THE BOX: Inside, Outside, On with Matt Brouillette
Hear from the headliners, thinkers, and agitators as Matt tackles the hottest political and cultural issues of the day, gets answers directly from the source, and delivers a viewpoint you won't get anywhere else in talk radio.
Live from the PLC
Saturday, April 26, 2008
THE BOX broadcasted live from the 2008 Pennsylvania Leadership Conference on Saturday, April, 26th. Thanks to everyone who stopped by! Tune in again next week on WHP 580 AM.
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“Talking PA” with Sen. Wonderling
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Sen. Rob Wonderling recently published “Talking Pennsylvania: 21 Conversations for the 21st Century” in which he recounts the stories of 21 Pennsylvanians and draws conclusions about how state government ought to work.
Matt chats with Rob about the inspiration for his book and his conclusions about the proper role of government in our lives.
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Taxes, Taxes, Taxes
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Tax Day (April 15th) is just around the corner. It is the day that we clearly realize who we actually work for — The Government. But it is also a good time to discuss tax reform.
This week, Matt will chat with guests who support the Flat Tax and the Fair Tax, as well as chat with Rep. Tom Quigley about a recent tax cut proposal in the House. He will also discuss Tax Freedom Day, the day we finally get to start working for ourselves and our families.
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New Zealand’s Lessons for Pennsylvania
Saturday, April 5, 2008
New Zealand, in the 1980s, was strapped with a stagnant economy, huge deficits, high unemployment, and burdensome taxes. The revitalization of the island nation occurred following the implementation of market-oriented reforms in the ’80s and ’90s. One of the key players in New Zealand’s resurgence was Maurice McTigue, who served as a Member of Parliament, Cabinet Minister, and Ambassador.
Currently, Mr. McTigue is Vice President, Director of the Government Accountability Project, and Distinguished Visiting Scholar at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. He joined Matt to discuss the New Zealand experience and lessons Pennsylvania policymakers can learn from that nation’s economic revitalization.
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Myths & Facts on Energy & the Environment
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Matt and Eric Epstein talked about ethanol, and its embrace by politicians in the pursuit of alternative fuels. Gov. Rendell wants to subsidize ethanol production as part of his Energy Independence Strategy, a massive corporate welfare and subsidy program that will likely do little to lower energy costs or make us less dependent on foreign fuels.
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Myths & Facts on Energy & the Environment
Saturday, March 22, 2008
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives recently passed Governor Rendell’s “Energy Independence Initiative” which, if passed by the Senate, would borrow $850 million for a variety of alternative energy purposes.
Matt spoke with former U.S. Energy Department Policy Advisor Max Schulz last year about the myths and facts about energy and the environment that should inform our policymakers as they consider legislation that is supposed to make us more energy independent. They discussed American’s beliefs about oil, energy sources, pollution, global warming, and many other related topics.
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Stimulating the Economy
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Economic forecasts point to slower economic growth in 2008, and possibly a recession, both at the national level and in Pennsylvania. While Congress recently passed an “economic stimulus” package, Governor Rendell has proposed tax “rebates” for low-income households as part of his budget proposal.
Matt talked with Scott Hodge of the Tax Foundation to discuss how government ought to respond to a recession, as well as compare and contrast tax cuts and tax rebates. Rep. Brian Ellis and Rep. Dick Stevenson joined Matt to talk about about the Governor’s proposals, and the House Republican alternative — tax cuts. Democratic Rep. Eugene DePasquale provided his take on how to stimulate the economy. Brad Bumsted of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review then gavee his predictions on the Governor’s potential for budgetary success.
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Talk with Turzai
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Rep. Mike Turzai is the House Republican Policy Committee Chairman. Matt chatted with Mike about how he got to the state legislature, his leadership role in the Republican Caucus, and the challenges of both advancing a conservative policy agenda and fighting back Gov. Rendell’s big government programs.
Matt also chatted with his friend and former state representative Jeff Coleman about how elected officials have to learn how to play the politics game without compromising their core principles to be effective legislators.
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Marriage Matters
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Should Pennsylvania constitutionally define marriage as being between one man and one woman? Sen. Mike Brubaker thinks so, and so does Maggie Gallagher of the Institute for Marriage and Public Policy and Michael Geer of the Pennsylvania Family Institute. But Stacy Sobel of the Equality Advocates Pennsylvania disagrees. Matt talks with all of them to find out why.
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ABOUT THE PROGRAM
THE BOX is broadcast every Saturday morning from eight to nine on WHP 580AM in Harrisburg but can be listened to online at www.theboxprogram.com.
Sponsored by: The Commonwealth Foundation is a nonprofit think tank based in Harrisburg that advocates limited government, economic freedom and individual responsibility in Pennsylvania public policy.