State of Pennsylvania Archives: on Budget & Economy
Brian Fitzpatrick:
End waste, fraud & abuse; plus Balanced-Budget Amendment
- Pass "No Budget, No Pay" so that legislators who fail to pass a budget on time do not get paid.
- Force the bureaucrats to defend every taxpayer dollar they spend by enacting "zero-based" budgeting.
- Support a Balanced-Budget Amendment to
our Constitution to end the limitless borrowing which is crippling our future.
- Bolster and empower the Office of Inspectors General (OIGs) to aggressively investigate and prosecute all instances of
Fraud, Waste and Abuse in federal agencies, which costs taxpayers billions annually.
- End the Federal government's duplication of agencies and programs, a practice that costs our economy billions of dollars.
- Bolster and empower the
Office of Inspectors General (OIGs) to aggressively investigate and prosecute all instances of Fraud, Waste and Abuse in federal agencies, which costs taxpayers billions annually.
Source: 2016 PA House campaign website BrianFitzpatrick.com
Nov 8, 2016
Craig Snyder:
We believe in democratic capitalism, not socialism
We believe in democratic capitalism, not socialism in any form. We know America is richer than any other nation because we figured out how to create more wealth than any previous society and that Americans almost always created that wealth through
enterprise and innovation, not because they took anything unfairly from folks who have less. We want to empower more opportunities for all Americans, not make or keep any American downtrodden and dependent on entitlements from the government.
Source: 2021 PA Senate campaign website CraigSnyderForSenate.com
Sep 20, 2021
Everett Stern:
Market-led recovery better than federal stimulus
Q: Do you support or oppose. `Stimulus better than market-led recovery`?
A: Strongly Oppose.
Source: E-mail interview on 2016 PA Senate race with OnTheIssues
Nov 2, 2015
Jim Christiana:
Voted against numerous proposals to spike taxes and spending
Jim will vote against federal budgets that overspend. He will reduce the size of the federal government and our national debt by expanding our economy, eliminating wasteful spending, and giving more authority back to our states. He believes we must
reprioritize how we spend federal tax dollars using sound business principles and imposing significant transparency measures. Results: As a State Representative, Jim applied these same principles to the state budget. He voted against numerous
proposals to spike taxes and spending. Jim has been a warrior for transparency in Harrisburg, championing legislation to create the PennWATCH and SchoolWATCH databases. These proposals made $62 billion of annual spending more transparent.
- Lou Barletta & Bob Casey continually voted to raise Washington's debt ceiling.
- Lou Barletta & Bob Casey refused to control or cut spending.
- Lou Barletta & Bob Casey contributed to the $440 billion federal deficit.
Source: 2018 PA Senatorial campaign website JimChristiana.org
Mar 31, 2018
Joe Sestak:
Auto & bank bailouts were to clean up Bush's mess
The two men traded jabs on economic issues. "We can't borrow and spend our way to prosperity, otherwise Greece would have the best economy in the world," said Toomey, founder of a small chain of family restaurants and a former Wall Street trader. He said
Sestak did not understand how to create jobs, criticizing his rival's votes for the financial-industry bailout and rescues of General Motors and Chrysler, as well as the stimulus.Sestak said he had to clean up the mess left behind by irresponsible
spending and tax-cutting under President George W. Bush. "We'd been torpedoed and had to caulk the holes," he said.
The two actually agreed that the tone of their race had grown negative, but neither accepted blame for it. Both defended their ads as issues-based and accurate.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer coverage of 2010 PA Senate debate
Oct 23, 2010
Joe Gale:
I support lower levels of spending, of borrowing, of taxes
Over the objection of one of its members, the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners approved a 2021 county budget with a tax increase. "This budget is comprised of higher levels of spending, higher levels of
borrowing and higher levels or taxes," Gale said. "As a common-sense fiscal conservative, I support lower levels of spending, lower levels of borrowing and lower levels of taxes."
Source: The Colonial Montgomery News on 2022 PA Gubernatorial race
Dec 18, 2020
Joe Sestak:
Deregulation of banks led to the economic meltdown
Sestak blamed Toomey, who was a member of Congress from 1998 through 2004, for supporting the Bush tax cuts and deregulation of banks and brokerages, which he argued helped lead to the economic meltdown."I learned in the Navy to expect what you
inspect," said Sestak, a retired admiral who served for 30 years in the Navy before being elected to Congress in 2006. "Even little league football has a referee on the field. He [Toomey] removed the referee from Wall Street."
