Erik Telford

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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.” 

Public Union Democracy

PA is the Teacher Strike leader of the USA

  • March 12, 2006

The Penn-Trafford Education Association is planning to strike this week. Some parents have had enough. See what Simon Campbell is doing about it at www.StopTeacherStrikes.com. Topics on…

Media

Read More: PA is the Teacher Strike leader of the USA

Public Union Democracy

Hypocrisy Knows No Bounds

  • March 11, 2006

Unions seem to spend much of their time these days railing against companies that don’t pay high enough wages and don’t provide health benefits. They try to force these companies…

Media

Read More: Hypocrisy Knows No Bounds

State Budget

Easiest Way to Cut Pork

  • Nathan Benefield
  • March 10, 2006

Five US Senators, in a letter to President Bush, ask him to cut down on earmarked spending (i.e. pork barrel projects) simply by not spending the money. They claim…

Media

Read More: Easiest Way to Cut Pork

Education

School Vouchers are Improving Education in Milwaukee

  • Nathan Benefield
  • March 10, 2006

Summary by National Center for Policy Analysis of a article in the New York Times. Topics on this page MilwaukeeNational Center for Policy Analysis…

Media

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Taxes & Economy

Raising Pennsylvania’s Minimum Wage Will Result in Job Loss

  • Nathan Benefield
  • March 9, 2006

News release from Employment Policies Institute on PA minimum wage. Raising Pennsylvania’s Minimum Wage Will Result in Job Loss for Low-SkilledEarned Income Tax Credit a Better Way…

Media

Read More: Raising Pennsylvania’s Minimum Wage Will Result in Job Loss

Taxes & Economy

What do you do when the facts aren’t on your side?

  • March 8, 2006

Well, if you are Bill George, president of the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO, you hurl insults and yell them loudly. It works really well…so he thinks. This clip is from today’s…

Media

Read More: What do you do when the facts aren’t on your side?

Government Accountability

Sound Policy IS Sound Politics!

  • March 7, 2006

We are encouraged by the very familiar-sounding policy stance of these candidates for office. Sound policy IS sound poilitics! ______________ Text of March 7 news release…. Coalition of GOP challengers…

Media

Read More: Sound Policy IS Sound Politics!

State Budget

Say you want a revolution?

  • March 7, 2006

Editorial from the Chambersburg Public Opinion on how our Supreme Court judges are spending YOUR money. Topics on this page Public OpinionSupreme Court of…

Media

Read More: Say you want a revolution?

Public Union Democracy

Gettin’ out while the gettin’s good

  • March 7, 2006

The Hempfield Area School District is expecting nearly 90 employees (mostly teachers) to retire this year, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. This is a district where the average salary…

Media

Read More: Gettin’ out while the gettin’s good

Regulation

Pennsylvania Pensions: Man-Made Financial Disasters

  • Richard Dreyfuss
  • March 7, 2006

The “Process Improvement Theory” relates to the timing in a process when errors are diagnosed and fixed. As the theory goes, at each ensuing interval in which a problem is…

Commentary

Read More: Pennsylvania Pensions: Man-Made Financial Disasters

Education

Cyberschools have districts edgy

  • Nathan Benefield
  • March 6, 2006

Times-Tribune article on the growth of Pennsylvanias’ Cyberschools. The bottom line: students do better when parents are able to choose which school is best for them. Topics on…

Media

Read More: Cyberschools have districts edgy

Rendell’s pay not “real money”

  • Nathan Benefield
  • March 6, 2006

From CapitolWire: Rendell’s pay not “real money”…For those of you who haven’t heard just how much Gov. Ed Rendell travels in upper-bracket circles these days, he was…

Media

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Taxes & Economy

Seductive snake oil

  • March 6, 2006

Interesting commentary that goes to show you that the battle for free-markets is happening all over the world…including Israel. And the opponents of freedom are the same… ______________Seductive…

Media

Read More: Seductive snake oil

Regulation

State employees’ pensions might carry big price tag

  • March 6, 2006

“Might”? Whoever wrote the headline for this Patriot-News story on the looming pension crisis should have read the story. Even the plan administrators at PSERS and SERS don’t see…

Media

Read More: State employees’ pensions might carry big price tag

State Budget

State Spending Limits: The Real “Road Less Traveled”

  • March 6, 2006

In his 2006-07 budget address, Gov. Ed Rendell claimed to be taking the “road less traveled.” But in unveiling his new spending plan, the governor revealed that he is speeding…

Commentary

Read More: State Spending Limits: The Real “Road Less Traveled”

Taxes & Economy

State Revenue Boom Paves Way for Tax Cuts

  • Nathan Benefield
  • March 3, 2006

An analysis by the Cato Institute of tax revenue and rates for all 50 states ranks Pennsylvania as a “state in need of tax cuts.” This is based on…

Media

Read More: State Revenue Boom Paves Way for Tax Cuts

Taxes & Economy

Artificial costs

  • March 3, 2006

Prevailing wage issue in the Patriot-News. Topics on this page The Patriot-News…

Media

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Public Union Democracy

Teachers set strike date

  • March 2, 2006

Penn-Trafford’s teachers may be on the picket line…again, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. More fodder for Simon Campbell’s www.StopTeacherStrikes.com. Topics on this page Pittsburgh Tribune-Review…

Media

Read More: Teachers set strike date