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
EPA Regs Kill PA Jobs
Cap and Trade may be officially dead in Congress but the EPA is busy resurrecting it in a far more disastrous policy agenda that kills thousands of Pennsylvania jobs and…
Media
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Marcellus Drilling not Increasing Local Government Costs
A new study from the Marcellus Shale Center for Outreach and Research at Penn State provides an analysis of the cost to local government from Marcells Shale drilling. With…
Media
Read More: Marcellus Drilling not Increasing Local Government CostsRegulation
This Is What a Boom Looks Like
About half an hour ago, I was in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. (For my fellow natives of the Philadelphia area, Canonsburg is southwest of Pittsburgh, where they say “younse” instead of “youse”…
Media
Read More: This Is What a Boom Looks LikeTaxes & Economy
Pennsylvania’s Cost of Government Day
By the calculation of Americans for Tax Reform, Pennsylvania just reached its Cost of Government Day. That is, it took the average Keystone worker until Aug. 15, or 227…
Media
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Welfare Fraud Persists
The LIHEAP heating assistance program is once again under fire from Auditor General Jack Wagner. A 2007 audit lead the district attorney of Philadelphia to charge 18 people with…
Media
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Who’s Nutty Now?
There’s a ton of chatter out there right now about how nutty the Tea Party is, most recently with 29 percent of voters saying Tea Party members are “economic…
Media
Read More: Who’s Nutty Now?Taxes & Economy
PA Among Least Attractive Places to Drill in the World
According to the Fraser Institute’s 2011 Global Petroleum Survey, Pennsylvania remains one of the least attractive places to drill in the world. The state ranks 65, an improvement of…
Media
Read More: PA Among Least Attractive Places to Drill in the WorldEnergy
Taxing Gas will Burden Pennsylvanians
Despite the manufactured fears of disaster and cheers for a unique tax on drilling, Pennsylvania can balance economic growth with environmental protection without imposing a new tax. The true impacts…
Commentary
Read More: Taxing Gas will Burden PennsylvaniansTaxes & Economy
Debating a Natural Gas Tax
Today’s Philadelphia Inquirer features two editorials debating a natural gas jobs tax. The Inquirer‘s editorial board begins its article with a straw-man argument, that tax opponents’ claim the industry…
Media
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The Great Frack Attack: The War on Natural Gas
Much attention has been paid to the efforts of gas companies to influence the political debate through campaign contributions and lobbying efforts. But anti-drilling activists—while claiming gas companies use their…
Fact Sheet
Read More: The Great Frack Attack: The War on Natural GasTaxes & Economy
Marcellus Shale Impact Continues to Grow
Last week, Penn State economists released the third in a series of economic analysis on Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale industry. The report estimated: Private companies spent $5.3 billion on drilling…
Media
Read More: Marcellus Shale Impact Continues to GrowEducation
Penn State’s Smallest Tuition Hike in Years
The conventional wisdom ever since March 8, when Gov. Tom Corbett made his budget address, has been very simple: The sky is falling! How, exactly? In the form of crippling…
Media
Read More: Penn State’s Smallest Tuition Hike in YearsTaxes & Economy
Corbett’s Commission Endorses Natural Gas Impact Fee
Today, the Marcellus Shale Commission is voting on long-awaited recommendations on natural gas development. The full report will be available next Friday, but the Commission has decided to recommend an…
Media
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Presentation on Marcellus Shale
Yesterday, I had the privilege of speaking at an event organized by Pennsylvania Chautauqua on the Marcellus Shale’s development and impact on the Keystone State. Below is a copy of my presentation.
Media
Read More: Presentation on Marcellus ShaleRegulation
Turnpike Tolls Totally to Transit?
Amid all the budget turmoil, PA Independent notes the Governor’s Transportation Funding Advisory Commission is looking to use tolls on Turnpike drivers—those going to the state as part of…
Media
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Saving the Amazon (in Pennsylvania)
When it comes to stopping the spree of tax hikes, the Pennsylvania legislature and Gov. Tom Corbett got it right this past session. In response, the world’s largest online retailer,…
Media
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Pennsylvania’s Economic Outlook Among Nation’s Worst
The annual Rich States, Poor States: ALEC-Laffer State Economic Competitiveness Index ranked Pennsylvania among the least economically promising states. Since 2008, Pennsylvania’s economic outlook has dropped from 36th…
Media
Read More: Pennsylvania’s Economic Outlook Among Nation’s WorstEducation
Corbett’s First Inning Scorecard
July signals the coming of two breaks in Pennsylvania—Major League Baseball's All-Star break and the end of the state budget season. Having endured his first budget as the commonwealth's chief…
Commentary
Read More: Corbett’s First Inning ScorecardPublic Union Democracy
Disappointing Results from State Union Contract Deals
So far, the Corbett administration has concluded new four-year contracts with Pennsylvania’s two largest state worker unions, which represent 55,000 government workers—and the taxpayers are the losers. The deals with…
Media
Read More: Disappointing Results from State Union Contract DealsEducation
Cut Waste at This Temple, and I Will Praise It in Three Days
Temple University just announced that it is raising tuition by ten percent, blaming the new state budget. Temple is an outstanding example of an institution that should have spent…
Media
Read More: Cut Waste at This Temple, and I Will Praise It in Three DaysState Budget
Pennsylvania’s $1.9 Billion Budget Shortfall
The Pennsylvania Department of Revenue released preliminary FY 2010-11 revenue collection. Their statement says: Fiscal year 2010-11 General Fund collections totaled $27.5 billion, which is $785.5 million,…
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