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.”
Galbraith’s follies
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review editorial on “one of the anointed liberals of the last century.” “The Canadian-born adviser to presidents and Harvard economist had a generous spirit, generous with money not…
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Read More: Galbraith’s folliesTaxes & Economy
Property tax proposal has lots of loopholes
Good coverage by Christina Gostomski (and John Micek) of the Allentown Morning Call on the faux taxpayer protections in the bill moving to the House today. Topics on…
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Read More: Property tax proposal has lots of loopholesTaxes & Economy
State’s tax-reduction debate is about the wrong thing
Good timing for the Allentown Morning Call to run my op-ed on our property tax relief scholarship act. As the counter to yesterday’s passage of Act 72 warmed…
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Expert: Property tax plan won’t help for long
Rick Dreyfuss in the Allentown Morning Call: ”I would fully expect that any reduction the average homeowner sees in property taxes would be offset by increases … It’s just…
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Read More: Expert: Property tax plan won’t help for longState Budget
Line-Item Veto Draws Sen. Byrd’s Scorn – Yahoo! News
Shockingly, the man responsible for more pork-barrel spending than anyone opposes limiting pork-barrel spending. From Yahoo! News Topics on this page Robert ByrdYahoo! News…
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Read More: Line-Item Veto Draws Sen. Byrd’s Scorn – Yahoo! NewsEducation
Scholarships as tax relief
Read Matt Brouillette’s commentary in today’s York Dispatch. Topics on this page York Dispatch…
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Read More: Scholarships as tax reliefPublic Union Democracy
Thanks Union Bosses!
Watch this Center for Union Facts commercial that will be running nationally this week. Learn more at UnionFacts.com. Topics on this page Center for Union…
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Read More: Thanks Union Bosses!Taxes & Economy
Taxing Oil
A “windfall” tax on “big oil” will only reduce the supply of oil and increase the cost of gasoline, writes Pittsburgh Tribune-Review columnist Colin McKnickle. It is a shame,…
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The Key to Property Tax Relief
The failure to pass a property tax “relief” plan in Harrisburg has everything to do with politics—politicians can’t agree on whose ox to gore. Current proposals require some taxpayers to…
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Read More: The Key to Property Tax ReliefRegulation
State jobs: Pay, perks make for popular work
Reading Eagle story on government jobs. Topics on this page Reading Eagle…
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Read More: State jobs: Pay, perks make for popular workTaxes & Economy
Free Enterprise and Taxpayer Protection Act
An issue the Commonwealth Foundation has weighed in on, government “enterprises” that compete with private businesses. Read more about it here. Below is the Capitolwire.com story on yesterday’s hearing…
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Read More: Free Enterprise and Taxpayer Protection ActRegulation
Auction Slots Licenses
The Commonwealth Foundation called for auctioning off the slots licenses in 2003 and 2004, but the gambling proponents decided to “sell” them at a 90% discount rate.
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Educating From the Bench
Judges order legislators to spend more on schools, and taxpayers see less in return. Dr. Jay P. Greene in today’s Wall Street Journal. Topics on this page…
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Minimum wage, maximum folly
Walter Williams in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Topics on this page Pittsburgh Tribune-ReviewWalter E. Williams…
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Why a windfall tax is bad policy
Should the federal government create a new tax on profits only for oil companies, as Governor Rendell suggests? This “windfall tax” esentially ensures a limit on the amount of…
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Read More: Why a windfall tax is bad policyGovernment Accountability
Court says auditor general cannot be made to review Legislature
So much for the Auditor General being the taxpayers’ watchdog! According to the AP: “A state court on Monday rejected a lawsuit by a citizen who wanted thestate…
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Read More: Court says auditor general cannot be made to review LegislatureGovernment Accountability
The price of gas
Gouging…by government. Read the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Editorial.
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Read More: The price of gasRegulation
2001 pension vote could cost billions
The REPUBLICAN & Herald story on the coming crisis.
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Read More: 2001 pension vote could cost billionsRegulation
Pension caps would benefit taxpayers
Commonwealth Foundation Senior Fellow Rick Dreyfuss in today’s Patriot-News. Topics on this page The Patriot-News…
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Read More: Pension caps would benefit taxpayersTaxes & Economy
Tax Freedom Day in Pennsylvania
Happy Tax Freedom Day, Pennsylvania! If you are looking for a reason to celebrate, you need look no further than Tax Freedom Day.
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Read More: Tax Freedom Day in PennsylvaniaEducation
New Report on High School Graduation
A new report from the Manhattan Institute, released today, attempts to calculate real (as opposed to reported) high school graduation rates, using a consistent methodology across states. They found…
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