Lowman S. Henry
Wed, September 01, 2010
A Transformational Election
Although Labor Day is traditionally seen as the kick-off of the General Election campaign season, the long process of state primaries will continue well into September. The primaries held to date ...
Fri, August 20, 2010
A Matter of Fairness
The traditional Labor Day kick-off of the political season is almost here, but the fall campaign will get underway without any minor party or independent candidates on the ballot for statewide ...
Tue, August 03, 2010
A Mid-Summer Night's Nightmare
Governor Ed Rendell will leave office in January, but travelers on the Pennsylvania Turnpike will only just be starting to pay for the legacy of profligate spending he will leave behind.
Tue, July 20, 2010
Pork Perverts Process
Thousands of state workers will be losing their jobs, the state's social service agencies are struggling to deal with delayed and reduced funding, roads and bridges across the commonwealth are ...
Wed, July 07, 2010
Muddled Message
Quick question: which party's legislative leadership would you expect to vote for a budget that plunges the state more deeply into debt by borrowing $600 million; relies on over $800 million in ...
Thu, July 01, 2010
Our Finest Hour
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the ...
Wed, June 09, 2010
Irresistible Force Meets Immovable Object
It looks like Ed Rendell will go eight for eight.
As in, eight missed budget deadlines in eight years. I haven't checked the records, but I am willing to bet the ...
Mon, May 24, 2010
Racists vs. Socialists
The presidency of Barack Obama has become one of the most polarizing, if not the most polarizing administration in U.S. history. The Rasmussen Reports daily presidential tracking poll this past ...
Wed, May 12, 2010
Round II: Budget Battle Resumes
Be prepared for another long, hot summer in Harrisburg as Governor Ed Rendell and lawmakers fight over a new state budget amid a fiscal situation that has gone from bad to worse.
Tue, April 27, 2010
It Can Be Done
During his time in the White House Ronald Reagan kept a small sign on his desk. It read simply: "It can be done." Pennsylvanians are about to elect a new governor. He will be required ...
Fri, April 23, 2010
Recession Loses Steam, Job Losses Continue
Pennsylvania employers say that the state's economy has somewhat stabilized over the past six months, but the progress has come at the cost of jobs as many companies have cut the size of their work ...
Tue, April 13, 2010
Weakening Religious Foundations Goal of American Left
It is a typical tactic of the Left and its allies in the establishment news media to prey upon a problem that may develop in the core institutions of our society, magnifying the problem with the goal ...
Thu, April 01, 2010
Race to the Bottom
The Rendell Administration has been feeding hungrily at the trough of federal stimulus money, and among the categories it hopes to score dollars is in the area of education.
Tue, March 16, 2010
Undercurrents
Race for Lt. Governor reveals GOP divide
All signs point to 2010 being a banner year for Republicans in Pennsylvania. Powered by the national backlash over the dramatic leftward tilt of the Obama Administration, the GOP appears poised to ...
Tue, March 02, 2010
TEA for Two?
Should the TEA Party join the GOP?
The TEA (Taxed Enough Already) Party movement over the past year has developed into a major force in American politics. So much so it lifted a little known state senator in Massachusetts into the ...
Mon, February 15, 2010
Two Roads Diverged in Penn's Woods
Will PA-12 be NY-23 or Massachusetts?
Will the special election to fill the seat left vacant by the death of Congressman John P. Murtha be a re-run of New York 23, or a Republican coup like the election of U.S. Senator Scott Brown in ...
Tue, February 02, 2010
Nightmare Scenario
PA Dems could nominate Leftist ticket
In sports, teams that have absolutely no chance of making the play-offs sometimes make the biggest difference simply by playing the contenders. That is what may be happening in the race for the ...
Mon, January 18, 2010
Black Robed Bad Boys
As a result of the Bonusgate and capitol corruption scandals a harsh spotlight has been shone on the criminal misdeeds and alleged criminal actions of formerly powerful members of the Pennsylvania ...
