Anti-lockdown demonstrator falsely accused of holding white supremacist sign→

The lies never end when it comes to demonizing conservatives.

On April 20th, entrepreneurs, and their supporters participated in simultaneous rallies in both Pittsburgh and Harrisburg to send a message to Governor Wolf that it was time to safely reopen Pennsylvania businesses. Organized by PA Small Businesses Against Governor Wolf Shutdown, the rallies boasted hundreds in Pittsburgh and in Harrisburg and were meant to send a clear message to Harrisburg; “Pennsylvanians want to get back to work again”. Governor Wolf ordered a shutdown of nonessential businesses in mid-March.   

One of the drive-in participants in the rally to call for the reopening of the state was Jill Cooper of Murrysville, PA.  Jill has been a long-time conservative activist since 2008. She held the office of chair for the Westmoreland County Republican Party 2012-2014 and is currently a Pennsylvania GOP Committee Member. She was twice a delegate to a GOP Convention and is currently running as a PA Trump Campaign Delegate.

Jill knows that small business is the heart and soul of this country and essential for economic growth. With her background as a former Executive Director of the Murrysville Economic Community and Development Corporation she shares a passion for small businesses and an understanding of their struggles.  Jill said she was very frustrated when she attempted a call to the Office of the Governor but ended up being routed to the Department of Health, only to discover she was being connected to a call center. It was during her conversation with that call center she realized she couldn’t be sure they were logging her complaint and getting it to the Governor. Frustrated, it was then that she decided to join the rally to be sure her voice would be heard.

Her husband drove her to the rally so she could wave her homemade sign; “Free Small Business”.  Andrew Rush, Senior Staff Photographer, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, photographed Jill with her sign.  It was later posted on his twitter page (@andrewrush).

On May 1st at 5:32 pm Talia Lavin, former writer for the New Yorker, posted the photo, but with a doctored sign that read; “Work Sets You Free”. A slogan on the sign posted above the Auschwitz Concentration Camp; “Arbeit Macht Frei” accompanied the forgery,  Andy Ngo tweeted out the fraud.

So, who doctored the picture that Talia tweeted and has since been retweeted with the Nazi slogan?  Talia is currently pitching her new book on white supremacy online. In a Twitter post she writes; I believe it is a first of its kind book that tells the grim story of hate's metastasis in the past half-decade with humor, courage, a first-person intimate perspective, and a guide to fighting back: “Warlords, My Journey Into the Dark Web of White Supremacy”. So convenient that a doctored photo should end up in her possession to help drive home her agenda. 

Until June of 2018, Talia was ironically a fact-checker for the New Yorker but resigned from her position after controversy surrounded several photos she posted on twitter implying that ICE agent, Justin Gaertner, had a Nazi tattoo. Turned out the tattoo was from when he served in Afghanistan. It was a Titan 2 symbol for his platoon.

She was informed of her mistake and deleted her tweet. As a follow-up she tweeted; “To Justin Gaertner, I apologize, sincerely: all I saw in you was the photo ICE tweeted, and not the human being depicted inside it. It was uncharitable, and the hasty deletion doesn’t change that. I’m sorry and I have voluntarily resigned after three years at the New Yorker.”

Of the altered photo of her, Cooper said; “I felt violated when I saw the photo. I couldn’t believe that someone would blatantly doctor a photo of me to make me appear as a Nazi supporter.  How evil. What has world come too if you lie and distort to get your false message out about Trump supporters and OPEN PA protesters.  I am just furious.”  

It appears, sadly that Jill Cooper, another “human being”, has been treated unjustly, or in Talia’s words; in an “Uncharitable” way.

We don’t know who first doctored the original photo of Jill, but we do know that that doctored photo was tweeted by Talia and then retweeted many times over, with thousands of likes on her page alone. Makes one wonder, doesn’t it; just how many other examples in Talia’s forthcoming book of white supremacy may have been altered or doctored?

Pennsylvania's Dem governor vetoes GOP-passed legislation to get his state back to work→

Last week, the Pennsylvania state Senate approved two bills that would provide much needed clarity and common sense to the process of deciding which businesses can safely operate during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Senator Camera Bartolotta (R-46).

Pennsylvania Senate Bill 613 requires the governor to create clear guidelines for businesses to operate during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Comply with mitigation strategies and follow CDC guidelines.  

Pennsylvania Senate Bill 327 restores local control and county governments the option to develop and implement their own plans to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, following CISA guidelines.

Governor Wolf vetoed both bills.

In a veto message, Wolf said, "This is not an easy decision, but it is the right course for Pennsylvania. Reopening tens of thousands of businesses too early will only increase the spread of the virus, place more lives at risk, increase the death tolls, and extend the length of the economic hardships created by the pandemic."

The bill was approved last week along party lines in the House and Senate.

