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Americans need Trump’s White House to unleash natural gas

What should President-elect Donald Trump do on Day One? The answer is clear for Pennsylvania, where the president-elect campaigned the most and delivered a historic victory. Trump won Pennsylvania in large part by promising to end the Biden administration’s war on natural gas, the energy source that powers the state’s and the country’s economic future. His most important job is to deliver on the promise. In Pennsylvania, the urgency is palpable. We’re the country’s second-largest producer of natural gas and the No. 1 state for exporting electricity. The natural gas we drill ...

Whiskey’s resurgence in rebellion’s heart

LATROBE -- The making of whiskey in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, has often been fraught with a fair amount of drama. Whether it was those trying to make it or those trying to drink it, the government has sought to tax and sometimes even ban both activities. Two hundred thirty years ago, William Findley, a Revolutionary War hero, farmer and statesman, drew the wrath of Alexander Hamilton over the severe measures the Treasury Department placed on Pennsylvania farmers who opposed the newly enacted federal whiskey excise tax. Findley, who lived in Latrobe, petitioned the new government to ...

Whiskey, presidential pardons and history

It was 1874 that our beloved Pennsylvania farmers protested unfair taxation. They echoed the sentiment of the founders who rebelled against the British Empire over the question of unfair taxation. In 1791, two years after the Constitution was ratified and the United States came into existence, Congress had approved a federal tax on spirits and stills. The farmers in Western Pennsylvania were the new frontier. The distilling of whiskey was one method of converting grain into liquor which was then much easier to transport across the Appalachian Mountains in order to reach the Atlantic ...

Time for governor to ditch corporate welfare, cut red tape

For two years, Gov. Josh Shapiro has talked about the need for government to “move at the speed of business.” Though rhetoric is plentiful in Harrisburg, the governor has taken real action to address regulatory reform. Thus far, the Shapiro administration has inventoried all of Pennsylvania’s 2,400 plus permits, sped up processing times for occupational licenses, and — just this week — introduced a new “fast track” permitting program for selected projects. However, Shapiro has also pursued destructive policies, like borrowing hundreds of millions for PA SITES, a program ...

Count your economic blessings

Although consumer sentiment, as measured by the University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers, remains much lower than it was before the pandemic, it is finally on an upward trajectory. And while some groups – such as lower-income and younger renter households – are still reeling from the highest inflation in more than four decades, most Americans are financially better off than they were a year ago and wealthier than before the pandemic. The U.S. economy continues to outperform expectations, earning its place as the envy of the world. There’s much to be thankful for this holiday ...

How the Republican Party should change Washington

With their recent victories, President-elect Donald Trump and congressional Republicans received a new mandate to act. But what does this mandate entail? Hints from the campaign trail provide insight on what this new administration must tackle first. By reining in executive authority, extending tax relief, cutting federal spending, and slashing red tape, the Trump administration and Congress can usher in a new era of economic prosperity and fiscal responsibility. Too much power Reduce executive authority. Pundits and partisans frequently suggested this could be our “last ...