Tue, January 05, 2010
Second Fiddle
It does matter who is PA's next lieutenant governor
Dramatic developments in races for the United States Senate and Pennsylvania Governor have dominated coverage of the 2010 elections in Penn's Woods. But, a third statewide office will be on the ...
Mon, December 21, 2009
Not in the Cards
Who would have thought that half-way through the state's fiscal year the budget would still not be a completed document?
Our "full time" Pennsylvania ...
Tue, December 08, 2009
Mr. Clean
Is Tom Corbett the next Dick Thornburgh?
It is always interesting to look back at history to find situations similar to those we currently find ourselves in as a guide to what actions we should take, or perhaps to foretell the future.
Mon, November 23, 2009
Con Con
PA needs a new state constitution
The time has come for a state constitutional convention.
It has become abundantly clear that not only is state government broken and dysfunctional, but that it is ...
Mon, November 09, 2009
A Tale of Two Elections
Two elections held earlier this month in New York and Pennsylvania dramatically illustrate what happens when candidates are allowed to compete for their party's nomination rather than being selected ...
Wed, October 28, 2009
Where for Art Thou?
PA legislature leaves town with job undone
After missing the constitutionally-mandated deadline for passing a state budget by 101 days the Pennsylvania General Assembly promptly adjourned and went home for a month's vacation.
Tue, October 13, 2009
Ticking Time Bomb
PA headed for fiscal 'perfect storm'
Finally, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has a new state budget. The 101-day budget crisis ended with a new spending plan of $27.8 billion, a mere $500 million less than the previous year's budget ...
Tue, September 29, 2009
Governing Responsibly
The current budget deal doesn't fit the bill
Recently I spoke before a Republican group about the current state budget deal. During my remarks I praised Republicans in the state House for their continued principled opposition to the tax ...
Mon, September 14, 2009
Say It Ain't So, Joe!
Senate GOP Sells Out on Taxes
The announcement of a three-caucus budget deal involving both House and Senate Democrats and Senate Republicans represents a dramatic about face by Senate Republican leadership which at this point ...
Tue, September 01, 2009
Just Do It
Works selling sneakers, not state budgeting
As Pennsylvania's budget crisis enters its third month there is a growing sentiment that legislators and the governor should strike whatever agreement they can just to bring the saga to an end. That ...
Wed, August 19, 2009
Anger
We're mad as . . .
This is the summer of our discontent. Across America and throughout Penn's woods people are angry. In addition to dealing with arguably the most difficult economic times since the Great Depression, ...
Wed, August 05, 2009
Time to Debate the Role of State Government
Are we driving a Cadillac when a Ford would do?
White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel famously said that "you never want a serious crisis to go to waste." That philosophy could easily be adapted to Pennsylvania's ...
Tue, July 21, 2009
Seven Billion Dollar Boondoggle
Congress wasted defense dollars on duplicate jet engines
The rush to borrow and spend trillions of dollars under the guise of stimulating the economy has largely not applied to what is actually the core function of the federal government: the ...
Tue, July 07, 2009
Nobody Ever Lost . . .
Tax hike vote could be the 'pay raise' vote of 2009
It happened four years ago in the early morning hours of July 7th. The Pennsylvania General Assembly was set to adjourn for the summer, and in the dead of the night did what it had done many times ...
Wed, June 24, 2009
Wheel of Misfortune
Gamblers, nonprofits eyed as sources for more tax revenue
As the economic recession continues to impact state and local budgets elected officials at all levels are seeking new ways to increase revenue. The schemes to fleece more money from the private ...
Tue, June 09, 2009
Break the Cycle
Time to cut spending, not raise taxes
It was a classic example of how bureaucrats and politicians manipulate public opinion to advance their spending agendas. In the days after the Republican-controlled state senate passed a no-tax hike ...
Wed, May 27, 2009
Civil War?
No, just a healthy debate
It didn't look good. The party had lost control of the White House and both houses of Congress. In the aftermath of defeat there were many voices raised urging divergent directions. No one seemed ...
Wed, May 20, 2009
'Enhanced Interrogation Techniques'
Is water boarding right or wrong?
