I was born and raised in Pittsburgh, vacationed at Presque Isle, graduated from Penn State and now practice law in Philadelphia and New York City, where I stay during the work week. Every Friday, my wife (a Johnstown girl) and I take Interstate 80 (like bats out of ...) to our cottage at Eagles Mere in the Endless Mountains of Sullivan County, which is just next to paradise. I am, and always expect to be, justifiably proud of Pennsylvania.

So, it has been a mystery to me why Pennsylvanians -- who have so much to brag about in their commonwealth -- are so reticent, so humble and so quiet. Take a mental picture of a Texan, or a New Yorker, and place it next to a Pennsylvanian; it's like comparing color to black and white. But soon Pennsylvania -- that is to say, Pennsylvanians -- will have a real chance to pick the next president of the United States.

And I say: "Who better?"

As much as we grumble about our politicians, the electorate in this state has made some pretty good political choices.

A short glance back reveals Mayor Pete Flaherty of Pittsburgh, and Sens. Hugh Scott and John Heinz, whose accomplishments shine on well after their passing. Take a longer look and you will see Govs. David Lawrence, William Scranton, Raymond Shafer, Milton Shapp, Richard Thornburgh, Robert Casey, Tom Ridge, Mark Schweiker and Ed Rendell. The worst man on that list is a paragon compared with the crooks and cranks recently elected by our less-careful neighbors in New York, New Jersey, Ohio, Connecticut and elsewhere.

Moreover, the recent electoral record of the Keystone State is founded upon a long history whose only shame is that it is not taught early and often in every school in the state. The men listed above were the figurative sons of Pennsylvanian leaders like Gifford Pinchot, Ida Tarbell and Sam Pennypacker, who in turn stood on the shoulders of giants like Thaddeus Stevens, Thomas Mifflin, Kaintwakon, Benjamin Franklin and the progenitor of them all, William Penn.

Virtue and vision are characteristics not just of the men and women whom Pennsylvanians have chosen to lead them but also mark the ideals and policies they forged into law. Some of the political concepts nurtured by Pennsylvania were astonishingly unpopular in their time; some remain controversial in the coming election. But Pennsylvania has a well-earned reputation for making progressive and profoundly good policy choices.

Take freedom of conscience and religious toleration -- William Penn established these fundamental legal rights in the commonwealth at a time when zealots from Massachusetts to Maryland were branding, banishing and burning dissenters.

Consider democratic self-government -- Pennsylvania had the first genuine democratically elected assembly on the continent. Take American diplomacy -- the best began with Pennsylvanians honoring each treaty negotiated with the Delaware Tribe and the Five Nations. Set aside the Philadelphia Conventions of 1776 (Declaration of Independence) and 1787 (Constitution) -- which speak for themselves -- and consider the question of slavery.

It was Philadelphians who established the first anti-slavery society in the world in 1775, and advanced the cause so far that Benjamin Franklin, later its president, could endorse the expansion of the Gradual Abolition Act of 1780, a Pennsylvania statute enacted some eight decades before President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation in 1862.

Pick the most important public policy issues facing Americans in any century: in the 19th, free public education (championed by Thaddeus Stevens); in the 20th, trust-busting and women's suffrage (for which Ida Tarbell campaigned), the abolition of child labor (credit Sam Pennypacker), environmental conservation and the eight-hour workday (both Gifford Pinchot accomplishments), the defeat of fascism and lasting peace in Europe (see Gen. George C. Marshall); in the 21st, universal health care (see Harris Wofford) and ending the war in Iraq (see Rep. John Murtha).

You will find Pennsylvanians and their elected representatives in the vanguard -- and in the right.

So the rest of the country should take comfort in the crucial role that Pennsylvania voters are likely to play in the April 22 Democratic primary.

The commonwealth shares a heritage of good judgment -- especially when it comes to selecting leaders -- and the Democratic Party (and America) sorely need the resolution that Pennsylvanians can bring in the current contest.

Pennsylvania has been too quiet for too long, it's time again to stand up together for real change.