On Monday afternoon there was a simultaneous noon rally in Pittsburgh and Harrisburg to urge Governor Wolfe to consider reopening Pennsylvania businesses[.]

When we use the phrase "mom and pop stores," we sometimes forget that they are just that: small businesses run by — mom and pop.  In many cases, both partners are also life partners, and as such, they do not have another income they can rely upon.  They have made sacrifices and put in the hard work necessary to build that American dream and to ultimately be a job-provider to those in their communities.  A prolonged shutdown will kill mom-and-pop entrepreneurs — the backbone of our country.

Businesses were left to navigate through the unique circumstances that have been created by the unexpected and sudden nature of the shutdown, coupled with the vague uncertainty of the timing and protocol for reopening.

With little or no ability to adopt a new business model for revenue generation, Geno Levi Salon found itself scrambling when the governor issued the mandated shutdown.  Cindy Levi explained, "Both my husband and I derive our livelihood from our salon business, as do many other small business owners around the country.  For those of us with that entrepreneurial spirit, the consequence of this situation is huge.  Not only has our personal income to cover our own expenses gone to $0, but it is now 100% our personal responsibility to cover the monthly expenses of our business in order to keep it afloat until re-opening.  There remained the issue of what this would look like from a financial standpoint for their staff, many of whom provide the primary income in their households."

The "essential business" label has left many consumers frustrated.  Norm Candelore of Candelore Barking Beauties: "Professional dog grooming is about more than just bathing and haircuts.  Grooming is vital to our pets' health.  Grooming detects health issues early.  Expressing of anal glands to prevent impacted cavities, overgrown toenails can causes hip complications and damage paw pads, and ear infections due to overgrown hair all require necessary treatments."  Candelore adds, "What our governor has done to our business has led to 21 employees out of work."

Mike Pasalocua, owner of Angello's Restaurant, a former police officer, has been running his restaurant for 38 years.  The last two years, his sales increased.  He finally had reserve capital.  Mike was planning to buy a new catering van in 2020.  He was full steam ahead — until he wasn't.

"It all came to a crashing halt," said Pasalocua.  "I've spent the entirety of my reserve money.  I kept managers on salary for three weeks.  We did our best to save food, work through reservations, and clean the restaurant top to bottom.  After meeting payroll, payables due to vendors, utilities, lost inventory, mortgage loans, first quarter taxes, insurance and maintenance issues, I have no money to pay myself."

We are not stoking the fires of industry, and as a result, we are witnessing the far-reaching effects of industrial slowdowns.  Something we don't even consider as we pop open that can of Coke or beer: The supply of carbon dioxide (CO2) used for carbonation and essential for beer and soft drinks is dwindling.  Ethanol-producers are necessary to the production, and their production has been diminished due to the low number of ethanol plants still in production.

Then there is the energy component already reeling from a mild winter, depressed natural gas prices, higher than normal inventories, and challenging market conditions, we learn that the coal industry is now facing headwinds from halting economic activity.  Jimmy Brock, president and CEO of CONSOL Energy, said, "Our primary customers and power plants are struggling with low power prices and even lower capacity factors, as a result of unparalleled low demand.  With the industrial and manufacturing sectors shuttering operations, and the residential electricity needs unable to make up for commercial demand, we have seen coal production quickly come offline, leading to thousands of workers, small businesses, and entire communities, feeling the widespread uncertainty as many others across the nation."

CONSOL Energy's, commitment is to the safety and health of their employees and that is paramount to anything they do. Recently they made the decision to temporarily stop production at their Bailey Mine in Greene County PA in response to two positive cases of COVID-19. About the move Brock said; "That decision was one we did not take lightly but was the right thing to do for our employees, their families and our communities". He added; "As we continue to find solutions in these challenging times, my hope is that we do not forget about the miners whose critical work every single day ensures reliable, low-cost electricity that serves as the feedstock to the very economy we are attempting to re-open, and that so many Americans depend on" .  

As Americans our hearts break for those who lost their battle with COVID 19. Entrepreneurs have weathered many storms over the years, none quite like this, but I believe they are up for the challenge – with our support.  We can, and have, demonstrated the ability to heal; physically, emotionally, and now financially.  We will roll up our collective sleeves as we have always done and do what is necessary to restore and reopen American businesses, and by doing so, put Americans back to work.  We will have a new normal, no doubt, but we will adjust, and we will move on. We are a creative people, we Americans. We will figure out a new path to economic success. We will persevere.  You can count on it. All that is necessary is for state governments to give us back that freedom to move forward. Trusting, as they should, that we will do it in a thoughtful, careful, and safe way. 

Your View by conservative talk host: Why Trump’s trade deals are good for Pennsylvania→

President Trump’s pro-growth economic agenda of middle-class tax cuts and deregulation has successfully pulled the U.S. economy out of its post-recession slump. And now his revolutionary trade policies are paving the way toward an even more prosperous future for Pennsylvania and the rest of the country.

