Our Commonwealth and certainly our nation are affected by a scarcity of widespread sense.
200 and fifty years in the past this month, Thomas Paine launched his 47-page pamphlet “Frequent Sense.” It was a sensation throughout the 13 colonies. In proportion to the inhabitants on the time it’s the most generally circulated publication in American historical past.
His pamphlet was a clarion name for widespread objective and bridging the hole between social courses — a rallying cry for motion. Whereas its message targeted on independence from the British, there’s a highly effective parallel to the challenges in at the moment’s society. Within the more and more bitter and divisive political surroundings we live via, there’s a critical want for this knowledge. Paine’s message of widespread sense is as vital at the moment because it was in 1776.
Our Commonwealth is going through critical challenges which can be placing our future and the way forward for our youngsters in danger. A latest Boston Globe ballot confirmed that one in three residents is contemplating leaving Massachusetts due to the rising value of dwelling. Individuals are struggling to supply for his or her households as grocery costs are sky excessive, medical, and utility prices proceed to soar and there’s a determined scarcity of inexpensive housing.
Massachusetts, which was as soon as an engine of job development and alternative, ranks forty seventh out of fifty states in creating jobs during the last 5 years. That is regardless of the efforts of Governor Healey, who’s working with the Legislature to seek out options. Younger individuals are notably exhausting hit, with 26 – 34 year-olds being the most important cohort leaving the Commonwealth.
Voters are demanding that authorities act, however all they see is politics as normal. There’s a rising disconnect between the widespread sense options individuals are in search of in Massachusetts and what they understand they’re getting from state authorities.
All of this fuels voter frustration, particularly once they see points with overwhelming public assist not being addressed by the Legislature. A referendum to audit the Legislature handed in 2024 with over 70% approval and the Legislature has not actively engaged with the State Auditor to implement the folks’s will. Polling additionally reveals an amazing variety of voters need mobile phone utilization to be banned in faculties. But, it seems that one other college 12 months will go by with out the Legislature appearing to guard our youngsters.
The failure to behave has led to authorities by particular curiosity teams who’re funding a report variety of referenda to serve their pursuits — not essentially the long-term well being of the Commonwealth. Our political system is more and more pushed by extremes from each political events rewarding candidates and organizations who attraction to the far left and much proper in low-turnout primaries.
The referendum poll query of hire management is a vital instance of the crucial for a brand new strategy. We have now activists pushing a hire management poll query that whereas well-intended, may very well restrict new inexpensive improvement, and we’ve actual property builders lining up on the opposite aspect to boost thousands and thousands to defeat it. As a substitute of retreating to our respective corners, we want a approach to convey builders along with activists to speak, hear, and discover widespread floor.
We have now the academics union versus the enterprise group on schooling points, the nurses versus the hospitals on well being care, and the Legislature versus the Auditor on bringing extra transparency to state authorities. There’s a report variety of poll questions that shall be put earlier than the voters in 2026. This isn’t the proper approach to govern, and it’s finally a disservice to the voters who want actual options now.
That’s why I’m proposing a brand new method ahead — a company that brings enterprise leaders, activists, and group teams collectively throughout the Commonwealth to hear, have interaction and construct consensus on widespread sense options to the challenges going through our residents and our companies. We’d like to empower our residents to make sure their voice is being heard and to indicate them we perceive the sense of urgency wanted to handle problems with inexpensive housing, rising power prices, and the general value of dwelling.
That is an instance of the widespread sense that Thomas Paine wrote about in 1776. We have to convey this considering to the broad vary of points that have an effect on voters’ lives so we will construct a extra affluent future for all our residents.
Alan M. Leventhal is the chairman of Beacon Capital Properties and served as US ambassador to the Kingdom of Denmark from July 2022 to January 2025.
