Back in 2006 when the governor increased funding for the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission his office sent news releases bragging “Thanks to Governor’s Budget, State Museum will not Charge an Admission Fee.”
This week the governor is just not sure who should care for Pennsylvania’s historic sites. Certainly he offers the standard chatter about how painful the cuts to the PHMC have been. But when pressed, Rendell just doesn’t know how much of the state’s history should be protected by the state itself — and how much should be portioned off to volunteers who are not only recommended as possible stewards of the Keystone State’s historic sites, but perhaps their primary means of funding in the future.
I have said it before in this blog and I repeat it again: I know that the staffs of the Pennsylvania State Library, State Archives, and historic sites are not the only state employees affected by the budget and the still faltering economy. But the roles these folks play are not superfluous. Libraries provide free internet service to countless unemployed people looking for jobs. Archives provide both amateur and professional historians the perspective they need to make modern life more palatable. Historic parks, trails and structures offer Pennsylvanians the simple ability to appreciate the critical role that we as a Commonwealth play in the history and development of this great nation.
Perhaps the problem is that Governor Rendell has no friends with an interest in history or genealogy. Perhaps it wouldn’t matter unless these friends could, in some way, assist the governor with his next political step, whatever that may be. Luckily for anyone interested in Pennsylvania’s past, however, he can no longer be a part of this state’s future after the end of this term — unless, as some have speculated, he has an eye on an even bigger office. And if that happens, all I can say is that the National Archives better hide the Constitution or it might end up in a yard sale.