Black, White, Left, & Right

Moved

2006-07-12T22:34:00.000-04:00

I am such an idiot. I moved the website but didn't give my still faithful readers the link. here it is. Converse It! I'm still working out the kinks, but will be posting daily come august. I promise.

Moving

2006-05-02T18:51:00.000-04:00

The blog is moving. I've finally taken the Nestea plunge and purchased a domain name and web host. *Don't tell my wife!* Anywho, over the coming days I'll post a link to the site once I have it as nice as I'd like it to be. There will definitely be more postings than here and of course you can always find me every now and again at AnchorRising.com peace

The IGM guy

2006-04-03T09:27:00.000-04:00

Ok, so you're probably like me. When you're walking down a busy street invariably a person will come up to you and ask you for change. Probably doesn't happen too often, but you're not shocked by the, "Hey man, I need $2.00 for a bus ticket" line. Well in the last few weeks, it's like I've had a sign on my forehead that reads - "Yo peeps, I've got money!!!!" In the last two weeks Ive given away a monthly bus pass, a bus transfer pass, and about $10.00 worth of change. I think some folks tell others, "ok, there's this black dude - young guy - with a few grays in a black coat. Check him up for some change and you'll be set for the whole day." I really believe that in some alleyway that's going on right now. I know you're thinking why do I give away the loose change and such to these folks who have as much of a chance of spending the cash on a bus pass as do eskimoos in Alaska. I've got a general rule that I've employed since I gave away my last $40.00 as a college junior. So, here I am walking along Brown University's Thayer street when a guy came up and said, I need $20.00 for a train ticket. I had $40.00 to my name, repeat only $40.00 to my name, and I was pulling in about $80.00 every two weeks at my Orwig job, so $40.00 was a huge deal for me. But, my parents had always taught me to help people needing a hand - we often went out during the Christmas holiday and served homeless people traversing where others were afraid. I didn't learn that we were in 'bad' areas till I got older, but I admired the love and moxie of my parents. Anyhow, I felt bad for the guy and ended up giving him $40.00 knowing full well he might not really 'need' the $40.00 for a train ride, but I figured I'd help him out anyway so he knew there were still 'suckers'…err…people out there in the world willing to help. Well, no more than two days later do I see this guy's picture on the news as a swindler. "Not surprised" I thought but my friends were very surprised at my conclusion following the incident. Most thought I should forever cast off giving away cash to people who look like they need a bath more than a ride to whatever so-called destination point they're nebulously describing to a would-be target…err…helping hand. Yet, I remember the words of Jesus, 'Be wise as a serpent and gentle as a dove.' I had more than a passing notion that the guy who needed nearly half of my two week's paycheck could be a swindler. Yet, what if he wasn't? And if he wasn't and I gave him a lift, he'd be forever grateful. I know there have been times when I've gotten a flat tire, run out of gas, or have been stranded somewhere, and not a single person gave me a hand. I know what it's like to need help and have people turn their backs. And with that in mind, I'm willing to be the IGM guy for the forseable future (IGM = I've Got Money). So tell your neighbors and your friends, that if you see a guy buzzing around Kennedy Plaza in the early morning that if they need change, my pockets are waiting.

Juno - My Complaint

2006-02-21T19:20:00.000-05:00

I used Juno service from about April 2004 to November 2005. Previous to that I had used America Online. When I left America Online, after two years of service, they really gave me a difficult time in canceling my account. I was offered low rate accounts, free e-mail upgrades, and the like. I refused them all and ended the relationship with no-harm and no-foul. Yet, in November 2005 I saw a lawsuit against America Online detailing how some customers did not get off as easy as I did. I had this in mind when I went to cancel my Juno subscription. So, in November I was assured that my account would be canceled and that I would never see another charge from Juno again. I even received a cancellation confirmation number to boot. Heck, I even joked with the representative about the problems AOL was having. Well, a few days later Juno charged my account. I didn't notice it that month, but then in December they did it again. I was not happy. I called the customer service line and after berating a man for 10 minutes was transferred to the correct department that handled 'cancellations' I talked to a woman about my problem. She had notes that stated I was canceling Juno but said that no cancellation ever took place. I was not happy. I advised this Juno employee to credit my account ASAP. In three days the two charges were back in my account and I advised the Juno employee "you guys can't charge people when they cancel your service!" Now it's February. I looked on my bank statement today and I see a charge in January and February for a service I cancelled in November. I called and again berated the Juno team about their lack of service and 'deceptive trade practices' - i.e. saying 'your account is cancelled and here is your cancellation number' without actually cancelling the account!! This time I had it and contacted the Rhode Island Attorney General's office. I plan to take this as far as it needs to go because, yeah they'll give me my money back, but how many other people have suffered through what I've gone through. I shouldn't have to make three calls, and get two credits to my bank account in order to cancel my account. The kicker, the 'manager' refused to e-mail me the cancellation confirmation number. She would only e-mail it to the 'cancelled' juno e-mail. I said, "uh, if the account is cancelled, isn't the e-mail address dead?" She replied, "It's not our company policy to e-mail customers at any other location other than their juno account." Stay tuned for the next installment of this case. Juno has no right to do business like this, and I'm not standing for it. I hope, and based upon initial talks with the AG's office things look good, that I can help put a stop to this practice and ensure that others don't find themselves on the phone with people who seem to be intentionally not cancelling their account.

