Elizabeth Stelle
Vice President of Policy
Elizabeth has researched and written on government reform, health care, welfare, energy, and government transparency. Her work has been featured in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Patriot-News, Philadelphia Inquirer, and a variety of radio and television programs throughout the commonwealth. Elizabeth is a graduate of Grove City College where she earned a bachelor’s degree in history.
A native of Ohio, Elizabeth makes her home in the Pittsburgh area with her husband and four children. She enjoys swimming, traveling to historic landmarks and exploring the moral foundations of capitalism.
Education
Progressives Agree: More Dollars Do Not Equal More Scholars
The Center for American Progress conducted a study on school district spending, performance, and efficiency and comes to the unremarkable conclusion that more resources are not directly correlated with higher test scores…
Media
Read More: Progressives Agree: More Dollars Do Not Equal More ScholarsEducation
More Evidence that School Choice Saves Tax Dollars
Reason’s 2010 Annual Privatization Report in Education highlights the savings states have enjoyed thanks to school choice. Since school vouchers and education tax credits are typically much lower than…
Media
Read More: More Evidence that School Choice Saves Tax DollarsHealth Care
Medicaid Reforms Start with the States
Medicaid spending threatens to consume the entire Pennsylvania state budget, and we aren’t alone. Without greater flexibility, states will be forced to cut services, raise taxes or drop out…
Media
Read More: Medicaid Reforms Start with the States
Spending Transparency Coming to Pennsylvania?
PennWATCH (House Bill 15), sponsored by Rep. Jim Christiana, would create a user-friendly database with searchable information on all state government spending. The bill passed the Pennsylvania House unanimously on…
Commentary
Read More: Spending Transparency Coming to Pennsylvania?Taxes & Economy
Environmentalists Blow Recent Rule Change out of Proportion
Reactions to the Corbett administration’s revoking of mandatory impact reports on state lands targeted for drilling fail to see the big picture. Comments from environmentalists imply that without an extra…
Media
Read More: Environmentalists Blow Recent Rule Change out of ProportionPublic 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 BargainingEducation
Philly’s Anti-Defamation League Chapter Supports Vouchers
The Anti-Defamation League has a long history of opposing vouchers for public school students. As part of that tradition, they object on the principal of separation of church and state,…
Media
Read More: Philly’s Anti-Defamation League Chapter Supports VouchersState 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?Government Accountability
Podcast: Talking Transparency
In the latest The BOX podcast, Senior Fellow Jeff Coleman sits down with Representative Jim Christiana after the unanimous passage of his transparency legislation in the State House.
Media
Read More: Podcast: Talking TransparencyTaxes & 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 DefeatHealth 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…
Media
Read More: More Bad News for ObamaCareTaxes & 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…
Media
Read More: Counties Lobby for Marcellus Tax (Fee)Government Accountability
Spending Transparency on the Fast Track in PA
Yesterday, Rep. Christiana’s PennWATCH proposal passed the House State Government Committee along with a number of reform measures designed to bring more transparency to state spending. The legislation (HB 15) is scheduled…
Media
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Intern with CF this Summer
Are you a student or do you know a student looking to advance their career while advancing liberty? The IHS Charles G. Koch Summer Fellows Program provides summer…
Media
Read More: Intern with CF this SummerEnergy
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 2011Health 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.
Media
Read More: What State Legislators Can Do to Protect Health Care FreedomGovernment Accountability
Good Government Reforms Stall
In November, many legislative candidates campaigned on cutting costs in the legislature through specific, commonsense reforms. Ending the frequent abuse of per diems and requiring receipts for expenses topped the list,…
Media
Read More: Good Government Reforms StallGovernment Accountability
Are Freshmen Lawmakers Bad for State Legislatures?
Governing magazine looks at the disadvantages to term limits, focusing on the constant turnover in state legislatures. Recognizing the inexperience of lawmakers, states like Michigan and California are setting up…
Media
Read More: Are Freshmen Lawmakers Bad for State Legislatures?Regulation
Cigarette Taxes Increase Crime
Our friends at the Mackinac Center have released a study on the smuggling of cigarettes due to high cigarette taxes. While politicians often tout raising taxes as a tool to…
Media
Read More: Cigarette Taxes Increase Crime