Prosperity
New Year, New Taxes in Pennsylvania
Originally published at RealClearPennsylvania The new year is always a great opportunity to shed vices like smoking and binge eating. For state and local lawmakers, their guilty pleasure tends…
Read More: New Year, New Taxes in PennsylvaniaHigh 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.
Criminal Justice Reform
Pennsylvania Prison Postponed, Pork Prolonged
Yesterday, Gov. Corbett cancelled a planned prison construction project in Fayette County, estimated to cost taxpayers $200 million. In January, Auditor General Wagner called for a halt on…
Media
Read More: Pennsylvania Prison Postponed, Pork ProlongedPublic Union Democracy
The Tide Against Public Sector Collective Bargaining
Earlier this week, I blogged on state bankruptcy and how some believe budget problems can be solved if states are willing to challenge the…
Media
Read More: The Tide Against Public Sector Collective BargainingState Budget
Is State Bankruptcy a Solution?
What do New York, California and Illinois have in common? They are in fiscal disarray and may soon be asking for a bailout from Congress. Bailing out these states would…
Media
Read More: Is State Bankruptcy a Solution?Taxes & Economy
Hanger: Gas Fracking is Safe
John Hanger, who just departed with Gov. Ed Rendell as his Secretary of Environmental Protection, recently gave an exit interview to the anti-natural gas,…
Media
Read More: Hanger: Gas Fracking is SafeTaxes & Economy
Green Energy Could Lead to More Blackouts
Recent controlled blackouts in Houston were reportedly caused by the inability of older fossil fuel power plants to operate in unusually cold temperatures. Now proponents of green energy are…
Media
Read More: Green Energy Could Lead to More BlackoutsHealth Care
Five Reasons Corbett Should Stop Implementing Obamacare
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett has indicated the state will continue to implement federal health care mandates, such as an an insurance exchange, at least for the time being. Here are…
Media
Read More: Five Reasons Corbett Should Stop Implementing ObamacareTaxes & Economy
A Tax by Any Name Should Still Smell Defeat
State Senator Gene Yaw is pitching a new natural gas tax. The idea is to allow local communities to include the value of natural gas in property tax assessments,…
Media
Read More: A Tax by Any Name Should Still Smell DefeatTaxes & Economy
Obama’s Energy Agenda
President Obama traveled to Penn State University yesterday to discuss his energy agenda and unveil his new taxpayer funded program incentivizing states to retrofit commercial buildings for energy efficiency.
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Read More: Obama’s Energy AgendaHealth Care
More Bad News for ObamaCare
After Judge Roger Vinson declared that the entire healthcare overhaul is unconstitutional, Heritage analyst Conn Carroll explained how the decision effectively stops implementation in states (including Pennsylvania) that…
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Read More: More Bad News for ObamaCareTaxes & Economy
Environoia Steals Steeler Thunder
National sport championship games such as the World Series or Super Bowl often bring out the mayors or governors of the contenders’ cities for bets on their home teams, usually…
Media
Read More: Environoia Steals Steeler ThunderCriminal Justice Reform
Criminal Justice Reform Needed
Auditor General Wagner has warned the Governor and state legislators to begin using alternative-sentencing instead of long-term prison sentences for non-violent offenders, in order to control the ballooning prison…
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Read More: Criminal Justice Reform NeededTaxes & Economy
Counties Lobby for Marcellus Tax (Fee)
This week, county officials repeatedly asked the Senate Majority Policy Committee for more revenue, principally from a “fee” on natural gas extraction. Of the 12 testifiers speaking on local…
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Read More: Counties Lobby for Marcellus Tax (Fee)Taxes & Economy
Minimum Wage Insanity
Let’s start with sanity, some logic. Theorem: A firm cannot pay workers more than the value that they add to the firm and remain in business.Corollary 1: Imposing a…
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Read More: Minimum Wage InsanityTaxes & Economy
Wind Energy Deal Blows Away
Scrutinize the realities of costly and inefficient wind energy projects (and most alternative energy projects, for that matter) in public spheres where tough questions can be asked — like in…
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Read More: Wind Energy Deal Blows AwayTaxes & Economy
Fox: Like Moore and Gore
The Academy Award nominations were announced this morning, and among those chosen for best documentary was “Gasland,” the Josh Fox propagandizer about the alleged…
Media
Read More: Fox: Like Moore and GoreTaxes & Economy
EPA Could Cost PA 350,000 Jobs
While cap-and-trade died last year, the nationwide regulation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission began earlier this month, via the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) new GHG permits. For clean “green” energy…
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Read More: EPA Could Cost PA 350,000 JobsEnergy
Citizen’s Guide to Electric Choice & Competition 2011
In the late 1990s, Pennsylvania's electricity rates were 15% above the national average, despite the abundance of low-cost coal generation in the Commonwealth. At that time, electricity was sold by…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Citizen’s Guide to Electric Choice & Competition 2011Regulation
Sony Site: Merely Renting Jobs with Corporate Welfare
Last week, the state gave $10 million to rehabilitate the former site of a Sony plant—marking the fourth time taxpayer funding has been used to “create jobs” at the exact…
Media
Read More: Sony Site: Merely Renting Jobs with Corporate WelfareRegulation
Fixing Rendell’s Mess
Penn's Woods are darker and deeper in red ink than ever before thanks to the tax-borrow-and-spend agenda of the Rendell Administration and some General Assembly members who failed to put…
Commentary
Read More: Fixing Rendell’s MessHealth Care
What State Legislators Can Do to Protect Health Care Freedom
ALEC’s new State Legislators Guide to Repealing Obamacare is a wealth of ideas for state legislators and in turn, activists who are dedicated to implementing true healthcare freedoms.
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Read More: What State Legislators Can Do to Protect Health Care FreedomTaxes & Economy
Associated Press Article on Fracking Got it Wrong
As Gov. Corbett’s Administration takes office, anti-drilling activist have sought to make a natural gas severance tax their legislative priority. Unfortunately, their distrust of the gas industry largely stems from…
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Read More: Associated Press Article on Fracking Got it Wrong