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Shapiro won’t be VP — and he only has himself to blame

Earlier this month, all signs pointed to Gov. Josh Shapiro joining Vice President Kamala Harris on the Democratic presidential ticket. After all, Shapiro sits atop high approval ratings in the nation’s largest and most important swing state. He seemingly had a home-field advantage with Harris’s announcement scheduled for Philadelphia. However, life served Shapiro a healthy helping of humble pie when Harris picked Minnesota Gov. Tom Walz as her running mate. So, why Walz instead of Shapiro? Speculation about why Harris didn’t pick Shapiro is rampant –including blowback from ...

Harris failed as ‘border czar’

I have been a Border Patrol agent since 1997, serving under Presidents Clinton, Bush, Obama, Trump, and Biden, and I served as president of the National Border Patrol Council (NBPC) from 2013 to earlier this year. I have worked alongside U.S. presidents, members of Congress, and elected officials across the political spectrum to find ways to strengthen our border security and give our Border Patrol agents the resources they need to keep America safe. Let me clear something up: Vice President Kamala Harris is the “Border Czar,” and while she is trying to deny that fact, pretend to ...

Loss of power plants needs to be priority

What can Pennsylvania lawmakers do about a looming regional power shortage that they didn’t cause and can’t easily fix? This dilemma poses the most important energy issue facing the commonwealth. PJM Interconnection — which operates the regional electric grid serving 13 states and the District of Columbia — issued a report last year warning that, under current trends, there may not be enough electric generating capacity to keep the lights on by 2028-2030. The problem results from a combination of circumstances. First, demand for electricity is growing due to the proliferation ...

Pennsylvania’s backward budget

Pennsylvania’s most precious resource – people – are leaving. Gov. Josh Shapiro’s newly adopted 2024–25 state budget, once more, mimics the policies of other declining states, guaranteeing this downward trend will continue. From 2013 to 2023, Pennsylvania, on average, lost 25,000 people annually to other states through migration. Where did they go? Recent Independent Fiscal Office analysis shows Pennsylvanians moved to Florida, the Carolinas, Delaware, and Texas. Today, more income flows out of Pennsylvania than in – on net, a negative $2.76 billion. These destination ...

JD Vance and the bipartisan itch to tax Americans’ behavior

Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance has been in the news for an old clip of him talking about how the tax code should punish adults without kids. While Vance’s proposal probably aims to address demographic concerns, it represents a misguided approach that contradicts fundamental principles of economic freedom and fairness. And you know what? That’s precisely what our tax code already does, in this case and many others. Using the tax code to “reward” parents and “punish” nonparents is at odds with the idea of a neutral, efficient tax system. In an ideal and ...

Thank you, President Biden

It seems I spoke too soon. My last column was written before President Biden stepped aside and endorsed Kamala Harris. The results of this action were better than any of the Dems I know had hoped for. There was no chaos. Dems of varied stripes didn’t begin putting forth their candidates for consideration. There was no great debate about how to go about replacing the President on the ticket. Instead, more endorsements came pouring in from Democratic senators, congressmen/women and governors. And money! More money than anybody’s ever seen. (Sorry, I’m starting to sound like Donald ...