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Is it time for a long, hard look?

Looking back in history to help guide the present into the future is something less than wanted in American society and government. Sadly, America has a poor track record of not learning from history, save maybe learning not to go to Vietnam or Afghanistan. The collapse of the Roman Empire is a case in point. There is much to be learned from the collapse that rings familiar in America today. The collapse centered, in part, on numerous economic problems associated with serving the needs of Roman armies in a number of foreign countries. That seems familiar in that America has over 700 ...

The Sunshine Act is being mistreated

Citizens should know what issues their school boards, borough councils and other government agencies plan to deliberate and/or vote on at public meetings. Call this commonsense requirement what it is: the law in Pennsylvania. Since 2021 the Sunshine Act, or state open-meetings law, requires that a government agency make its meeting agenda available at least 24 hours in advance of a public meeting. The agency must post the agenda on its publicly accessible internet website, if it has one, as well as at the agency office and at the location of the meeting. In addition, copies of the ...

Young people need more opportunities, not student loan forgiveness

As many know, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down President Biden’s student loan forgiveness proposal on June 30. While this ruling is a win for taxpayers, there are still millions of Americans with trillions of dollars in outstanding student loans who now need to pay back that debt. I applaud the high court’s ruling, but we can’t ignore the student loan debt crisis either. There are steps that we can and should take to help borrowers, protect taxpayers, and strengthen Pennsylvania’s economy. While it’s true that some of these borrowers have not budgeted well and will ...

Why I voted ‘No’ on fiscally irresponsible state budget

I grew up the son of a farmer. From a young age, everyone in our home, including my five brothers and I, knew that balancing the budget was the key to our family’s survival. We all worked, we all contributed, we all scrimped and saved when we had to — and we never spent more than we could sell or what Mom and Dad could make in other income. The bottom line was just that and we all respected it. This week I come home from Harrisburg fresh off the heels of my first experience working with fellow lawmakers on our state budget for the next fiscal year. It is a fascinating process, for ...

Wage hike would hurt small businesses

It seems as if lawmakers in Harrisburg have quickly forgotten about steps taken by the Wolf administration during the COVID-19 pandemic that crippled many of Pennsylvania’s small businesses and ultimately forced far too many to close their doors entirely. Right now, the Pennsylvania General Assembly is debating another move that could once again crush the commonwealth’s greatest job creators — a minimum wage increase to $15 an hour. As a small business owner, it has been difficult to listen to the tone-deaf arguments of those who support raising the minimum wage. The reality is ...

The dark money message lurking behind the assault on school choice

Pennsylvania lawmakers who are being told to oppose school choice at the behest of a pressure group wedded to failing public schools would be well advised to follow the money trail. A group calling itself Education Voters of Pennsylvania is encouraging state residents to email the governor and state lawmakers asking them to oppose “Lifeline Scholarships” that enable school choice for low-income students. Susan Spicka, the group’s executive director, argues that the scholarships would undermine public schools “by funneling state funding into unaccountable private and ...