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Goliath twists tale on skill games

It’s a tale as old as time in Harrisburg, but for those who read about skill games for the first time an obvious question often remains; how is this different from gambling? In simplest terms, skill games are interactive, where, with hand-eye coordination and a little intellectual acuity, the player can affect the outcome on every play. Games can be won by the player’s own skill. On the other hand, casino and lottery games are won by chance. The player has no input as to the spin of the slots, the roll of the dice, the cards dealt or when the roulette wheel stops. The outcome is ...

How to bring a manufacturing boom to Pennsylvania’s communities

President Donald Trump and Gov. Josh Shapiro can agree on one thing: Pennsylvania needs a manufacturing boom. Political talk and regulatory action, however, are two different matters entirely. While the president is doing his part to incentivize manufacturing in Pennsylvania, Shapiro has done virtually nothing to eliminate the many barriers standing in the way of new factories and good-paying jobs. It all comes down to a single word: overregulation. In Washington, Trump is cutting the red tape that handcuffs manufacturers. His administration is repealing ten federal mandates for every ...

Housing data and wrong conclusions

This past week brought a deluge of housing market data, and all eyes were on the new home sales and existing home sales reports. A week prior, the headlines seized upon predictions of a 1.9% decline in home values this year – prompting many pundits to raise the alarm. Yet a closer look at the underlying trends reveals a far more nuanced story, one in which modest price adjustments coexist with steady sales growth and localized strength. Restoring the balance Zillow’s modest price pullback reflects a simple reality: listings are rising faster than buyer demand. In the early weeks of ...

The White House’s war against Harvard

The war being raged by the United States of America against Harvard University is, at least in part, a war against elitism, liberalism, and entitlement. Notwithstanding the University’s multibillion dollar endowment, there is much whining among the intelligentsia that the money given to Harvard for its endowment may be restricted. One thing we know for sure is that the money is not used to reduce tuition payments at Harvard which increase by double the rate of inflation each year. According to some sources, in 2020 alone, federal grant money awarded to colleges and universities ...

Equipping first responders for age of synthetic opioids is race against time

When I started my career in law enforcement, I took an oath to serve and protect my community. Now, as executive director of the PA Chiefs of Police Association, I see that oath being lived by my fellow law enforcement colleagues throughout the state. Our members represent every type of community throughout the Commonwealth – from rural areas to the suburbs to urban cities. While each region is different and presents its own set of unique circumstances for law enforcement to work under, one issue that is raised as a problem for each type of jurisdiction is the opioid crisis. It is ...

Pennyslvania direly needs tax reform

Each year, April 15th reminds us of the costliness of government spending – and why lawmakers must reduce this financial burden on hardworking taxpayers. Unfortunately, Pennsylvania is on a collision course with higher taxes. Due to years of spending growth, Pennsylvania faces a $4.8 billion structural deficit. Lawmakers’ options for addressing this deficit are limited: They can either cut spending or increase taxes. Yet, Gov. Josh Shapiro seems to be embracing a riskier third option: ignore the problem and hope it goes away. Instead of reining in spending, Shapiro’s 2025–26 ...