Energy
Regulations subvert ‘environmental justice’
Originally published at the Williamsport Sun-Gazette Thirty years ago, more than 800 waste coal piles marred the Pennsylvania landscape, poisoning streams and emitting gaseous odors, including the rotten-egg smell…
Read More: Regulations subvert ‘environmental justice’Pennsylvania’s notoriously high level of regulation is a burden on our state economy. To make the Keystone State a competitive place to live, work, or grow a business, reforms are needed to rein in the regulatory process. Taxpayers deserve a streamlined regulatory process that scrutinizes proposed regulations to ensure frivolous reforms do not overburden the state economy and do not prevent job-seekers from accessing employment.
Regulation
Fleeing Philly
Roughly 60,000 people leave Philadelphia every year, significantly more than those who move in from other towns or cities according to a Pew Charitable Trusts survey.[1]…
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Good Returns Won’t Close the Gap
The state teachers’ pension fund, PSERS, just reported a 6.7% return over the past twelve months. That is a very good investment return. Sadly, when starting from a deep…
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RGGI Would Hurt Pennsylvanians
The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) is a network of nine surrounding states that have imposed caps on CO2 emissions in a failed attempt to impact climate trends. Current member states have experienced increased…
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Pensions and Pa’s Poor Fiscal Health
Pennsylvania recently underwent a “fiscal physical’ and didn’t exactly come out with a clean bill of health. Truth in Accounting, an economic think tank, recently released its report on the…
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Mimosa Monopoly
Pennsylvania is waging a secret war on millennials. Okay, maybe not on millennials, but definitely on brunch, and that’s pretty much the same thing. The deleterious effect of Pennsylvania’s sky-high…
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The Liquor Control Board is a Jobs Program, Not a Business
The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) recently announced “record sales and record net income” for the year ended June 30th. Such wording is the language of a business proudly…
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The Broken Promise of Flexible Liquor Pricing
The Liquor Control Board told the public it would use its expanded pricing powers for consumer benefit. Instead it has used them to benefit only itself.
Memo
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Employment for Disabled Workers is Up, but Regulations are Holding Them Back
Lyft, a major ride sharing company, rolled out a feature to make it easier for those who are deaf or hard of hearing to be employed as a driver. The labor…
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Read More: Employment for Disabled Workers is Up, but Regulations are Holding Them BackRegulation
Black Market Lemonade
Lemonade stands are about as American as apple pie and baseball. Kids all over the country set up their stands hoping to earn a little spending money. Often, this is…
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Cigarette Taxes Target the Poor
The founder of Pennsylvania, William Penn, believed strong liberty of conscience was essential to a flourishing society. But Pennsylvania’s current slough of sin taxes shrug off Penn’s warning. Pennsylvania’s sin…
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Corporate Welfare Is the Gift That Just Keeps Taking
Less than a year ago Pennsylvania’s state government offered Amazon billions in tax incentives to bring its HQ-2 location here. Amazon said no. But, when the commerce giant decided to open…
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No More Food Stamps for Millionaires
Leroy Fick won $2 million playing the Michigan lottery. He bought a new home and a costly car, all while collecting taxpayer-funded food stamps. Fick and stories like his…
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Government-Run Booze Losing Across the Nation: Will Pa. be Next?
The Supreme Court delivered several high-profile rulings this summer on issues including partisan gerrymandering and the census citizenship question. A lesser-known case, Tennessee Wine and Spirits Retailers Association v. Thomas, will also…
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Read More: Government-Run Booze Losing Across the Nation: Will Pa. be Next?Regulation
Only Six Months in and Pension Reform Is Already Making a Difference
Planting a fruit tree. Saving up for a cruise. Raising kids. Good results take time and patience. That’s definitely been true for pension reform. Passed back in 2017, the impacts…
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Read More: Only Six Months in and Pension Reform Is Already Making a DifferenceGovernment Accountability
Budget Earmarks: Sneaky and Unconstitutional
A wise buyer should always read the fine print, but it isn’t easy. Documents like cell phone contracts and software user agreements can be hard to read, often by design. The dense language…
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Consumers not Bureaucrats Should Determine the Number of Liquor Licenses
The return of expired liquor licenses—miraculous resurrection or terrifying zombification? Well, depends on who you ask. Since 2016, when Act 39 allowed expired liquor licenses to return to the…
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Liquor Privatization: Time to Push Again
A Pennsylvania grocery or convenience store can be a confusing place. Out-of-state visitors are puzzled when they first encounter separate checkout lines for alcohol and non-alcoholic items. Last-minute party planners…
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Climate Change
For decades state government has imposed subsidies, increased regulation and raised energy costs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. These efforts have largely failed to make an impact. On the other…
Memo
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Four Ways Lawmakers Are Setting Up Pa. For Success
Freedom and opportunity are on the move in the Keystone State. In the past week, lawmakers have taken four serious strides for the families and business owners of Pennsylvania. We’re…
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House Tackles Pa.’s Heavy Regulatory Burden
Despite record low unemployment and rising wages, three-quarters of Pennsylvania counties have lost residents to other counties and states. Why? One key factor is our poor business climate. According…
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Read More: House Tackles Pa.’s Heavy Regulatory BurdenCriminal Justice Reform
Fighting Poverty can be a Bipartisan Effort
Here's a letter I submitted to the Philadelphia Daily News on how Pennsylvanians of any ideology can share good intent, and work toward a common goal. I was disappointed…
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