Every 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.

Public Union Democracy

Election Day: 5 Things to Remember

  • Nathan Benefield
  • November 6, 2012

1. The election results won’t slay Goliath.  The special interests who feed off of tax dollars—government union bosses, trial lawyers, extreme greens, crony capitalists that rely on corporate welfare,…

Media

Read More: Election Day: 5 Things to Remember

Regulation

Sultans of Syrah Snub Sunshine Act

  • November 5, 2012

According to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review’s stunning Saturday story, the scandalous Sultans of Syrah systematically snubbed the state’s Sunshine Act. Referring to the backdoor government-branded wine and spirits that have…

Media

Read More: Sultans of Syrah Snub Sunshine Act

State Budget

Debt or Prosperity? It’s Our Choice

  • November 2, 2012

Can Americans afford slower economic growth and a lower standard of living in the future? That will be the impact of growing government debt on the economy, according to a…

Media

Read More: Debt or Prosperity? It’s Our Choice

Regulation

Poll: Pennsylvanians Powerfully Plea for Privatization

  • November 2, 2012

Ever wonder if you were alone in your desire for freedom from the Czars of Zinfandel?  Wonder no more, comrades. According to a recent poll commissioned by the Philadelphia…

Media

Read More: Poll: Pennsylvanians Powerfully Plea for Privatization

Regulation

How Big is the Pension Bomb?

  • Nathan Benefield
  • November 1, 2012

Taxpayers will have to pay $1,385 more each year for 30 years to fully pay off pension liabilities, according to a new study on the cost of pension plans…

Media

Read More: How Big is the Pension Bomb?

Taxes & Economy

Will Shale Boom Change Election?

  • Nathan Benefield
  • November 1, 2012

The shale gas boom has boosted the economy in key battleground states like Ohio and Pennsylvania, which may help President Obama, despite his hostility towards fracking—the process which…

Media

Read More: Will Shale Boom Change Election?

Regulation

PLCB Chair Tastes Sour Grapes, Selects Probe

  • October 31, 2012

Waiting for the new Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board booze boss to make a monopolistic menu of Chairman’s Selection?  Well there’s a new sommelier in town and he’s found a great new…

Media

Read More: PLCB Chair Tastes Sour Grapes, Selects Probe

Education

Pa. Teachers Unions Among America’s Most Powerful

  • Priya Brannick
  • October 31, 2012

Pennsylvania’s teachers unions rank fourth among all U.S. states in their strength and influence, according to a report released this week from the Fordham Institute. We trail only Hawaii,…

Media

Read More: Pa. Teachers Unions Among America’s Most Powerful

Public Union Democracy

Union Members Protest Union Bosses Pay Grab

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • October 25, 2012

California DMV worker Mariam Noujaim is furious with how union bosses are spending her hard-earned dues. In 2010, she and many other DMV workers were laid off while leaders…

Media

Read More: Union Members Protest Union Bosses Pay Grab

Regulation

Trib: PLCB Bottling Lies

  • October 25, 2012

Forget for a moment ongoing ethics investigations concerning Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board execs and the myriad of reasons to brand the Barons of Booze an abomination.  For the…

Media

Read More: Trib: PLCB Bottling Lies

Regulation

Public vs Private Workers: Who Earns More?

  • October 24, 2012

State governments pay on average 6.2 percent more per hour in wages and benefits, including pension benefits, than the private sector according a new report from Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW). Public…

Media

Read More: Public vs Private Workers: Who Earns More?

Health Care

Contain Medicaid Fire, Turn Hose on Pension Crisis

  • Elizabeth Stelle, Nathan Benefield
  • October 23, 2012

Last night’s presidential debate (despite the focus on foreign policy) featured much talk on skyrocketing debt and unsustainable entitlement programs. Protecting the middle class from growing debt isn’t a problem…

Media

Read More: Contain Medicaid Fire, Turn Hose on Pension Crisis

Health Care

Why Repeal? The Affordable Care Act’s Costs to Pennsylvanians

  • October 23, 2012

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act—or "Obamacare"—will take more than $500 billion from American taxpayers by 2022, raise costs to state governments and increase the cost of private health…

Poll

Read More: Why Repeal? The Affordable Care Act’s Costs to Pennsylvanians

Regulation

Decipher PLCB Clues, Taxpayers Lose

  • October 22, 2012

Do you remember playing the board game Clue?  It was one of my favorites as a kid; I loved deducing who committed the crime, in what room, and with…

Media

Read More: Decipher PLCB Clues, Taxpayers Lose

Taxes & Economy

Pa. Job Growth Triples National Rate

  • Nathan Benefield
  • October 22, 2012

Last week saw the release of September state jobs data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Media coverage of this jobs report focused on the unemployment rate only, which…

Media

Read More: Pa. Job Growth Triples National Rate

Criminal Justice Reform

Pennsylvania Gets Landmark Corrections Reform

  • October 18, 2012

On Tuesday, Pennsylvania passed the final piece, House Bill 135, of a landmark corrections reform package that transforms our ailing prison system to one that works better for YOU. Commonwealth Foundation…

Media

Read More: Pennsylvania Gets Landmark Corrections Reform

Taxes & Economy

Truth, Lies & Answers on Natural Gas Drilling

  • October 15, 2012

Hydraulic fracturing has been closely studied since its development in the 1940s. Both the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the former head of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection have…

Poll

Read More: Truth, Lies & Answers on Natural Gas Drilling

Taxes & Economy

Foreign Federation Finances Phony Frackophobic Film

  • October 12, 2012

A new anti-fracking movie, Promised Land, is set to release in a couple of months, but controversy around the movie is already in full swing. The film has come…

Media

Read More: Foreign Federation Finances Phony Frackophobic Film

Health Care

Principles for Health Care Reform

  • October 11, 2012

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) expands Medicaid, subsidizes health insurance for middle class families, and creates new federal health insurance regulations. To pay for this additional spending, the ACA makes…

Fact Sheet

Read More: Principles for Health Care Reform

State Budget

Lowe’s Shows Dignity of Work, Helps Disabled

  • Charles Mitchell
  • October 11, 2012

The Union Party never minces words:  They believe the best way to help people is to grow government.  That’s the message they’ve brought to bear throughout the Corbett Administration,…

Media

Read More: Lowe’s Shows Dignity of Work, Helps Disabled

Regulation

Mailbag: Would Eliminating Tax Credits Really Lower Taxes?

  • October 10, 2012

Last month, I testified to the House Finance Committee that targeted tax breaks and corporate welfare subsidies prevent across-the-board tax rate reductions that would benefit all Pennsylvanians. As a follow-up…

Media

Read More: Mailbag: Would Eliminating Tax Credits Really Lower Taxes?