State Budget
Pennsylvanians Are in Dire Need of Tax Reform
Originally published by RealClearPennsylvania. Today is Tax Day. Each year, April 15th reminds us of the costliness of government spending – and why lawmakers must reduce this financial burden on…
Read More: Pennsylvanians Are in Dire Need of Tax ReformHigh taxes make for a slow-growing economy. And communities feel the pinch of high taxes as more and more native Pennsylvanians leave the Keystone State to prosper elsewhere. To remain economically competitive, Pennsylvania must lower state taxes and ensure businesses have the opportunity to succeed. Lower taxes will incentivize more individuals to call Pennsylvania their home, ultimately spurring our statewide economy forward.
Taxes & Economy
For Dimock, The Verdict Is In
In an update to the ongoing saga of federal overreach in Dimock, Pa., the Environmental Protection Agency has released results of drinking water testing at 11 area homes…
Media
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Principled, Punchy Pols Are Popular Pols
I’ve written previously in this space about Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, who has garnered enormous popularity while governing courageously. Today, with a new Quinnipiac poll about Gov.
Media
Read More: Principled, Punchy Pols Are Popular PolsCriminal Justice Reform
Saving Rather than Spending in Corrections
Last week, PCN’s Call In Program featured a great discussion with PA Corrections Sec. John Wetzel. The Secretary is committed to both saving money and improving safety by making sure…
Media
Read More: Saving Rather than Spending in CorrectionsRegulation
House Passes Corporate Welfare Reform
This week the Pennsylvania House passed RACP (pronounced RCAP) reform by a wide margin of 184 to 9. RACP – the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program – is a political…
Media
Read More: House Passes Corporate Welfare ReformTaxes & Economy
Pennsylvania’s Fork in the Road on Transportation Spending
Motorists frustrated with high gas prices should be on the alert—your pain at the pump could get worse, and it has nothing to do with Middle East tensions or gas…
Commentary
Read More: Pennsylvania’s Fork in the Road on Transportation SpendingTaxes & Economy
Fighting Fiction with Fracking Facts
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of speaking to Tea Party Patriots of Central Pa on environmental aspects of natural gas drilling in Pennsylvania and new Marcellus Shale regulations and…
Media
Read More: Fighting Fiction with Fracking FactsCriminal Justice Reform
Chart of the Day: Corrections Spending
Today’s chart highlights the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections’ skyrocketing spending since 1980. This unsustainable growth is part of the four-alarm fire that threatens Pennsylvania’s fiscal house. For more…
Media
Read More: Chart of the Day: Corrections SpendingCriminal Justice Reform
Nurses’ Union Opposes Corrections Reform
At yesterday’s House Appropriations Committee, Department of Corrections Sec. John Wetzel explained his roadmap to reducing corrections spending, now the third-largest department in the General Fund Budget. What was…
Media
Read More: Nurses’ Union Opposes Corrections ReformTaxes & Economy
Who Wants to Pay More for Electricity?
A new study by the Manhattan Institute confirms that forcing states to purchase renewable energy hurts taxpayers. Pennsylvania is one of the 29 states (as well as the…
Media
Read More: Who Wants to Pay More for Electricity?Taxes & Economy
Utility Rates Drop Again Thanks to Marcellus Drilling
Natural gas drilling is continuing to provide significant savings for Pennsylvania families across the state through lower electricity and natural gas prices. Last week, PPL Electric Utilities, servicing eastern…
Media
Read More: Utility Rates Drop Again Thanks to Marcellus DrillingState Budget
Chart of the Day: Welfare Spending
Total welfare spending in Pennsylvania more than tripled from 1991 to 2012, rising 227 percent. During the same period (1991-2011) population rose by a paltry 6.7 percent. It goes without…
Media
Read More: Chart of the Day: Welfare SpendingState Budget
Big Government Limits Economic Growth
Last month, Gov. Tom Corbett’s budget address kicked off state budget negotiations. As lawmakers debate priorities, one thing is crystal clear—low government spending fosters economic growth. The Mercatus Center’s…
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Read More: Big Government Limits Economic GrowthTaxes & Economy
Pennsylvania Businesses Face the Highest Taxes
A new study from the Tax Foundation finds that mature Pennsylvania businesses are the highest taxed in the nation. Newly established operations in the commonwealth are the second highest taxed,…
Media
Read More: Pennsylvania Businesses Face the Highest TaxesRegulation
Sounding the Alarm to Save Pennsylvania
A four-alarm fire is engulfing Pennsylvania's economy. If we don't regain control of the state debt, corrections costs, public welfare growth and government employee pensions, our state taxpayers will be…
Commentary
Read More: Sounding the Alarm to Save PennsylvaniaEducation
Pennsylvania K-12 Education Spending
Pennsylvania's K-12 education revenue increased from $13 billion in 1995-96 to $26 billion in 2009-10. Adjusted for inflation, that represents a 44% increase in revenue per student. …
Fact Sheet
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Pennsylvania’s Once-Great Cities
If you missed it, ReasonTV put out a great video on the city of Harrisburg’s fiscal disaster, asking whether Harrisburg’s nightmare is America’s Future. Much of what…
Media
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Goodbye Gus, Hello Private Partnerships
Say goodbye to the second-most famous groundhog in Pennsylvania. Not having Gus in Pennsylvania lottery commercials will save $140,000. But changes in the state lottery may not end with dropping…
Media
Read More: Goodbye Gus, Hello Private PartnershipsCriminal Justice Reform
Sec. John Wetzel Talks Corrections Reforms on The BOX
In latest podcast from The BOX, Corrections Secretary John Wetzel chats with Matt Brouillette about reducing the cost of corrections – a major expenditure in the Pennsylvania state budget…
Media
Read More: Sec. John Wetzel Talks Corrections Reforms on The BOXState Budget
Pennsylvania Welfare Spending
The FY 2011-12 total operating budget of $63.4 billion, which included $27.1 billion in General Fund spending, represented the first year-to-year reduction in state spending in at least 40 years.
Fact Sheet
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DRBC Moratorium Puts Residents’ Property Rights in Limbo
Wayne County land owners in favor of natural gas drilling are fed up with the Delaware River Basin Commission’s baseless moratorium on fracking. The commission has suspended natural…
Media
Read More: DRBC Moratorium Puts Residents’ Property Rights in LimboRegulation
State Liquor Stores’ Soviet-style Socialism Fails
The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board once again proves it does not know how to manage a business, and its Soviet-style socialist control fails to satisfy customers. More than a month…
Media
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