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Radical tax hikes will accelerate Pennsylvania’s outmigration

Gov. Josh Shapiro keeps repeating the claim that Pennsylvania is the only growing state in the Northeast. But that’s not true. Residents continue to leave Pennsylvania for greener pastures. New data from the Internal Revenue Service shows that Pennsylvania lost 15,000 residents on net to other states in 2023. Those residents took with them $2.3 billion in annual income. This outmigration spans all age groups, but it is especially pronounced among working-age professionals and higher-income earners. These are the very people who drive economic growth. And they are leaving for ...

Munich and its memory of horrors

I once interviewed a young German national who applied for a job. I wanted to see how he would handle a difficult question. I pointed out to him that I was Jewish and that most of my mother’s family had perished in the Holocaust. He was German, not yet a U.S. national, and I wondered what his reaction would be. His response was measured and perfect for the occasion. He explained to me that as a German who went to school, until college, in Germany, he knew more about the Holocaust than any American young person he had met. He indicated that he had been taken to concentration camps while ...

Affordability requires more power plants

Pennsylvania has powered America for generations. From the coal that fueled the Industrial Revolution to the natural gas boom of the Marcellus Shale, our state has long been one of the nation’s energy leaders. That is why it is frustrating for many families and small businesses to see their electricity bills rising. In a state that produces so much energy, electricity should be abundant and affordable. The truth is, Pennsylvania does not have a resource problem. We have one of the world’s largest natural gas reserves and the ability to produce far more electricity than we do ...

Dispelling ‘False Claims Act’ myths

It’s budget season in Pennsylvania, which means that politicians are grasping at any loose straws they can find to painlessly raise revenue without raising taxes. Regardless of a proposal’s shortcomings, if it makes a good sound bite, it will be pushed as a potential revenue generator for the state. Such is the case with a proposed state False Claims Act. Unfortunately, like its very name, claims that it will fill the current revenue gap needed to pass a budget are false. Simply put, a False Claims Act (FCA) allows individuals to bring lawsuits against businesses and health care ...

The ‘smash and grab’ administration

Once called the “shining city on a hill,” the United States has become the smash and grab bully of the world. From the moment Donald Trump took office, he has thumbed his nose at the Constitution and the other two branches of the federal government. He has governed by decree, signing executive orders and ignoring courts that have the temerity to tell him “you can’t do that.” He has coerced enough Republican congresspeople and senators to allow him to do whatever he wants without consequence, like playing Monopoly with tariffs, murdering American citizens on our streets, ...

What other newspapers are saying: Waivers no factor in smoking rates

Chautauqua County officials want to push the remaining organizations that have indoor smoking waivers to go smokefree. Smoking indoors in public places became largely illegal in New York state with the passage of the Clean Indoor Air Act on July 24, 2003, banning smoking in most workplaces, restaurants, and bars. There are five remaining private organizations with waivers to allow indoor smoking – and those five clubs will begin paying more for the privilege: $300 annually to $650 in 2026, and to $1,000 in 2027. We can’t argue with the health benefits of going smokefree. There ...