As a proud Pennsylvania native, I know from experience that trade deals can make or break our state’s economy. For decades, we’ve been stuck with trade agreements that failed to serve the interests of our workers and plundered Pennsylvania’s prosperity. Luckily, this trend is changing.

America’s first major trade policy victory came early in Donald Trump’s presidency, when he successfully renegotiated our trade agreement with South Korea. As a result of this agreement, South Korea committed to double its annual U.S. auto imports to 50,000 cars per manufacturer and eliminate nontariff trade barriers, giving American workers a chance to compete on a more level playing field. South Korea also agreed to limit its steel exports to the U.S., providing welcome relief to Pennsylvania’s formerly beleaguered steel industry.

Trade deals such as the one with South Korea are vital for Pennsylvania’s manufacturing sector, which produced $94 billion of economic output in 2018, accounting for approximately 12% of our state’s economy. We export about one-third of that total, and those sales support more than 150,000 jobs. So expanding our access to overseas markets is crucial to our economic growth.

A trade deal with South Korea was only the beginning.

In October 2019, the president signed a breakthrough trade deal with Japan that vastly expanded market access for U.S. farmers, with Trump calling it “a huge victory for America’s farmers, ranchers, and growers.” He was right. Japan agreed to eliminate or reduce tariffs on more than $7.2 billion in U.S. agricultural exports, including beef, pork, and wheat — a major win for Pennsylvania’s booming agriculture industry, which generates billions of dollars for the state economy.

The agreement with Japan came at an opportune time, providing a catalyst for the subsequent Phase One trade deal with China, under which Beijing committed to purchasing an additional $200 billion in U.S. goods and services over the next two years. The Chinese government had been trying to avoid having to make such concessions by restricting imports of American agricultural products. But the Japan deal rendered that strategy moot by giving farmers and ranchers in states such as Pennsylvania an alternative market for their products.

In the same week that the Phase One agreement was finalized, President Trump signed the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, a transformative deal that replaces NAFTA’s job-killing provisions with new terms that treat American workers and businesses fairly. The USMCA is projected to add $68.2 billion to the U.S. economy and create a whopping 176,000 new jobs by eliminating outdated rules that gave artificial advantages to competitors in Canada and Mexico. Pennsylvania exports a whopping $15 billion to Mexico and Canada every year, and stands to significantly benefit from the new trilateral trade agreement.

Despite this lengthy track record of success, Democrats continue to spread misinformation in an effort to undermine popular support for his trade agenda. Their favorite line of attack is to fixate on the “costs” associated with the strategic counter-tariffs the president used to secure concessions from trade abusers such as China, while ignoring the far more substantial benefits that come from making our trade relations more equitable.

Just recently, though, Beijing announced that it is cutting tariffs on $75 billion of American-made products as part of the new trade deal with the U.S. More importantly, temporary counter-tariffs convinced China to end some of its most egregious trade abuses, putting Pennsylvania workers and businesses on a permanently stronger footing.

Liberals are trying to distort Donald Trump’s clear record of success on trade by citing a report that relies on inflated cost assumptions and fails to account for the benefits of the two most significant trade deals of his presidency. But they won’t succeed, because numbers don’t lie.

The U.S. economy is stronger than ever thanks to the president’s trade deals — and Pennsylvania workers won’t forget what Donald Trump has done for our country and our state when they cast their ballots in November.

Your View by conservative talk host: How President Trump’s policies are helping farmers in Pennsylvania→

Pennsylvania farmers are going to need bigger tractors, because President Trump is rapidly revitalizing American agriculture.

Throughout his presidency, Donald Trump has done everything in his power to keep American farmers prosperous and productive, ensuring that around 825,000 food and agricultural workers in the Keystone State are not left behind by Washington.

“My administration is fighting for the American farmer, and has been fighting for the farmer and the rancher every single day,” Donald Trump said during a recent speech at the American Farm Bureau Federation Annual Convention.

Those efforts have not gone unnoticed — according to a recent Farm Journal Pulse poll, the president’s approval rating among farmers has just hit an all-time high of 83%.

That wasn’t supposed to happen, at least according to the conventional wisdom in Washington. Democrats and free-trade zealots decried President Trump’s strategy of imposing strategic tariffs on countries that engage in abusive trade practices, emphasizing the economic calamity they expected to befall farmers as a result of the “trade war.”

Although China did try to put the squeeze on American farmers in the early phases of the ongoing bilateral trade negotiations, the president was prepared for that tactic. By offering federal financial assistance to offset the temporary losses farmers endured from a drop in exports to China, he ensured that the agriculture sector would be able to weather the storm until China inevitably backed down.

Now that President Trump has extracted concessions from Beijing, farmers are being rewarded handsomely for their patience.

