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ne—there’s nothing social about it. It’s turned our communities into the battlefields of an uncivil war. It’s why so many of you feel alone—in your own hometowns. You see, once upon a time—Pennsylvania was an experiment—one guy’s big idea—that people from different cultures, with different views on some of the hardest questions—like the meaning of life—or what it means to be a good neighbor—that we could live together and govern ourselves—and worship and raise our families without anyone forcing us to violate our conscience. And for over 330 years, it’s been working—pretty well. Those ideas spread—and an entire country started—right here, from this place. You know the story—a bell, a Declaration, a Constitution, a Revolution—right here. For two decades before the Civil War, Pennsylvania was the beacon of freedom at the end of the Underground Railroad. And it was here that questions of the Civil War were settled at Gettysburg. We’re the state that showed the world that there was a place for people like my mom Milan—who came here 47 years ago from the Philippines—and brought the best of her culture—openness, unconditional love, hospitality—and shared it with everyone. In Pennsylvania, we proved that blending cultures and faiths, workers of all different talents and skills—was actually possible. Oh, this plot of land a king granted William Penn—had on its surface and beneath it some of the richest farmland, forests, and natural resources—that powered America’s industrial rise, and armed a country through two world wars—to defeat communism and fascism. We’re the home of steel, coal, natural gas, refined petroleum products, advanced manufacturing, medical innovation, robots, and self-driving cars—and a system of colleges and research universities that’s delivering the next economy. Oh, and we’re also the state that gave the world the kindness of Mr. Rogers. And that’s just our opening act! We Pennsylvanians are still the best hope that America stays together—and avoids coming apart...forever. But Penn’s experiment is in trouble. Have you checked Facebook or Twitter today? Looking at us from the outside you'd think one side of the state hates the other half. But that's not who we are. People elected to lead are sometimes the ones fanning the flames by playing to our ugliest instincts. They do it for different reasons. Maybe self-promotion. Maybe for that dopamine hit of 25,000 likes or 40,000 shares. Or maybe, they’re just been hurt and disillusioned too. I don’t know what’s causing it, but it needs to stop—and you can stop it. Because do know that if this continues—the huge problems we’re facing won’t be resolved. Like schools that still aren’t getting it right for hundreds of thousands of kids—especially those who live in black and brown neighborhoods. Heroic teachers are doing their best, but if we're honest, we can't say the system is working for everyone. We need to recover the mission of education. If we don’t get our act together soon—we won’t solve this massive workforce crisis. We’ve got all this innovation—but not enough workers. Here’s one idea. Imagine if we built on the historic reforms of Pennsylvania’s prison system that happened under a courageous Secretary of Corrections—with the support of a Republican and a Democratic governor? What if instead of warehousing prisoners we gave them some education and training to be ready to reenter life as skilled laborers? Once they’ve paid their debt, they can return home to be fathers and mothers—good citizens—making a good wage and paying taxes or starting a small business. That’s a Pennsylvania solution to several big problems—beginning with the idea that we need to rebuild our amazing workforce. But everything I am talking about can’t happen if we just point to the people on “the other side” and say—it’s their fault. They started it. You and I need to end it. Let’s end playground politics and help principled leaders—not perfect ones—but good leaders who remind us why we’re so blessed to be called "Pennsylvanians"—Leaders who believe William Penn’s experiment doesn’t have to end in our lifetime. So, I’m ready to do my part, by being one of many state leaders helping to pull our state back together. And I'd love for you to be part of it. If you’re able, come to Harrisburg on January 10 at noon, at the Pennsylvania State Museum. I’ll be announcing a campaign for Lt. Governor—a job that we know can be a bully pulpit for civil debate and positive change. I want you to be a champion for goodness.