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.”
Taxes & Economy
Total Cost of Pennsylvania State & Local Government
The total cost of state and local government in Pennsylvania reached an estimated $108.3 billion in FY 2005-06, and will likely exceed $130 billion by FY 2010-11 (by conservative projections).
Fact Sheet
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Philly-to-Harrisburg on high-speed rail
From PennLive.com NewsFlash: Harrisburg to Philly on high speed trains? Cool.Trains at 110 miles per hour? Neat.Only an hour and a half from HAR to PHL? Ok.
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Rendell Looks to Raise Taxes on Oil Companies in Pennsylvania
From The Tax Foundation. Topics on this page PennsylvaniaTax Foundation…
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Property Tax Relief that Isn’t
The new property tax “relief” plan, Act 1, is already taking heat for not providing much relief – even for senior citizens, the group targetted for immediate relief – based…
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PA lagging in Welfare to Work
Pennsylvania is among a handful of states that need to improve the number of welfare recipients working, the AP reports. Under new federal law, states are required to have…
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Read More: PA lagging in Welfare to WorkRegulation
Hair Braiding Drama
Patriot News article on the fear of unlicensed hair-braiders vs. the danger in regulatory professions (though they emphasize the former). Read Stephen Albert’s commentary on the burdens of…
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Read More: Hair Braiding DramaHealth Care
Will Mandatory Health Insurance Work?
NCPA Analysis of Health Insurance Mandates, such as the new Massachusetts law and proposals discussed at recent hearings in Pennsylvania. Bottom line: they won’t work, and they could drive…
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Read More: Will Mandatory Health Insurance Work?Government Accountability
The real meaning of ‘reform’
Brad Bumsted column in Sunday’s Pittsburgh Tribune Review on the need for legislative reform. He cites the recent Commonwealth Foundation study on reforms needed. Topics on this…
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Incomes and Politics
Wall Street Journal article on income disparity and inconsistent political rhetoric. Topics on this page The Wall Street Journal…
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School choice leads to less segregation
Contrary to the rhetoric of many opponents of school choice, two new studies from the Milton & Rose Friedman Foundation shows that private schools participating in the voucher programs…
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Household Income Analysis
Interesting note by the The Tax Foundation on recent household income data. While a recent Census Report indicates that real median household income (adjusted for inflation) has declined since…
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The best education reform: More sleep.
Wall Street Journal editorial on why schools should start their days later. I’ve never considered this from a policy point of view, but I know that for 13 years,…
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SAT Scores and PA Schools
SAT Scores Nationally, scores dropped, primarily attributed to a change in the test format. Pennsylania continues to lag behind, ranking 47th in the nation in average combined SAT score.
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Tax Credits for Health Care
While Pennsylvania lawmakers discuss mandating universal health care coverage, a Census Bureau report indicates fewer people are receiving health insurance from their employers, and more are paying for…
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Soak the Poor
Analysis of how not “extending the Bush tax cuts” (i.e. raising taxes dramatically in 2011) would hurt low- and moderate-income familes from Investors Business Daily, summarize here by…
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Economic Benefit of Wal-Mart
Op-Ed by Robert Samuleson in today’s Washington Post on how Wal-Mart’s low-price policies benefit all Americans – doing a much better job controlling inflation than the Federal Reserve. “A…
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Reveal Health Care Costs
Health care pricing – the only good or service I can think of where you don’t learn the price until the bill comes – may be changing. USA Today…
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Read More: Reveal Health Care CostsPublic Union Democracy
Ending Teacher strikes
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review weighs in on how best to end teacher strikes in PA. Topics on this page PennsylvaniaPittsburgh Tribune-ReviewTeacher…
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Fines for Sex without a License
Legislation proposed by State Rep. Keith McCall would require prospective massage therapists to take 600 hours of classroom training, have instruction in CPR and HIV, pass an exam, and…
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Read More: Fines for Sex without a LicenseRegulation
Pa. bureaucracy pursues a love of licensing
Read Commonwealth Foundation intern Stephen Albert’s commentary on the regulation of economic freedom in today’s York Dispatch. Topics on this page PennsylvaniaStephen Albert…
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Read More: Pa. bureaucracy pursues a love of licensingRegulation
The 1% Solution
Read Commonwealth Foundation senior fellow Rick Dreyfuss’s latest commentary on senate health care cost sharing in today’s Patriot News. Topics on this page The Patriot-News…
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