There is a classic old rhetorical question used in teaching debaters how to back their opponents into a corner: "Have you stopped beating your wife, yet?" If the person being questioned ...
Tue, May 12, 2009
Capital Culture
Spending interests make their voices heard, will you?
The budget battle has begun. Governor Ed Rendell has continued his typical tax, spend and borrow approach, while state Senate Republicans have decided the time has come for state government to live ...
Tue, May 05, 2009
'Defining Moment'
GOP performance in budget debate will determine viability in governor's race
We the people of Penn's woods will elect a new governor in November of next year. That is when the official voting will take place. But, the outcome of that election – as well as control of the ...
Tue, April 28, 2009
Principle or Politics?
Specter party switch had nothing to do with party ideology
Arlen Specter has now made official – he is a Democrat.
That, of course, is something we have known all along. Arlen Specter has acted more like a Democrat than a ...
Tue, April 21, 2009
Party's Over
What is next for the Tea Party movement?
Millions of Americans turned out, some in pouring rain, on April 15th – tax day – to protest the big spending ways of Washington. It was a legitimate, spontaneous grassroots uprising the likes of ...
Wed, April 08, 2009
A New PATH
PA must end culture of corruption
Pennsylvania it seems is giving Illinois a run for its money when it comes to claiming the title of the most corrupt state in America. While the Land of Lincoln garnered sensational headlines with ...
Tue, March 31, 2009
Fool's Gold
Legalized video poker wrong course for PA
Recent polling by Franklin & Marshall College shows a vast majority of Pennsylvanians support the expansion of gambling to include small games of chance, like video poker at bars; along with an ...
Wed, March 25, 2009
Electability
Who can win PA's U.S. Senate Seat in 2010?
As the 2010 race for Pennsylvania's U.S. Senate seat takes shape the debate has already begun within the Republican Party as to who would be the most viable candidate against the eventual Democratic ...
Tue, March 17, 2009
Outrageous
Obama plans to deny veterans health care
It is part of the anti-war mantra: We oppose the war, but support the troops. Now, yet another liberal lie bites the dust as President Barack Obama plans to end the nation's commitment to provide ...
Tue, March 10, 2009
Homeless
Arlen Specter may be without a political home
Ronald Reagan once observed that "a recession is when your neighbor loses his job; a depression is when you lose your job." U.S. Senator Arlen Specter said recently we are on the ...
Tue, March 03, 2009
Killing Charities
Obama plans to limit charitable tax deductions at worst possible time
President Barack Obama's war on the wealthy took a dangerous turn in his recently presented national budget when he proposed placing limits on tax deductions to charities by high income earners. It ...
Mon, February 23, 2009
Public Financing
PA taxpayers paying for all sides in Bonusgate probe
Pity the poor taxpayer. As the probe into the state's Bonusgate scandal widens the cost of prosecuting – and defending – those under investigation is skyrocketing. And, we the taxpayers of Penn's ...
Wed, February 18, 2009
Our Town
We Pennsylvanians love our communities
Governor Ed Rendell's suggestion that Pennsylvania should undergo another round of school district consolidation has reignited the debate as to whether fewer and bigger is better than more and ...
Wed, February 11, 2009
Bigger Not Better
Rendell goal is to consolidate power, not schools
There it was, nestled deep down in the Governor's annual budget address to a joint session of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, a bombshell that has ignited the debate over whether Pennsylvania ...
Tue, February 03, 2009
Geico Budgeting
So simple even a cave man could understand
As state government struggles with a ballooning budget deficit it has become abundantly clear that the Rendell Administration is completely unwilling to make the tough decisions necessary to bring ...
Tue, January 27, 2009
2009 Golden Snout Awards
Special 'bail-out mania' edition
It is the time of year when Hollywood pats itself on the back honoring its own with everything from the People's Choice Awards to the Oscars. And so it is time to revive the annual Pennsylvania ...
Wed, January 21, 2009
Age of Obama?
