Pennsylvania’s Missing Ingredients for Success
If Pennsylvania held a vote for our state slogan, unfortunately, I’d have to nominate: “If you have low expectations, you’ll never be disappointed.”
Our population has been stagnant for decades. When I was born, we were the third-largest state. We fell to sixth after the 2010 census, only slouching back to fifth in 2020 because Illinois is falling behind faster. According to U.S. News, our economy ranks 38th, and the 41st “best overall.” It gets worse: WalletHub just ranked Pennsylvania 44th in the nation. “There’s a lot going on in Pennsylvania, on the negative side,” said its analyst.
Why aren’t we a top 10, even top 5, economy? Why isn’t Pennsylvania’s population growing, on path to be the fourth-largest state?
It’s a chicken-and-egg question: Do our low expectations allow our elected officials to get away with Pennsylvania performing so poorly, or have generations of stagnant, timid economies caused us to be so pessimistic – yet content.
Where’s the executive leadership and vision? The business plan? The hope?
Recently, I participated in a RealClearPennsylvania roundtable discussion with entrepreneurs, policy advocates, and media members talking about the opportunities and challenges facing Pittsburgh – and Pennsylvania – to be a leading entrepreneurial destination for energy, technology, and even manufacturing in the 21st century. Then again, will we watch other states like Florida, Texas, Tennessee, Ohio, and Virginia continue to leave us behind?
Why has it been over a century since Pennsylvania was an economic leader – a place people moved to instead of relocating elsewhere?
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott recently invited the state’s top energy producers and employers to their capitol. Abbott wants to ensure that Texas can handle their growing population, keep their economy growing – and be a leader in the energy and tech revolution. Abbott gave them a vision challenge: Texas needs to grow its energy production by 300 to 500% in the next decade. How can they do it, and what policies, regulation, and support do they need to make it happen?
Abbott offered a vision – a mix of practical realities, hope, and high expectations – and invited the leaders who make it happen to advise him. It wasn’t about how to get by but how to thrive – to do even better. That’s leadership and humility. It’s visionary and practical.
Contrast that forward thinking approach against Pennsylvania’s ongoing budget stalemate this year – following the one last year. Plus, every year of the Wolf administration.
Pennsylvania is especially tragic because if there was a board game where the 50 states competed to be number one, and players could draft states – like players in fantasy football – most would fight to draft the Commonwealth. It has limitless energy, a bountiful agricultural sector, hundreds of universities – including several internationally renowned – and trade schools. Plus, it counts a large life sciences and tech hub, along with globally known brands in everything from finance and retail to snacks. It enjoys the blessed geography of being the Keystone State.
Gov. Shapiro never talks in hopeful terms about how much better our state could be in 2030. How do we become the Florida or even Tennessee of the 21st century? We’ve only had one governor rally us in my lifetime: Tom Ridge. Ridge had a vision that he started to put in place –with bipartisan support – for education, regulatory reform, and job growth. As he put it then, “Pennsylvania should be a leader among states, and a competitor among nations.” Then 9/11 happened.
Now, it’s a year-by-year slog.
Democrats look at the stagnant population and the relatively anemic economy and “have” to grow spending – to offer more benefits to an ever-growing population needing government programs.
The GOP-controlled Senate is largely relegated to playing defense, fighting back against Shapiro and Democrat Matt Bradford’s controlled House and their limitless quest to grow and create programs.
They try in vain to encourage Democrats to embrace Pennsylvania’s abundance of natural gas to help create jobs and lower utility bills. Truth be told, Bradford and Shapiro know there’s actually a pro-natural gas, bipartisan majority even in the Democratic-controlled House. But Bradford won’t allow any “fossil fuel” bills to be voted on because he’s captive to the “climate crisis” fanaticism controlling Democrats.
Every budget debate is about how to divvy up stagnant tax revenue, and how to offer more aid to those in need and falling behind. There’s no plan for growth.
Fewer public-school students graduate, even in 5 years, and many graduates are not college or job-ready. So, we offer people more aid: for food, rent, healthcare.
Regulations, red tape, and taxes, along with “climate crisis” fanaticism, limit our energy, manufacturing, and construction sectors. So we offer unemployment aid and “retraining” programs to more and more people.
We have failed to be what Pennsylvania was a century ago by using our resources and geography.
Last month, the Commonwealth’s Independent Fiscal Office released a depressing projection of Pennsylvania’s current trajectory. The state is losing population. It’s not growing slower than other states but losing people. Our school-age population is falling. There’s a shrinking working-age population (i.e., ages 20-64). Our 80-year-old-plus cohort is growing like a rocket.
It’s a state that’s smaller, older, with more people riding the wagon than able to pull it.
It’s not a slogan that recruits people, talent, or investment dollars.
We have the resources, know-how, and workforce to chase and beat Texas.
All what’s missing is a governor who cares about Pennsylvania’s future and will take the risk. One who will offer us a vision, a plan – and hope.
