Pennsylvania Faces a Crisis of Accepting Mediocrity

According to rankings released by U.S. News, Pennsylvania is the 41st “best state,” positioning itself at 39th in education and 38th in its overall economy. When I was born, Pennsylvania had the third-largest population, but it fell to sixth place after the 2010 census, only to move up to fifth place when Illinois, well-known for its dysfunction, took the Keystone State’s place. Pennsylvania is also one of the oldest states, with those over age 80 comprising the fastest growing demographic. It’s a state with more people moving out than moving in.

The reaction across Pennsylvania is one of indifference. Most Pennsylvanians have lived through mediocrity, stagnation, and low expectations for so long that that we don’t even notice our low standards. It’s a state that seems content with managing decline.

It’s not surprising, then, that few politicians talk in bold, visionary terms about growth or creativity. Consider the case of Greater Philadelphia. In the city, the closest to “visionary leadership” comes with the arrival of new school superintendents, who announce massively bureaucratic, five-year plans employing lofty, opaque jargon rather than tangible, demonstrable goals. But it doesn’t really matter since most of these acclaimed hires leave before their five-year mark with their idealistic goals unmet.

Harrisburg Democrats focus on solving the harmful effects of bad, short-sighted policies. They address the symptoms rather than the disease: bloated programs, bureaucratic red tape, untapped energy sources. Their Republican colleagues are all too often left playing “whack-a-mole,” trying to stop the growth of band-aid, California-style programs, wasteful spending, or regulations punishing the gas and coal industries that are key to Pennsylvania’s future.

Of course, Pennsylvania has bold thinkers and entrepreneurs making innovations in hardware, medicine, and software. There are scientists, engineers, doctors, and financiers thinking of the next widget, app, or mutual fund.

Even Wawa keeps thinking of new sandwiches, faster service, and a better app. It’s telling that Wawa has fifty more stores in Florida than Pennsylvania. Yet Wawa opened in Florida just over 12 years ago.

This is just a small snapshot of a deeper problem. When I was the Chester County Chamber’s CEO, a Wawa executive shared the sad reality. If Wawa purchased two plots of land – one in Pennsylvania and the other in Florida, the Florida store would be open in about 18 months. Pennsylvania’s wouldn’t open for about 33 months.

We’re a state focused on regulations, collecting short-term taxes – that seem focused on punishing risk-taking and success – and moving at a bureaucratic pace. Florida is a state that gets “stuff” done. People move there; people move out of Pennsylvania. Businesses relocate there; they close-down or leave the Keystone State.

U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick’s recent “Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Summit” in Pittsburgh brought this all back into focus. He convened entrepreneurs, CEOs, investors and leaders in energy, science, workforce, and finance. McCormick not only saw a national challenge – and the economic and national security risks if we fall behind China – but he recognized what is right before our eyes and yet has been ignored or impeded for decades in Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania should be the keystone to the United States’ mission to win the race to lead the world in AI. The state has more energy than Saudi Arabia. Moreover, it has highway, rail, shipping, and airport, and trade access to the majority of the U.S. and parts of Canada – and an ability to get our energy (LNG) to our allies in Europe (a win-win). Pennsylvania has national leaders in agriculture, high tech, life sciences, healthcare, finance, plus among the most universities of any state. Our tolerance and indifference to bad policies is the only reason that Pennsylvania is not a top 10 economy and is instead in danger of becoming a bottom 10.

The state’s school districts focus on how much money they spend rather than test scores and preparing students to thrive in a changing economy. Pennsylvania ranks sixth in school spending (over $23,000 per student) yet a lowly 38th in test scores.

Do we want to lead the nation in government assistance or job creation? Do we want our children to learn and work in the state that everyone is moving to in 2030, or makes plans to talk to Pennsylvania friends via FaceTime after they've relocated to North Carolina, Florida, or Texas?

Whether we embrace the opportunity before us is in our hands – and those we elect.

Guy Ciarrocchi is a Senior Fellow with the Commonwealth Foundation. He writes for RealClear Pennsylvania and Broad+Liberty. Follow Guy @PaSuburbsGuy