More action, less bureaucracy needed to clean Up BP spill

by Jim Gerlach

The British Petroleum Deepwater Horizon spill has demonstrated that not only does oil and water not mix, but throw in bureaucracy, and you have a combination that can devastate the environment, idle entire industries and cause gut-wrenching misery.

Nearly three months have passed since the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, uncorking a geyser of natural gas and oil and claiming the lives of 11 workers.

Like most Americans, I am extremely …

05/07/10 at 2:09 pm | Comments (21)

Wall Street reform bill means no more bailouts

by Paul Kanjorski

In September of 2008, the American economy teetered on the brink of collapse because the foundation of our financial system began to crumble. The extraordinary actions taken by the Federal Reserve, the Bush administration and a bipartisan majority in Congress rescued our economy from being driven back to the Dark Ages.

After nearly two years of study, discussion, and intense legislative negotiations, a select group of House and Senate lawmakers have produced a final bill …

30/06/10 at 2:49 pm | Comments (3)

Think before revving-up the Marcellus gas engine

by Eric Epstein

Pennsylvania is strategically located to reap a windfall associated with Marcellus Shale. But any mineral extraction strategy must be buffeted by balanced and sensible environmental stewardship and sane revenue strategies. Natural gas is not the magic bullet to cure our fiscal and energy woes, and we need to avoid putting all of our eggs into the Marcellus Shale basket.

We know what happens when coal companies abandon mines. And Pennsylvania ratepayers remain at significant financial exposure as our five nuclear stations continue …

28/06/10 at 9:30 am | Comments (0)

Toomey vs. Sestak: Made for Hollywood

by G. Terry Madonna and Michael L. Young

If the Pat Toomey-Joe Sestak Senate race was a movie, it would be a cinch for an Academy Award nomination. It’s an electoral show that has everything: two controversial, compelling candidates; crucial national significance; real and acute issues; unique ideological visions; and more plot twists than an Alfred Hitchcock film.

The race landed squarely in the national spotlight during Sestak’s successful primary challenge to five-term incumbent Arlen Specter. It’s staying there for two key reasons: …

22/06/10 at 8:35 am | Comments (13)

Gleason right to demand Jobgate answers

by Michael Steele

President Obama and his Chicago-style network of cronies have in fact lowered the transparency bar in Washington instead of raising it. Not only has it undermined the Obama presidency, it also continues to undermine politicians like Joe Sestak who pretend to battle the establishment when in fact they’ve been serving as its first line of defense.

It seems as though every day we learn something new about how ethically challenged this White House truly is. …

21/06/10 at 12:30 pm | Comments (7)

Voter choice under assault by guvs, past & present

by Nathan R. Shrader

What do former Republican Governors Mark Schweiker, Tom Ridge, and Dick Thornburgh have in common with current Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell? Rendell and the Ghosts of Governor’s Past have joined together to promote a whale of a bad idea: eliminating the ability of Pennsylvania voters to choose their judges.

The four joined forces earlier this month to announce their cooperative scheme to enhance the powers of political insiders at the expense of the democratic process. …

17/06/10 at 11:07 am | Comments (14)

Lay off the private sector with public sector layoffs

by Matthew Brouillette

Gov. Ed Rendell is threatening once again to lay off state government employees if the General Assembly refuses to go along with his spend-more, tax-more budget proposals. But should the public sector be immune to the downsizing occurring in the private sector across the Commonwealth?

From the beginning of the “Great Recession” in December 2007 through April 2010, Pennsylvania’s private sector has shed over 281,000 jobs—an employment drop of more than 5.5 percent. Yet during …

15/06/10 at 3:51 pm | Comments (5)

Unnecessary, unfortunate remarks

by Marcel Groen

I would like to congratulate my counterpart, Bob Kerns, on being unanimously reelected as chairman of the Montgomery County Republican Committee. It has been a long time since there has been a unanimous opinion about anything among county Republicans. Kerns should be proud.

What Kerns should be less proud of are the comments he made upon being reelected. …

14/06/10 at 9:15 am | Comments (17)

Guantanamo and fear-based policies

by Michael Pipe

While the economy remains my top priority as a congressional candidate, national security must also receive our full attention this year. Recent events such as the Times Square bombing plot exemplify a concerning trend toward fear-based decision making. As we confront the choice of where to try and how to treat enemy combatants, criminal courts represent the strongest option.

I recently had the honor and privilege to meet with …

07/06/10 at 12:41 pm | Comments (0)

Corbett vs. Onorato: A scheduled 15-rounder

by G. Terry Madonna and Michael L. Young

Pennsylvania, in the lingo of political science, is a “competitive two-party state.” In plain English, it’s a state where elections are frequently close, usually hard fought, and often hard to forecast.

Lately, however, calling Pennsylvania competitive seems a stretch. Certainly recent presidential elections haven’t been competitive, with Democrats capturing each of them since 1988. Furthermore, state Republicans have been taking it on the chin, losing the last two gubernatorial races, the last U.S Senate races, …

01/06/10 at 4:00 pm | Comments (8)