Our Commonwealth and certainly our nation are affected by an absence of frequent sense.
200 and fifty years in the past this month, Thomas Paine launched his 47-page pamphlet “Widespread 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 frequent objective and bridging the hole between social lessons — a rallying cry for motion. Whereas its message targeted on independence from the British, there’s a highly effective parallel to the challenges in in the present day’s society. Within the more and more bitter and divisive political atmosphere we live by way of, there’s a critical want for this knowledge. Paine’s message of frequent sense is as essential in the present day because it was in 1776.
Our Commonwealth is dealing with critical challenges which can be placing our future and the way forward for our kids in danger. A current Boston Globe ballot confirmed that one in three residents is contemplating leaving Massachusetts due to the rising value of residing. Persons 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 reasonably priced 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 search out options. Younger individuals are notably arduous hit, with 26 – 34 year-olds being the biggest cohort leaving the Commonwealth.
Voters are demanding that authorities act, however all they see is politics as regular. There’s a rising disconnect between the frequent 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 after 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 individuals’s will. Polling additionally reveals an awesome 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 performing to guard our kids.
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 enchantment to the far left and much proper in low-turnout primaries.
The referendum poll query of lease management is a vital instance of the crucial for a brand new strategy. We’ve got activists pushing a lease management poll query that whereas well-intended, may very well restrict new reasonably priced improvement, and now we have actual property builders lining up on the opposite aspect to lift hundreds of thousands to defeat it. As an alternative of retreating to our respective corners, we want a option to carry builders along with activists to speak, hear, and discover frequent floor.
We’ve got the lecturers union versus the enterprise group on training 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 will likely be put earlier than the voters in 2026. This isn’t the proper option 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, interact and construct consensus on frequent sense options to the challenges dealing with 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 reasonably priced housing, rising power prices, and the general value of residing.
That is an instance of the frequent sense that Thomas Paine wrote about in 1776. We have to carry this pondering 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.