It is too soon to declare the end of a conservative era
America has a new President. It is the beginning of a new administration. But, it is not the beginning of a new "era." Many commentators, especially those of a Leftist bent, are ...
Mon, January 12, 2009
Back to the Future
Current PA budget crisis brings back memories of 1991
Eighteen years have passed since Pennsylvania last faced a major budget crisis, and the bad decisions made by Governor Casey and legislative leaders continue to haunt the commonwealth. The state's ...
Tue, December 16, 2008
House of Cards?
'Card Check' vote will be defining issue in 2010 U.S. Senate Primary
New polls are showing U.S. Senator Arlen Specter is in for a long, tough slough if he hopes to win re-election and retain his seat in 2010. Polling reported on the Daily Kos web site shows Specter ...
Tue, December 09, 2008
Read My Lips
PA's new Lieutenant Governor Returns GOP to its anti-tax roots
Let us try not to get to optimistic, yet, but it appears that Pennsylvania's new Lt. Governor Joe Scarnati (who is also President Pro Tempore of the state Senate) actually gets it.
Tue, December 02, 2008
Words Matter
Conservative social principles sound, rehetorical approach often flawed
In the wake of the second wave of substantial Republican losses from President on down to legislative seats, some in the GOP are suggesting it is time for the party to abandon its traditional support ...
Mon, November 17, 2008
Pay to Play?
Non-bid state contracts walk a fine ethical line
Attorney General Tom Corbett's aggressive investigation of the Bonusgate scandal has put a bright spotlight on the fine line that separates legitimate legislative staff work from campaign-related ...
Mon, November 10, 2008
Elections Not Yet Over
Legislative leadership election will determine agenda for the coming two years
For voters the 2008 elections are over, but for members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly a number of very important votes are still to be cast. In the coming weeks, legislators will be selecting ...
Wed, November 05, 2008
Thinning the Herd: RINOs Lose Big
Abandonment of conservative principles root cause of Republican losses
Now what?
The Republican Party nationally, and in Pennsylvania, lies in tatters today. Having lost the White House to Barack Obama, suffered historic losses in ...
Mon, October 27, 2008
Ed and Taxpayers Make a Porno
Films take funding priority over sewers, roads & bridges
Among the decisions to be made by Pennsylvania voters on Election Day is a ballot question that would empower the commonwealth to borrow $400 million to finance improvements to our state's water and ...
Wed, October 22, 2008
Piecemeal Privatization
Smaller scale PA Turnpike public-private partnerships may be politically viable
The demise of the proposed agreement to lease the Pennsylvania Turnpike to an investor firm headed by the Spanish investment group Albertis leaves the future of efforts to privatize the cross-state ...
Mon, October 13, 2008
Melt Down
Keystone Business Climate Survey produces most pessimistic results ever
Pennsylvania's business climate mirrored the national economic melt-down over the past six months according to a substantial majority of business owners and chief executive officers participating in ...
Tue, October 07, 2008
Fiscal Crisis Looms Over Penn's Woods
Years of state over-spending contribute to mounting budget deficit
State Representative Sam Rohrer was the canary in the mineshaft. Weeks ago, as the economic storm clouds gathered, Rohrer said the state was headed toward a massive budget deficit and he called upon ...
Tue, September 30, 2008
Solving the Highway Funding Crisis
A roadmap for fixing PA's roads and bridges
As Congress struggles with how to resolve arguably the most serious financial crisis to confront our nation since the Great Depression, Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell attempted to complicate the ...
Tue, September 23, 2008
Susquehanna Fever
2010 Governor's race beginning to take shape
With the Presidential race running red hot, especially here in Pennsylvania, little attention is being paid to the 2010 race for governor of Penn's woods. Ed Rendell is unable to succeed himself ...
Mon, September 15, 2008
Wrong Again
Leasing turnpike not the only solution to PA's roads and bridge funding woes
The federal government has realized something Pennsylvania policymakers did not: that the proposed tolling of Interstate 80 to provide funding to fix other roads and bridges was a bad idea. Thus did ...
