Friday, August 22, 2014

Wolf Flip-Flops Again And Again And Again

In Pennsylvania, the Corbett-Cawley campaign today highlighted the constantly evolving contradictory opinions of millionaire Secretary Tom Wolf. The latest flip-flop comes on Tom Wolf's support for an educational and school choice tax credit he profited off as a businessman, ran against in the liberal Democratic gubernatorial primary, and now supports again after realizing his opposition of the tax credits would harm him with voters.

“As we have seen time and time again, Secretary Tom Wolf is a paper-thin candidate who changes his positions on the issues depending on which way the winds of electoral fortune are blowing,” stated Communications Director Chris Pack. “Secretary Tom Wolf is willing to tell people whatever it is he and his political advisors think the people want to hear, no matter how much he contradicts himself in the process. That is what you do when you lack the integrity to take positions on tough issues affecting the Commonwealth – you simply placate everyone regardless of how hypocritical you become.”

As reported in the Jewish Exponent, Tom Wolf caused angst among school choice advocates during the Democratic gubernatorial primary when he strongly opposed educational improvement programs and tax credits that helped families make the decisions that were best for their children. However, after successfully purchasing the Democratic nomination for Governor, Wolf was confronted with records from the Department of Community and Economic Development showing that but he benefited from them as head of the now Delaware-based Wolf Organization to the tune of $54,000. Now, suddenly, Wolf is in support of the tax credits once again.

“Once again, a bright light has been shined on Tom Wolf hypocrisy again as he continues to apply his do as I say, not as I do logic to every situation. Wolf uses a tax credit to benefit his bottom line, then runs against it to show off his liberal credentials, and finally changes his mind one more time to embrace it as he attempts to fool voters into thinking he's not so liberal after all,” added Pack.

Wolf has an extensive record of hypocrisy during his relatively short time as a candidate for office. Other examples of Wolf’s hypocrisy include, but are not limited to:
Spending $10 million dollars of his personal wealth and $4 million personal loan to fund his campaign despite saying that if you have to self-fund your campaign, you should not be a candidate

  • Promising that the taxpayers of Pennsylvania that they would be paid back the millions of dollars that were lost through an investment into Wolf’s floundering company before Wolf does, and then using $10 million to buy the Democratic nomination for Governor [More HERE and HERE]
  • Saying people like him should pay more in taxes despite his own tax records showing that he pays on average a tax rate less than half of the average taxpayer [MoreHERE]
  • Praising the Governor and General Assembly for their work in passing a bipartisan transportation bill just hours before launching a fancy television commercial attacking Governor Tom Corbett for the bill [More HERE]
  • Promising to establish a cap-and-trade tax on Pennsylvania’s coal industry (that supports over 62,000 jobs) during the primary and then attempting to walk back his comments at a Pennsylvania Environmental Council dinner [More HERE]
  • Calling for higher taxes on Pennsylvania businesses despite moving his company to Delaware to avoid paying his fair share of Pennsylvania taxes [More HERE]
  • Promising to release any information asked of him, including his corporate tax returns, and then refusing to release them by stating that they are a private company and will not be making them available [More HERE]
  • Repeatedly denying the existence of a pension crisis and opposing any shift away from a defined benefit to a defined contribution retirement system despite Wolf’s own company switching from a defined benefit to a defined contribution system [MoreHERE]
  • Promising that he would not run negative commercials because “that’s not who I am” and that “you can't separate means and ends, that you can't pretend to serve noble ends by getting there through ignoble means,” despite running negative television commercials [More HERE]

Below is a timeline on Wolf’s flip-flop on education tax credits.

Tom Wolf, 2001-2005
"Wolf’s own kit­chen cabinet supply company, the Wolf Organization, has benefitted from the EITC program in the past, donating $60,000 between 2001 and 2005 and receiving $54,000 in tax credits, according to records obtained by the Exponent from the Department of Community and Economic Development."

Tom Wolf Pre-Primary, Nov 2013 - May 2014
"That stands in contrast with some of his statements before the primary, when Wolf said that, if elected, he “would take a look at all of the state’s tax credits to ensure we are not just rewarding special interests.”"

"Responding to queries from the Exponent and the Orthodox Union during the campaign, Wolf said he “did not think that public tax dollars should be diverted from our public schools to create a back-door voucher system. I will take a close look at both of these programs and examine how they impact public education funding.”"

Tom Wolf Post-Primary, August 2014
"When asked about these donations and Wolf’s position on the credits, his campaign responded with a statement in support of the EITC."

“The EITC program has been an effective tool to invest in education and support student learning in a multitude of educational settings,” a Wolf campaign staffer stated in an email to the Exponent. “While Tom will not interfere with the EITC program, ensuring that every student has access to a high quality public school will be his top priority as governor.”

"Wolf’s campaign has not responded to repeated questions on whether he would preserve $50 million in funding for the OSTC program, which was approved in 2012 and also allows businesses to receive tax credits for donating but is limited to students who live in an area where they would otherwise attend a failing school."

FOR MORE INFORMATION SEE: "In Shift, Wolf Voices Support of Some Educational Tax Credits," Jewish Exponent, August 20, 2014

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