Under the terms of the “Phase One” trade deal, China has agreed to purchase at least $40 billion in agricultural products from American farmers and ranchers — a significant boost in exports that will be particularly beneficial for states with robust agricultural sectors such as Pennsylvania.

Farmers got more good news with congressional approval of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which is projected to increase gross domestic product by nearly $70 billion and support the creation of 176,000 new jobs by increasing trade with our two closest neighbors. Pennsylvania sold $15 billion worth of exports to Mexico and Canada in 2018, including nearly $1 billion in processed food, and the USMCA will significantly expand access to those markets — especially for staples such as dairy and poultry products.

“The USMCA, as we call it, will massively boost exports for farmers, ranchers, growers, and agricultural producers from North to South, and from sea to shining sea,” President Trump explained.

This is only the beginning. The Trump administration is hard at work negotiating the second phase of the U.S.-China trade agreement, and the president is also working to expand our trade relations with allies such as France and the United Kingdom.

“We look forward to negotiating a tremendous new deal with the United Kingdom,” the president announced recently, adding that Prime Minister Boris Johnson “very much wants” a bilateral agreement.

Meanwhile, the president continues to implement his pro-growth economic agenda by shrinking the Draconian regulatory state erected under President Obama. Unlike radical Democrats, who have embraced the regulatory monstrosity known as the “Green New Deal,” Donald Trump knows that the entrepreneurial spirit of the American people — not micromanagement by federal bureaucrats — is the real source of long-term prosperity.

“Before I took office, American agriculture was being crushed by an onslaught of massive taxes; crippling regulations; burdensome federal mandates,” President Trump remarked during his speech to the Farm Bureau. Today, he said, “we are winning for our farmers, and we are winning like never before.”

If we keep winning like this, our factories will need to start churning out bigger tractors — and lots of ‘em — so that farmers in Pennsylvania and across the country can keep up with all the new demand for American agricultural products.

Trump’s economy has delivered real results for women. Female entrepreneurs are proof.→

Women are thriving in the Trump economy, and female entrepreneurs don’t put much credence in the deceptive liberal narrative about this president. I know because I have talked with many of them.

Past experience dictates that polls are not reliable, particularly when applied to his supporters. Conservative women cannot be stereotyped. -- They can be a stay-at-home mom, a CEO or owner of a large corporation or both. For them, there is no call to comply with a pre-determined lifestyle. They have the support of other women in their Party, regardless of the choices they make.

President Trump has delivered real results for women; in his first year of office, the number of women in poverty fell by nearly 600,000. Since then, his pro-growth economic policies have improved the lives of millions of women. Since he took office, the economy has created nearly 6 million new jobs, more than 3 million of which have been filled by women.

Additionally, the national female unemployment rate remained close to its all-time low for many months. Female unemployment has not been this low since the days of Rosie the Riveter.

There is a huge but silent support base for President Trump. The women highlighted in this article, however, are not silent. They and their businesses have benefitted from the Trump administration’s policies and the president’s commitment to jobs. They recognize that President Trump is fighting for the American worker and American companies. Businesses have waited a long time for an administration that puts them first.

American workers understand that Trump is fighting for their best interests and what will benefit them long term. When President Trump looks to make deals, he does so with our country’s best interests in mind and with the skills of a businessman for whom deals have consequences, as opposed to a politician who depends on the voter forgetting by the next Election Day that his deals didn’t pan out.

Trump’s policies have lightened the burden by lowering taxes and eliminating regulations that crush the spirit of capitalism.

Trump has demonstrated through policy and trade agreements that everything we’ve been told about America’s decline is wrong. We can manufacture items here at home.

In the recent past, we were sold the idea that America’s best days were behind her, that the new normal was 1 –1.5 percent annual growth. That was the leveling wind of globalism.

Trump’s policies shattered that idea in less than 18 months. In this new environment, the world is taking notice that the words “made in America” mean something again.

MadeInAmerica.com, Founder and CEO, Don Buckner, will be hosting the first-ever Made In America trade show, where I serve as spokesperson, in Indianapolis from October 3 - 6.

Don was in manufacturing since 1997 when he launched Vac-Tron Equipment from his garage. He sold his company in 2018 to go all-in on #AmericanMade and to hold a trade show to highlight Made In America manufacturers and celebrate National Manufacturing Day on October 4.

While manufacturing has traditionally been perceived as a male domain, more and more women are working in manufacturing and leading a myriad of companies. In Indianapolis, among the many exhibitors at the event, there are several female powerhouses in the industry.

The women highlighted below have benefitted from the administration’s policies and its commitment to jobs. Here's what they told me:

In 2006, Angela Horevitz wanted to find a better way for those who love to bake, to store or transport baked goods without compromising icing, and to keep food fresh. She started Bakers Sto N Go in 2007, producing a food storage container with adjustable shelves on the inside.

