas Taxes Stack Up?Health Care
Federal Funds Create Perverse Incentives
There’s no such thing as a free lunch, just like there’s no such thing as free money from the federal government. But you wouldn’t know that by reading a recent…
Media
Read More: Federal Funds Create Perverse IncentivesPublic Union Democracy
Lottery Agreement Better Than Union Guesstimate
AFSCME’s counter proposal to the Pennsylvania Lottery private management agreement (PMA) provides no guaranteed revenue for senior services, no new jobs and no protections for taxpayers if profits fall…
Media
Read More: Lottery Agreement Better Than Union GuesstimateCriminal Justice Reform
Milestone Corrections Reform Offers Taxpayer Savings
On the heels of Pennsylvania’s historic decline in prison population—the largest one-year decline in four decades—the Department of Corrections announced today the imminent closure of two older prisons.
Media
Read More: Milestone Corrections Reform Offers Taxpayer SavingsPublic Union Democracy
Union Attacks Won’t Improve Lottery
AFSCME Council 13, the union representing state lottery employees, released its “Alternatives” to a lottery private management agreement. However, their document doesn’t represent a serious counter-proposal that would…
Media
Read More: Union Attacks Won’t Improve LotteryTaxes & Economy
“Promised Land” Bombs at Box Office
“Promised Land,” Tinseltown’s recent take on natural gas drilling, opened in theaters across the nation this past weekend. Despite a cast of heavy hitters, including Matt Damon, the film grossed…
Media
Read More: “Promised Land” Bombs at Box OfficeRegulation
Lottery Deal = Guarantees not Gamble
Lottery profits fund programs for senior citizens—but demand for these services is growing faster than Lottery revenue. The private lottery management agreement recently bid out by the…
Media
Read More: Lottery Deal = Guarantees not GambleTaxes & Economy
Promise Land Panned: Mike’s Story
In the movie Promised Land, Matt Damon plays a smooth talking land man who is sent to rural Pennsylvania to secure the rights to drill for natural gas on locals'…
Commentary
Read More: Promise Land Panned: Mike’s StoryPublic Union Democracy
Protecting Seniors and Taxpayers from the Lottery Cliff
From the greatest generation to the latest generation, our senior citizens have sacrificed to make Pennsylvania safe and prosperous. Our seniors deserve world-class care and assurance that their growing needs…
Memo
Read More: Protecting Seniors and Taxpayers from the Lottery CliffPublic Union Democracy
Government Union Cronies Collude Against Seniors
Here’s a letter to the editor I wrote identifying the connections between special interest groups who oppose a lottery contract, and their motives for undermining a deal that would generate…
Media
Read More: Government Union Cronies Collude Against SeniorsRegulation
PA Tax Loophole Funds Frackaphobic Film
There’s a memorable line in Promised Land, the new Matt Damon movie opening Friday about a gas drilling company buying land rights in a declining farming community. One…
Media
Read More: PA Tax Loophole Funds Frackaphobic FilmRegulation
Averting the “Lottery Cliff” for Seniors and Taxpayers
From the greatest generation to the latest generation, Pennsylvania’s seniors have worked a lifetime to build this great commonwealth through hard work and sacrifice, but are now being told the…
Commentary
Read More: Averting the “Lottery Cliff” for Seniors and Taxpayers