12/02/2011
Vehicle accidents are the No. 1 cause of death for teenagers in the United States.
In fact, teen drivers have fatal crashes at four times the rate of adult drivers, and distracted driving caused by talking on a cellphone or texting are two reasons this number is so high.
07/26/2011
Millions of Pennsylvanians have worked all of their adult lives to achieve the American dream of home ownership. For many of them, ever-increasing school property taxes are turning that dream into a nightmare.
06/30/2011
For the first time in eight years, a new state budget was in place by the legally mandated June 30 deadline. Over those eight years, state spending increased 31 percent while the rate of inflation grew only 21 percent. State spending was out of control and Pennsylvania was facing a $4 billion dollar deficit. Clearly, difficult choices had to be made to stop this trend of spending money we do not have and expecting taxpayers to make up the difference.
05/31/2011
In a previous column, I discussed Gov. Tom Corbett’s proposed budget for the 2011-12 fiscal year and some of my concerns with his proposal. While I have some concerns about the governor’s spending plan, I agree that we must spend less because we have less to spend. The governor’s plan to spend $27.3 billion, a reduction of $866.3 million from last year, is a good step in that direction.
04/28/2011
As we work to pass a budget for the 2011-12 fiscal year, my colleagues and I should seek to gain maximum efficiency from every taxpayer dollar. That means eliminating waste, fraud and abuse at every level of government.
03/30/2011
Pennsylvania’s state budget grew 40 percent during the past eight years, from $20.4 billion in 2002-03 to $28.04 billion in 2010-11, an expansion that far exceeds the rate of inflation. As a result, Pennsylvania government has grown to levels which are unsustainable without serious spending reductions or a major tax increase.
02/28/2011
When lawmakers pass a bill, we make every effort to ensure that it is written clearly and that every possible eventuality is addressed. Occasionally, however, situations develop which require us to take another look and make improvements to ensure that the law achieves the goals we had in mind when we passed it.
10/29/2010
We can barely read the newspaper or watch the television news without seeing stories of murder, in-home assault, kidnapping and rape across our nation. Our law enforcement officials have a tremendous task protecting citizens and their property, and they do an excellent job. But, they simply cannot be in all places at all times. That is why citizens must have the legal right to defend themselves and their families, even it means using lethal force.
09/30/2010
Mark your calendar for Thursday, October 28, when I will be holding my annual Senior Expo from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the Masonic Village Freemasons Cultural Center Ballroom, 1 Masonic Drive, Elizabethtown.
08/30/2010
Pennsylvania finished the last fiscal year with a budget deficit of more than $1 billion. That means actual revenues were more than $1 billion below the $25 billion estimate provided by the governor’s budget office. In the previous fiscal year, actual revenues were $3.2 billion below projections.
07/30/2010
Earlier this year, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) rejected Pennsylvania’s application to toll Interstate 80, creating a $470 million hole in Pennsylvania’s transportation infrastructure budget. Gov. Ed Rendell subsequently called a special session of the Legislature to address the situation and develop solutions to the funding crisis.
06/30/2010
While our state and national economies may be showing the early signs of recovery from the worst financial crisis in generations, Pennsylvania still faces some very difficult challenges. When the 2009-10 fiscal year ends on June 30, Pennsylvania will have a budget deficit of more than $1 billion. Very simply, state government is spending more money than we have available and sooner or later, taxpayers are going to get the bill.
05/28/2010
As we near the end of the 2009-10 fiscal year, Pennsylvania once again finds itself in a very difficult financial position. Revenue collections are more than $1 billion below estimates. In other words, Pennsylvania government is on pace to spend $1 billion more than we have. This is irresponsible and it is unacceptable. It is past time for state government to do what every family in Pennsylvania is doing. We must tighten our belts and we must look for opportunities to save money anywhere we can find them.