Angela is convinced that the quality of the materials obtained in the U.S. is far superior; “I’ve heard horror stories about purchase order delays, and items arriving damaged or poorly assembled, when ordering from overseas. I find that manufacturers are now hiring at an all-time high, and that’s good for everyone.”

CEO Barbara Creighton’s Sarati International in South Texas provides a natural rebalancing option for women going through menopause.

In the 1990’s Barbara searched to find a safe product for her personal use and discovered a product that would provide a natural path towards rebalancing. She told me, “I’m so appreciative of what President Trump has done for consumer confidence. Our customers who sell our proprietary or custom formulations in their spas or on Amazon are expanding their businesses. The Trump effect blesses us all as sales and profits increase.”

Beverlee Dacey, President of Amodex, a company providing solutions to what could potentially be anyone’s worst nightmare, stains - including a Sharpie. The materials used are non-toxic and sourced in the U.S.

Beverlee took over the company during the recession in 2008 and committed to supporting her fellow U.S. manufactures in the supply chain. She’s less concerned about cost than she is about what might be in the ingredients in solutions from other countries.

She said that this administration has “restored the Made in USA brand and revived our status in global markets. We’re finding that more foreign companies and consumers want American made products again.”

President Trump has put American jobs first. As more manufacturers look to sourcing their materials in the U.S., they’re finding the price for those materials have become increasingly more competitive.

Many saw the “trade wars” on the horizon and took steps to source materials and products domestically. As the demand grew for more American-made materials, new businesses begun to sprout up to meet that demand. Over the last two and a half years the U.S. economy has added over 500,000 manufacturing jobs according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Women have made incredible economic progress under President Trump, and as more women continue to enter the workforce at every level, it’s more important than ever to continue to pursue the pro-growth, America first policies that got us to where we are today.

If fracking is banned, what happens to jobs in Western Pa.?→

Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s campaign promise to entirely ban “fracking” may moisten the eyes of coastal liberals, but here in Pennsylvania, our eyes are rolling.

The “green” left spent more than a decade trying to turn fracking into a dirty word, and Pennsylvania was ground zero for this fight. They told us that if we allowed fracking to continue, we’d all be subsumed in earthquakes and our tap water would turn to flammable poison. But that hasn’t happened.

We allowed responsible, modern natural gas development to go forward, allowing Pennsylvanians to take advantage of some of the world’s greatest shale gas reserves. The result has been an incredible boon to our state and our country.

Fracking and the rest of the shale gas revolution saved Pennsylvania from the worst depths of the Great Recession. When our workers were hurting the most in 2008 and 2009, the shale fields eventually catapulted Pennsylvania back to prosperity by restoring the energy dominance that we enjoyed a century earlier.

Today, 106,000 Pennsylvanians have mostly well-paid, desirable jobs in the energy sector. That’s a big part of why our state has a 3.9% unemployment rate — a figure that would have been unimaginable only a few years ago — but it doesn’t tell the whole economic story. The industry also indirectly supports an additional 216,000 jobs in the state, and in 2015, contributed more than $44 billion to the state’s economy.

Meanwhile, America as a whole has become energy independent for the first time since we became dependent on imported oil from the Middle East in the 1960s. Americans can now affordably power and heat their homes in large part thanks to Pennsylvanian shale gas.

So how could anyone — let alone a U.S. senator with an eye on the White House — justify ending something that has created so many jobs in Pennsylvania?

Warren seems to be playing on the same exaggerated fears we heard about and dismissed here a decade ago because it pleases her base.

The earthquake stuff was blown way out of proportion, as was the famous “lighting tap water on fire” scene in that propaganda film Gasland. People in gas-rich parts of the country have previously contended with the possibility of flammable methane in their water, including those who live in the part of Colorado where the infamous footage was filmed.

Which brings us to climate change, which liberals also frequently invoke while making the case for stifling domestic energy production. What Warren and her ilk consistently fail to mention is that the cheap natural gas produced in Pennsylvania has done more to reduce greenhouse gas emissions than any of the costly, pie-in-the-sky policies the Democrats are proposing. Burning natural gas produces far less carbon dioxide as a part of a diverse energy portfolio than coal, the industry that President Obama notoriously declared “war” on as part of his quixotic strategy to lower sea levels.

That fact allowed America to achieve lower greenhouse gas emissions in 2017, after President Trump took office — even amid a booming, energy-driven economy.

Warren’s promise to ban fracking does not seem to be based on a genuine belief that it would end climate change. It’s based on a cynical calculation that she has more to gain politically by indulging the whims of greenies than by ensuring the economic success of people in places such as Western Pennsylvania.

While that strategy might win her accolades from coastal liberal elitists, it won’t earn her any fans here in Pennsylvania. We know from direct experience that fracking has been an unmitigated boon for this state, and we have no use for Warren’s fearmongering.

