Tom Mehaffie Is Best Republican Dems Have In Harrisburg

Tom Mehaffie Is Best Republican Dems Have In Harrisburg

By Leo Knepper

Nothing frustrates voters more than being told one thing when a candidate is running for office and then getting something else entirely after they take office. A fantastic example of duplicity is on display in Representative Tom Mehaffie (R-106) Here is the lead statement from his campaign website:

Tom Mehaffie is the endorsed Republican candidate running for Pennsylvania State House of Representatives in the 106th District. Tom is running to fight against the massive tax hikes being advocated by the current administration, implement reforms to make government more effective and efficient and to work to ensure we have the best schools possible to educate our young people.

Here is his actual record:

Rep. Tom Mehaffie

In 2017, Mehaffie voted against tapping the “shadow budget” and protecting taxpayers. He also sided with the Democrats when he voted against paycheck protection legislation. The paycheck protection legislation would have prevented government unions from using taxpayer resources to collect political contributions directly from workers’ paychecks. 

In this legislative session, Mehaffie has sponsored a litany of terrible legislation. He is the prime sponsor of pro-union “card check” legislation, which would eliminate the secret ballot and give union organizers the personal information of employees. He is the prime sponsor of the failed nuclear power bailout that would have cost Pennsylvanians an extra $500 million per year in higher electric bills. 

Rep.Mehaffie has also sponsored legislation to advance Governor Wolf’s priorities. His sponsorships include an increase in the minimum wage for teachers, and Governor Wolf’s proposal to impose additional taxes on the natural gas industry to fund “infrastructure” projects. Mehaffie is also the prime sponsor of a bill that would give unelected bureaucrats at the Fish and Boat Commission the ability to set fees. 

In 2019, he also voted against a package of legislation that would have streamlined and improved the Commonwealth’s regulatory environment, and make Pennsylvania more economically vibrant. One of the bills in this package, HB 1055, would have required, among other things, the repeal of two old regulations for every new one instituted, similar to a wildly successful policy established by President Trump and the federal level.

We could extend this list for several more paragraphs, but you probably get the gist at this point. Actions speak louder than words. Rep. Mehaffie’s actions do not match up with the pro-taxpayer rhetoric he offers. His voting record and list of sponsored legislation are nearly indistinguishable from your garden variety Big Government liberal.

Mr. Knepper is executive director of Citizens Alliance of Pennsylvania.

Tom Mehaffie Is Best Republican Dems Have In Harrisburg

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.