Erik Telford
Senior Vice President of Public Affairs
Erik Telford is the Senior Vice President of Public Affairs at the Commonwealth Foundation.
Erik is a senior public affairs and communications executive with more than 15 years of diverse experience across public policy, advocacy, and public affairs institutions. Before joining the Commonwealth Foundation, Erik served as the senior vice president at Stand Together Communications, the Koch network’s marketing and communications capability. Erik has also served as the president of the Franklin Center for Government & Public Integrity, a state-based watchdog journalism organization. And at Americans for Prosperity, he was the executive director of RightOnline (an initiative he founded) and the director of membership and online strategy. He is currently on the board of the American Commitment Foundation.
In 2013, Campaigns & Elections Magazine honored Erik as an “Advocacy Innovator” and in 2011 as a “Rising Star in American Politics.” Politics Online named him one of the “Top 10 Who Are Changing the World of Internet and Politics.”
The Global Warming Test
What do you know about Global Warming? Take the Global Warming Test from the Heartland Institute. Topics on this page Climate changeThe Heartland Institute…
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Pinocchio Ed
Allegheny Institute’s Jake Haulk in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review challenges — among other half-baked claims made by Gov. Rendell — the mindset that government “investment” of tax dollars is a…
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Questions raised about union official’s pension
Story on the former Pittsburgh Port Authority union leader’s “special retirement package” in today’s Post-Gazette. And we wonder why Pittsburgh’s mass transit system is always on the verge…
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Watch Benefield on Cyber School Funding
I will be on Pennsylvania Newsmakers dicussing cyber school funding. Click here for TV listings this weekend and next week.
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Rendell, Orie: Privatize PHEAA
Post Gazette – PHEAA bonuses enrage Rendell: “I haven’t seen a mind-set change to ‘We’re a public agency and we’re going to act like a public…
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Taxpayers poised to pay $2 billion for pensions
Morning Call story on the looming crisis in state and school employees’ pensions. Topics on this page The Morning Call…
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More on PHEAA from the Guv
Governor calls PHEAA bonuses “outrageous” – Breaking News with The Patriot-News Sens. Jane Orie, R-Allegheny, and John Rafferty, R-Montgomery, reacted to the bonuses by saying they plan to…
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Feds receive request to toll I-80
Toll Roads News on the Application of the PA Turnpike Commission for tolling I-80 – featuring a copy of the actual application and some commentary including: The application…
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Bonus Time At PHEAA
Jan Murphy at the Patriot News on PHEAA’s latest round of bonuses, noting that PHEAA CEO Dick Willey’s bonus is higher than Governor Rendell’s salary.The headline “PHEAA’s…
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Tobacco companies must pay Pa. growers
Story from the AP and Intelligencer Journal on a court ruling that tobacco companies must pay tobacco farmers for lost revenue (HT to Grassroots PA). The PA Attorney…
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Kids First?
David Freddoso on SCHIP on National Review Online takes on two key parts of the SCHIP debate. First is the Bush administration’s new rules that states will have to…
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Liberal Views, Black Victims
Walter E. Williams on crime in Philadelphia, and what citizens (yes, citizens, not lawmakers) should do about it. Topics on this page PhiladelphiaWalter E.
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Improving Pennsylvania’s Highways and Bridges Through Public-Private Partnerships
State Senator Jake Corman on the benefits of P3s in Transportation, and his plans to introduce authorizing legislation in the fall. Topics on this page…
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Read More: Improving Pennsylvania’s Highways and Bridges Through Public-Private PartnershipsTaxes & Economy
Minimum Wage COLAs: Overstated Benefits & Hidden Costs
Support for minimum wage increases is based on the idea that a higher minimum wage will “help the poor” by increasing their pay and lifting them out of poverty.
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How to reduce the cost of insurance by 50%
Wall Street Journal article on new, low-cost individual health insurance offerings. (HT to SPN Blog) This sounded good especially, “Humana Inc. packages start at $26 a month“. This…
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Drunk on ethanol
Los Angeles Times article on politicians love for ethanol – mandating its use and subsidizing its production, while keeping high tariffs on foreign ethanol. They also point out how…
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Dunk’s Commentaries
Bill Dunkelberg–who is a Commonwealth Foundation Board Member, Temple economics professor, and chief economist for the NFIB–provides these regular commentaries on today’s issues. Here’s his latest installment… With…
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Do stop-light cameras kill?
I am on an email list giving about 85 or so reasons to oppose stop-light cameras. I think I’ve ignored about 52 of these emails so far, but I’ll pass…
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Like them or not, cyber schools prove accountable
Editorial by Dennis Tulli in the Lebanon Daily News on the accountability of cyber schools, along with their underfunding (and the frequent refusal of school districts to pay their…
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Read More: Like them or not, cyber schools prove accountableWelfare
Public Welfare Needs Assistance
Although the 2007-2008 budget controversy is fading from the limelight, the exorbitant spending it authorizes cannot be overlooked. One of the largest portions of state spending is public welfare,…
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Pennsylvanians not pleased with plan for I-80
Pennsylvanians are starting to give their two cents on Gov. Rendell’s proposed plan to toll I-80, and so far, they aren’t singing its praises. Not even close.
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