Women are benefitting from President Trump's economic policies→

President Trump’s economic policies have improved the lives of millions of women all across America — and the evidence of this remarkable rejuvenation can be seen right here in Pennsylvania.

Throughout his presidency, Donald Trump has been firmly committed to rebuilding the U.S. economy and helping every American family prosper in the aftermath of the devastating Obama years.

Although female workers didn’t suffer quite as badly during the Great Recession as their male counterparts, nearly a decade of disastrous Democrat policies took a toll across every demographic. The national female unemployment rate soared to a peak of 9 percent in 2010, and remained discouragingly high throughout Obama’s presidency.

President Trump’s pro-growth economic policies, particularly his historic middle-class tax cuts, have turned things around dramatically, especially for women. Since he took office, the economy has created nearly six million new jobs, more than 3 million of which have been filled by women.

As a result, the national female unemployment rate has been hovering close to its all-time low for many months, after dropping by more than a full percentage point since Donald Trump’s inauguration. The last time women’s unemployment was this low was in 1953 — 66 years ago!

Women in Pennsylvania haven’t missed out on this economic renaissance. When President Trump took office in January 2017, the average female unemployment rate in Pennsylvania over the preceding 12 months was 5.2 percent; as of this April, that number has fallen to 4.1 percent.

The President’s policies have also made a major difference for American families. The typical married couple with two children saved almost $3,000 on their federal taxes last year thanks to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, and the Trump administration has taken numerous steps to rein in out-of-control prescription drug prices, among other family-friendly initiatives. The Council of Economic Advisers recently estimated that the President’s elimination of harmful regulations in the healthcare sector, for instance, will help more American families acquire affordable health insurance, and save them “nearly ten percent on prescription drugs.”

President Trump isn’t done fighting for women, though. During his second term in office, he’ll keep building on the policies responsible for his impressive economic record, and if the past is any guide, women are sure to be among the primary beneficiaries.

That’s why I was so excited to join the leadership of the Women for Trump coalition, which is slated to officially launch at an event in King of Prussia this week. With the help of women across America, this new coalition will highlight the progress that the President has already made and explain how his long-term economic vision will continue to help women prosper like never before. This work is incredibly important, because the horde of radical Democrats running for their party’s 2020 presidential nomination is promising to repeal virtually all of President Trump’s effective policies.

Even former Vice President Joe Biden, who has tried to stake out a position as a “moderate” in a field of radical liberal candidates, has vowed to scrap Donald Trump’s tax cuts for middle-income Americans if he wins the next presidential election.

“On day one, I will move to eliminate Trump's tax cuts," he warned.

If the Democrats take the White House in 2020, they’ll also make it a priority to restore the job-killing regulations that multiplied like rodents during the “Obama-Biden administration.” In fact, numerous Democrat presidential candidates have already voiced support for the $93 trillion Green New Deal — a far-left wish list riddled with draconian environmental regulations that would permanently cripple our economy.

Unlike the Democrats, who pay lip service to “women’s issues” while advocating policies that would actually hurt women, President Trump has implemented an agenda that has produced significant gains for women in states such as Pennsylvania. The Women for Trump coalition will be a powerful voice speaking on behalf of the millions of women who have seen their quality of life improve thanks to Donald Trump’s leadership — the women who know better than anyone that re-electing this President is imperative if we want to continue thriving the way we are today.

Why Trump Matters to Women→

Carl Bernstein, of Watergate fame and not much else since, had a meltdown a few weeks ago, a common occurrence from the Left since Trump has taken office. While on CNN’s Reliable Sources he called for a closer look into why people support Trump. He said,

“No president in the history of the United States in 246 years has expressed the kinds of ideas and thoughts and undemocratic notions and authoritarian notions that he has. We need to start connecting these dots. What do people in the country think of this and why do they think and support him, no matter what he does, no matter how outrageous seemingly his conduct is.”

Ever notice how the Left loves to accuse President Trump of “undemocratic” behavior? When pressed to explain exactly what those behaviors are, they’ve got nothing. But, I can help Carl out, particularly where women are concerned.

I know why Trump matters, especially to women and why we not only voted for him in 2016, but why we will vote for him again in 2020. We see him as a protector of those things we hold dear. We recognize that our long-held values are under attack from the Left. We believe he will defend those values. And this is really important: we want a man who keeps his promises. Trump did.

As women we took a close look at the state of our nation in 2016 and saw scars from years of neglect. Those who were charged with the preservation and protection of our Constitution failed us. Many in DC seemed to care more about their status and their pay-offs than they did about representing us and safeguarding our rights.

We saw just how much government became an industry, and as with all industries, it has its own set of interests and the desire for growth, increased power and influence. But unlike private sector industry, government produces no wealth. As a result, it must take its money by force, through taxes and regulations. When that wealth is redistributed, it is done so with a political purpose in mind. Contrary to what Hillary believed, we women saw that all by ourselves, without anyone “mansplaining” it to us. We saw it and it concerned us. We believed candidate Trump’s promises to lower taxes and to massively reduce regulations, and then we watched it happen after he took office.

