Nathan Benefield: Government unions are outsized bullies holding workers, taxpayers hostage
As we enter election season, it’s time we address the elephant in the room. It’s an elephant with an outsized influence on Pennsylvania politics — and few people realize who holds the purse strings and the puppet strings behind the scenes. Government union executives. These union executives enjoy a host...
Nathan Benefield: Families need a rein on inflation, not shortsighted spending gimmicks
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) hit a 40-year high in June, with an increase of 9.1% over last year before holding steady in July. According to one analysis, inflation is costing American families about $500 per month in higher prices. Americans are feeling the pain, with a recent Quinnipiac poll...
Nathan Benefield: Stagnant Pa. economy requires real business-tax reform
In his final annual budget address, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf proposed a major reduction in the state’s corporate income tax. Wolf’s tax-cut plan may come as a surprise to some, considering his liberal bona fides, and has been lauded by business groups desperate for relief from the second-highest business tax...
Nathan Benefield: Pa.’s out-of-control spending is driving away residents
Gov. Tom Wolf recently declared 2022 a “magical year” for the Pennsylvania budget, citing the possibility of a surplus. However, Pennsylvania’s Independent Fiscal Office (IFO) predicts this “magic” will not last long. The IFO’s latest Five Year Budget Outlook projects that the state will return to a deficit by fiscal...
Nathan Benefield: With $7 billion windfall, Pa. should focus on jobs, students
Every year, Pennsylvania enacts a 1,000-page budget, full of obscure spending rules and indecipherable earmarks. Yet it’s arguably the most important vote legislators take each year because it determines our state government’s priorities for the next year. This year’s budget talks face a rare challenge: What to do with an...
Nathan Benefield: Pa. budget should care for kids, communities
Pennsylvania confronts overwhelming challenges: a structural deficit; an educational system in free fall; mass business closures and widespread unemployment; and barriers to health care. No doubt, Pennsylvanians expect Harrisburg to deliver education lifelines to families, regulatory and tax relief for business owners, and improved access to care for patients. In...
Nathan Benefield: Don’t raise taxes while Pa. families are hurting
Pennsylvanians have made tough decisions amid the profound economic costs of the covid-19 pandemic. Millions of Pennsylvanians lost their jobs temporarily or permanently this year. Sadly, families continue to struggle and sacrifice to stay afloat. In the coming state budget debate, lawmakers and the governor need to back them up...
Nathan Benefield: Transparency victory a call to action for lawmakers
On Sunday, Gov. Tom Wolf concluded a weeks-long standoff with the state Legislature by caving. Despite repeated veto threats, he allowed a transparency bill — passed unanimously — to become law, but without his signature. Wolf’s opposition to the benign transparency legislation, sponsored by Rep. Seth Grove, R-York, was a...
Nathan Benefield: Pennsylvanians deserve an apology
Insults. Threats. Bullying. Last week, Gov. Tom Wolf’s video statement featured all three. Wolf launched these salvos against his fellow Pennsylvanians — local elected officials, job creators, and workers in eight counties — seeking to provide for themselves and their families. He called them “cowards” and “deserters” for assessing local...
Nathan Benefield: State lawmakers must act now to mitigate crisis
In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, Pennsylvania workers, health care providers, and students and families are faced with unprecedented obstacles that demand action from Harrisburg. Gov. Tom Wolf has taken a strong approach by closing schools and shuttering so-called “non-life-sustaining” businesses. But could the cost of these drastic measures...
Nathan Benefield: A responsible state budget? Only in your dreams
In his sixth budget address, Gov. Tom Wolf asked us to “imagine” what Pennsylvania would look like if he could purchase everything on his wish list. To cover the costs, he wants to raise overall spending a massive 6.1%. He also wants to borrow $5.5 billion — a loan that...
Nathan Benefield: Infrastructure fix requires break from past
Pennsylvania’s infrastructure woes are impossible to ignore. From structurally deficient bridges to mounting debt to rising turnpike tolls that chase away motorists, residents would be forgiven for wondering what they are getting in return for paying the highest gas tax in the nation. Auditor General Eugene DePasquale has been one...
