08/31/2010
Take action now to stop the transportation tax and fee hikes, and the legislature's lame duck session of mischief. The time that elapses between a fall election and the end of that current legislative session is known as a lame duck session. Whether it is a federal or state legislature, a lame duck session is a time of potential malicious mischief against the citizens. Legislators who announced their retirement or who have been defeated in the recent election are no longer accountable to the people, but are able to cast votes, that may be the deciding votes for policies that the people oppose.
07/30/2010
Headlines can be very misleading. In our fast paced culture, many glean their news from headlines and sound bites. A recent erroneous and misleading headline from a Pittsburgh newspaper on July 1, 2010 read “State budget passed-and on time.” By law, the budget is supposed to be passed and signed into law by June 30. The two bills that made up this year’s budget, the appropriations bill and the fiscal code bill, were passed on June 30 and July 3, respectively. However, the bills were not signed into law until July 6 making the budget late for the 8th consecutive year.
06/29/2010
I am writing this memo on June 29, the day before the state budget deadline. The deadline has not been met during the last 7 years of the Rendell administration. The focus of press coverage over the last week or so has been speculation of whether or not the legislature will pass the budget on time this year.
05/31/2010
How do we save Pennsylvania taxpayers over $700 million per year? Enact legislation that I introduced on May 5, 2010 modeled after the Arizona legislation that is directed at ending the illegal alien invasion. A study conducted last year by the Federation for American Immigration Reform estimated that we are spending over $700 million per year on healthcare, education and incarceration of illegal aliens in Pennsylvania.
04/30/2010
A significant victory for Pennsylvania taxpayers occurred this month as the Rendell administration’s I-80 tolling plan was rejected for what appears to be the final time. Rendell and his accomplices passed legislation during the Bush administration to toll I-80; it also increased tolls on the PA Turnpike. The legislation was promoted as a way to fund needed road and bridge transportation improvements, but it also included hundreds of millions of dollars to subsidize mass transit systems in Pennsylvania.
03/31/2010
The encroachment of government continued during the month of March like lava from a volcano. The issue that dominated the attention of the media was the federal takeover of health care in the United States.
02/25/2010
February is the month of the governor’s budget address to the Pennsylvania Legislature. Before I address the governor’s budget proposal for this year, let’s look at last month’s legislative activity.