And while some on the Left and in the media attempted to shame us for our support of President Trump, we are not at all ashamed of his accomplishments. Yes, we are thrilled that female unemployment is currently at an over-60-year low – but that is not all we are thrilled about. It pleases us greatly that African American and Hispanic unemployment is at historic lows. Those of us who are mothers are thrilled that the youth unemployment is at a half-century low. Many of us are experiencing the best economy in our lifetime. And importantly, this administration respects and protects our veterans and supports law enforcement.

And it is extremely important to us that we have been successful on the world stage as well as at home. President Trump immediately withdrew us from the Trans Pacific Partnership, the (horrible) Iran Deal, and said Au Revoir to the scam that is the Paris Climate Accord.

Turns out, we women really have nothing to be ashamed about. We made a pretty damn good decision to elect Donald Trump. In the end, the media was successful only in strengthening our resolve when they vote shamed us. We feel emboldened as we go into 2020 as Women for Trump.

We recognize that Trump doesn’t see the world through the same political eyes that the rest of us do. We find it refreshing that he is not an ideologue or a politician. We believe that he sees the Executive Branch as exactly that, and himself as the chief executive. Many of us believe that he considers this role as any executive would – with an eye toward a practical outcome rather than one that results in a political outcome. When we look at him we see something we haven’t seen in a long time, a leader that simply loves this country -- who believes in the greatness of this country, for which he makes no apologies. He is putting us first and is making government more accountable to the American people.

We believed him when he said he would Make America Great Again. So, what we really want as women when selecting representation, and as we celebrate 100 years of our constitutional right to take that selection to the ballot box in 2020, is the same guy who was able to “Make America Great Again” in order to “Keep America Great”. Hope this helps to connect some of those “dots” for Carl Bernstein.

The Perilous Mainstreaming of 'Democratic Socialism'→

It has been both shocking and terrifying to observe just how far to the left the Democratic Party has moved. While watching the debates last week, it was abundantly clear how radical both the candidates and their policies truly are.

The once-shunned label of “socialist” is now boldly embraced by many on the left. They believe it to be a fairer system than capitalism. But no one stops to think about what it means to have “free” education for all or “free” health care for all. There was scant mention of how we will pay for all the “free” stuff during the debates.

Last week, Joy Behar targeted conservatives and mocked them by saying that the right is blind to the supposed virtues of “democratic-socialism.” She said that Republicans just don’t understand what the word “socialist” means.

We absolutely understand the big-government, redistributionist agenda they are pushing. That is why we are terrified and alarmed to see how the left has embraced it. Liberals love to talk about “free” stuff, but we Republicans take those impossible promises to their logical conclusion: there is no such thing as a free lunch — someone eventually has to pay for it.

We know that socialism eliminates free markets and does away with free enterprise. We know it doesn’t work — just look at Venezuela, a once-prosperous country that now faces mass starvation due to destructive socialist policies.

But there is something more alarming in what Joy Behar said, and it’s not the first time it’s been mentioned by the left. Bernie Sanders was one of the first to popularize the term in mainstream American politics, and since then it has become a leftist mantra: democratic-socialism.

This is a clever way to ignore socialism’s continued failures. The left can no longer explain away socialism’s epic fails. The word “socialism” is a turn-off to many people. So, Bernie and the others are redefining it. They aren’t talking about “that socialism,” they insist; they’re talking about “democratic-socialism.”

“Democratic-socialism,” however, is just an innocuous-sounding term for the “tyranny of the majority” that the Founders were so anxious to avoid when they wrote the U.S. Constitution.

The first election to allow the imposition of “democratic-socialism” would be the last free election this country would have. After that, it becomes a choice between ham and pork. It’s a trick. “Democratic-socialism” is just a way for politicians to trick you into handing over your freedom in exchange for promises they can’t keep.

This week, we celebrate 243 years of independence. In 1776, the Continental Congress was deliberating over the most momentous political event of all time — 13 colonies were to become the United States of America and undertake a radical experiment in individual liberty and self-government.

Even though the resolution for the Declaration of Independence had already been adopted, there was some hesitation when it came time for the delegates to apply their signatures to the document. When John Witherspoon realized that the delegates were wavering, he stood up and made a passionate speech, reminding them that “there is a tide in the affairs of men — a nick of time we perceive it now before us. To hesitate is to consent to our own slavery.” 

Witherspoon finished his appeal, and the delegates signed the Declaration of Independence. Historians have recorded that many of the men, recognizing the magnitude of what they had just done, openly wept. They knew that they were once slaves to an oppressive government and now they were free.

If the Founders could see us now, would they not weep again? Should it be said of us that we were once free and are now slaves? Our forefathers ran from the tyrannical rule of kings, yet those on the left today seem to be running towards tyranny of a different sort.