Toomey said he admired
Sestak's creative mind, but said his opponent did not understand the financial system. The real threat to the economy, he said, is in the billions of dollars spent on bailouts for banks and the auto industry, along with the economic stimulus and now a
health-care regime that he said were all pushing the deficit to stratospheric levels. "Some people believe if you are productive and successful you should get soaked and get soaked hard. I just don't believe in that," Toomey said.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer coverage of 2010 PA Senate Debates
Apr 12, 2010
Marc Scaringi:
We need a balanced budget amendment
Each of the candidates thought the federal debt is the nation's greatest threat. Welch called for a balanced budget amendment and term limits for lawmakers. "It should be a privilege to serve, not a road to riches," he said."We need a balanced
budget amendment. That is really the only way we have to stop career politicians to spend us to bankruptcy," Scaringi said. He called for elimination of those agencies that harm the economy and are not supported by the Constitution.
Source: Williamsport Sun-Gazette on 2012 PA Senate debate
Mar 23, 2012
Pat Toomey:
Real threat to economy is billions on bailouts
Sestak blamed Toomey, who was a member of Congress from 1998 through 2004, for supporting the Bush tax cuts and deregulation of banks and brokerages, which he argued helped lead to the economic meltdown.Toomey said he admired
Sestak's creative mind, but said his opponent did not understand the financial system. The real threat to the economy, he said, is in the billions of dollars spent on bailouts for banks and the auto industry, along with the economic stimulus and now a
health-care regime that he said were all pushing the deficit to stratospheric levels. "Some people believe if you are productive and successful you should get soaked and get soaked hard. I just don't believe in that," Toomey said.
He said productive companies and entrepreneurs create jobs. "We need to prevent this radical Democratic agenda, get spending under control, and cut taxes where we can, and we'll see the economy come roaring back," he said.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer coverage of 2010 PA Senate Debates
Apr 12, 2010
Pat Toomey:
Strengthen economy via lower taxes & less spending
Sestak and Toomey had agreed to debate on the economy, although only about half of the questions from the audience focused on that topic. "Well, it all relates to the economy," one audience member noted. The two candidates found some common ground on
questions geared toward the economy. Both said federal spending needs to be reduced.
"When I was (in Congress) I was fighting against the spending that was going on," said Toomey.
Sestak said he would like to see the government extend help to the
group he says drives the economy--"The working family, not Wall Street"--by getting tax cuts to that group.
Sestak said he does not support the flat tax as he said Toomey does, and the government should look to guarantee community bank loans
to entice borrowers.
Toomey said he believes in strengthening the economy through lower taxes, less spending and increasing domestic energy production.
Source: The Express-Times coverage of 2010 PA Senate debate
Apr 11, 2010
Pat Toomey:
We can't borrow and spend our way to prosperity
The two men traded jabs on economic issues. "We can't borrow and spend our way to prosperity, otherwise Greece would have the best economy in the world," said Toomey, founder of a small chain of family restaurants and a former Wall Street trader. He said
Sestak did not understand how to create jobs, criticizing his rival's votes for the financial-industry bailout and rescues of General Motors and Chrysler, as well as the stimulus.Sestak said he had to clean up the mess left behind by irresponsible
spending and tax-cutting under President George W. Bush. "We'd been torpedoed and had to caulk the holes," he said.
The two actually agreed that the tone of their race had grown negative, but neither accepted blame for it. Both defended their ads as issues-based and accurate.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer coverage of 2010 PA Senate debate
Oct 23, 2010
Tom Smith:
Stagnant economy due to over-regulation & complex taxes
So what prompts a successful 64-year-old businessman who should be enjoying his retirement to take on one of Pennsylvania's most formidable politicians? "The three major issues that people want to talk about right now are what got me into this,"
Smith says, "That's the economy being stagnated, the lack of jobs, and deficit spending and the national debt."He hears those concerns echoed in countless meetings across the state, as workers and business owners share their frustrations about the
economy, and about Washington adding to those burdens. "Businesses are scared to expand right now," Smith says. "It's understandable. I lived that."
After 20 years running mining operations,
Smith knows that businesses need consistency to expand and flourish: in energy prices, regulations, and tax policy. It just isn't there today. An overly complex tax code also hurts, Smith says.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer on 2012 PA Senate debate
Sep 23, 2012
Josh Shapiro:
$1.5B investment in mass transit over the next five years
From the companies I talked about earlier, to the organizers and fans of the FIFA World Cup and the MLB All Star game coming here in 2026… They all want clean, safe, on-time public transit.That's what Pennsylvanians deserve. It's what our economy
needs. And that's why I am proposing the first major new investment in public transit in more than a decade. Under my plan, transit systems across Pennsylvania will receive 1.5 billion dollars over the next five years.
Source: 2024 State of the State Address to the PA legislature
Feb 6, 2024
Josh Shapiro:
More state contracts for companies that have been shut out
We need to make sure there's opportunity for all to participate in our economy and build generational wealth. For the first time, the Commonwealth is directly putting state dollars towards creating opportunity for folks who've been shut out for too
long. The largest purchaser of goods and services in Pennsylvania is the Commonwealth. That's why I signed an Executive Order to help those businesses work with us, and we're already making progress.
Source: 2024 State of the State Address to the PA legislature
Feb 6, 2024
Page last updated: Feb 07, 2026