By Tribune-Review

Published: Tuesday, January 1, 2013, 8:43 p.m.
Updated: Tuesday, February 19, 2013

The Corbett administration has become quite sensitive to criticism that the Republican governor's record has been “lackluster” as he reaches the midway point of his four-year term. Tom Corbett's many achievements have been overlooked, some have argued.

Indeed, there have been notable achievements. Some tax and tort reforms come to mind. So, too, does his fealty to on-time and more frugal budgets and more government transparency. All that stipulated, Gov. Corbett has some heavy lifting to do over the next two years.

While we're pleased to see his administration ready to tackle long overdue pension reforms, the governor would serve all Pennsylvanians better by taking to the bully pulpit on the issue. And while he says he's committed to solving the commonwealth's public transportation funding dilemma, those words will be seen as ineffectual if his proposal doesn't include removing the strike cudgel of public transit unions, which has led to unsustainable contracts.

Much has been made of the fact that Republicans not only control both houses of the General Assembly but by the largest majorities in half a century and that some major reforms have languished. And while we appreciate the governor's standard modi operandi of promoting his agenda in a civil manner, we would remind him that keeping a big stick under the bully pulpit is not only appropriate but sometimes necessary.

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