Our forefathers’ mission was to secure the liberty of the American people. The founders believed there was potential in every human being, and that the best way to cultivate that potential was through individual liberty.

Tyrannical governments and socialist dictatorships have done nothing to enhance the human condition. The freedom that America has gifted to the world, on the other hand, has raised the baseline of human existence beyond anything ever conceived before.

Of freedom, Thomas Paine wrote; “What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives everything its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as freedom should not be highly rated.”

Like Paine, many of us understand that what we care for most lovingly holds the greatest value for us. If Americans today were asked what we value most to leave as an inheritance for our children, what would that be?

Would it be an antique that’s been passed down for generations, or that sports car in the garage? A lovely home, precious metals, or stocks? Or should we consider something more precious, such as liberty? Isn’t liberty worth any sacrifice to secure as an inheritance for our children and their children?

Our liberty was declared 243 years ago this July 4th by men who pledged their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor to the cause. Many of the signers of the Declaration of Independence knew they would never fully enjoy the fruits of that liberty. They understood they were doing this for future generations of Americans they would never know. They were doing it for us. We owe them a life dedicated to preserving liberty, not a capitulation to the tyrannical forces of socialism.

Graphic credit: ShannonKringen

What Promise-Keeping Looks Like

A special election underway today in Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional District offers voters a chance to deliver a verdict on the promises kept by President Trump, whose pro-growth economic policies have reinvigorated the Keystone State’s economy, sending unemployment to record lows and reviving once-struggling industries. We can do our part to keep the good times rolling by sending State Representative Fred Keller to Washington to help support the America First agenda in Congress.

Marc Friedenberg, the Democrat who is running against Keller in the special election for Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional District today, once called for a middle-class tax increase, arguing that the middle class has to pay “their fair share.”

"We should be raising taxes on the middle class so that they're paying their fair share," he said in a 2017 video.

Of course, raising taxes — especially on middle-class Americans — is precisely the opposite of the approach that has finally jump-started the languid economy that President Obama left as his legacy.

President Trump visited Montoursville yesterday to campaign for Fred Keller, and addressed a highly enthusiastic crowd of supporters;

YouTube screen grab

When candidate Trump visited Pennsylvania in 2016, he promised that American workers “will finally have a President who will protect them and fight for them.”

“We will stand up to trade cheating anywhere and everywhere it threatens an American job,” then-candidate Trump pledged. “We will make America the best place in the world to start a business, hire workers, and open a factory.”

Since his very first day in office, Donald Trump has worked tirelessly to turn that vision into reality, implementing policies to improve our economy, repair our healthcare industry, and bring back the prosperity that never materialized under the previous administration.

In order to protect American workers from unfair competition, for instance, President Trump renegotiated the disastrous NAFTA deal that cost the U.S. at least one million jobs, withdrew from the Trans-Pacific Partnership that threatened to impose a similar burden on our economy, and imposed targeted counter-tariffs on serial trade cheaters, such as China.

The Trump administration has also made enormous strides on healthcare by lowering the cost of prescription drugs and correcting some of the worst problems with Obamacare while still protecting pre-existing conditions, including eliminating the individual mandate, an onerous requirement that burdened Americans everywhere.

Thanks to his policies, prescription drug prices are falling for the first time in 47 years, resulting in savings of $26 billion. Obamacare premiums, which increased rapidly for most of the law’s history, are even projected to decline for the first time ever in 2019.

The President’s most significant achievement to date, however, is the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), which slashed taxes on ordinary Americans and provided corporate tax relief that has spurred hiring across nearly every sector of the economy.

Thanks in large part to the stimulus provided by those middle-class tax cuts, Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate reached 3.9 percent in March — the lowest level ever recorded. Pennsylvania businesses have added 123,600 jobs under President Trump, including thousands of jobs in industries such as manufacturing that had languished under Obama’s regulation-happy two terms in office.

Despite the President’s impressive record of delivering results for Pennsylvania and the rest of the country, however, the Democrats have opted for an obstructionist strategy of automatic opposition to Trump’s policies. Friedenberg would just be another soldier in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s far-left army, assisting in her efforts to frustrate the President’s agenda that has generated historic prosperity.

GOP nominee Fred Keller, on the other hand, shares Trump’s economic vision, and will be a steadfast ally to the President, helping him to advance his effective policy agenda. Keller’s experience as a small business owner and his record of supporting pro-growth policies as a public servant even earned him the endorsement of the National Federation of Independent Businesses, which praised his “deep understanding of the challenges small business owners face, such as taxes and regulations.”

Thanks to President Trump, Pennsylvania's economic engine is roaring once again. It's now up to us, the voters, to defend this newfound prosperity against the power-hungry Democrats, and we can start by sending Fred Keller to Congress when we go to the polls on Tuesday.