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Governor’s mantra of campaign slogans won’t fix Pennsylvania

Though elected in 2022, Gov. Josh Shapiro remains stuck in campaign mode, offering one empty platitude after another while avoiding the hard work Pennsylvanians elected him to do. Despite his incessant mantra of “getting stuff done,” Shapiro has done the opposite. His first year ranks him as the least productive governor in recent Pennsylvania history, with few accomplishments during his tenure. Case in point: the 2023-24 budget debacle. Shapiro undid months of good-faith negotiations by jettisoning one of his top campaign promises: Lifeline Scholarships, which he renamed the ...

By their fruits ye shall know them

On Easter Sunday, perhaps the most venerated day of the year for Christians, two men who were selected to lead our country sent greetings to the people. President Joe Biden wrote, “Jill and I send our warmest wishes to Christians around the world celebrating Easter Sunday. Easter reminds us of the power of hope and the promise of Christ’s Resurrection. As we gather with loved ones, we remember Jesus’ sacrifice. We pray for one another and cherish the blessing of the dawn of new possibilities. And with wars and conflict taking a toll on innocent lives around the world, we renew our ...

Governor wrong about the border

In the midst of the southern border crisis, the Pennsylvania Senate took action by passing Senate Resolution 251, calling for the Pennsylvania National Guard to be deployed to Texas to help secure the border. One would think that securing our border and protecting Pennsylvanians from human trafficking, crime and fentanyl would be a bipartisan priority. Sadly, Gov. Josh Shapiro and Senate Democrats referred to it as “political theater and grandstanding.” Facts are stubborn things. According to U.S Customs and Border Protection data, more than 7 million illegal immigrants have ...

Pennsylvanians should be astute consumers of election information

When I became Secretary of the Commonwealth, I vowed to visit all 67 county election offices to hear firsthand about the challenges they face when running elections. Although I ran elections in Philadelphia for 10 years as a city commissioner, I knew that other counties face far different challenges, and no two counties are alike. For example, in Philadelphia, a staff of about 125 people administer elections. But some rural counties may have only one or two employees to register county residents to vote; manage the mail ballot process; test the voting equipment; assign polling locations ...

Expansion of alternative energy senseless

In 2004, Pennsylvania implemented one of the most aggressive mandates to adopt wind and solar energy. At the time, less than 1 percent of net energy generation came from these sources. In 2023, after nearly $1.5 billion in subsidies, wind and solar generated less than 2 percent. So, what’s the point? That’s the question Gov. Josh Shapiro must answer before any expansion to Pennsylvania’s Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards (AEPS). Instead, he is doubling down on uneconomical fuels and technologies, resulting in higher electricity bills and a less reliable ...

From enemies to allies by renewing, reinvigorating democracy

At the beginning of World War II, the United States faced two intransigent, militaristic and powerful enemies: the Nazi German government and imperialistic Japan. The United States embarked on a war after Pearl Harbor, intended to utterly and completely destroy the enemy. Japan suffered two atomic bombs, killing and burning alive tens of thousands of people. The Japanese, notwithstanding their pride and kamikaze mentality, were not willing to see their entire country and its population destroyed. The Germans, faced a similar fate. By the end of the War, the allies were fire-bombing ...