Taxpayer Relief Act of 2006 aka Election-year hoax?

2006-02-03T04:33:00.000-05:00

I sent this to Katherin Gregg who covers the General Assembly for the ProJo in re: the Taxpayer Relief Act of 2006. Admittedly, this was just my initial reaction to it. I hope we look back this time next year and see that I was wickedly wrong. But, I don't think so:

Hi Katherine, The reforms proposed by the House, while stirring goose-bumps over the prospect of burgeoning wallets, seems to be nothing more than an election year ploy to help elect Charlie Fogarty, maintain the Democratic stranglehold in the House, and give the RI House Dems the appearance of being cost cutting super-heroes. Well, I'm not fooled and I doubt anyone else in Rhode Island is either. I'd be willing to bet a large some of money (perhaps even the anticipated savings from these reforms) that of the proposed 'relief' bills, the only things that pass are the one/two day sales tax holiday and/or the commission to study state sales tax. In any event, these reforms reek with a politically driven stench. The system needs reform, but you can't cut taxes without so much as glancing at current spending levels. And in your column as well as the House press release covering the same, no Democratic leader supporting these reforms mentioned word one about social services, deficits, and the like. The Rhode Island taxpayer desperately needs relief, but we don't need cheap tricks.

Here's the Press Release from the RI House Leaders: (Connection Broken. Link Posted Later) The story in the Providence Journal: Link So what do you think about these proposed relief efforts to put cash back into our pockets?

Major Tax Reform....or Propoganda?

2006-02-01T19:18:00.000-05:00

Perhaps seeking to trump the Governor's budget, leaders of the RI House of Representatives will be introducing 'tax reform' tomorrow at the State House.

House leaders to unveil major tax reform legislation House of Representatives leaders will hold a news conference tomorrow to unveil a major package of legislation aimed at making significant, wide-ranging reforms to Rhode Island’s tax structure.The event will take place Thursday, February 2, at 3:30 p.m. in Room 35 of the State House.

Anyone want to take bets that it isn't that 'major'?

Little Compton School Committee Exemption

2006-02-01T18:51:00.000-05:00

Representative John Loughlin, today introduced legislation that would exempt the Little Compton School Committee from publishing its meetings on the Secretary of State's website as every other public body in the state of rhode island now does. Instead of electronically filing with the Secretary of State, Little Compton would be able to publish the notice in a local newspaper. I've posted about the public meetings at the Secretary of State's office before noting that it truly gives the average citizen a look inside of what's going on around the state. By reversing course for one school school committe, it undermines the principle reason for electronic filing. I can't say I know the motivation behind this move, but it does not seem very conducive to keeping citizens informed.

Lobby Tracker

2005-11-26T12:50:00.000-05:00

Want to find out how much lobbyists are getting paid and who's paying them to oppose/promote bills in the General Assembly? Then friend, look no further than the link below. Happy investigating!! RI Lobby Tracker

Governor and AG come together

2005-11-26T12:20:00.000-05:00

The Governor and Attorney General apparently see eye to eye on at least one issue. On Tuesday, Nov. 22, they announced joint support of stricter DUI regulations (see here). The Governor stated that he had introduced legislation like this before, but I guess he's trying to bring more political pressure onto Democrats by having the AG sign along with it. I have a couple of things to say about this. This helps Lynch against his race against Bill Harsch, who will be a formidable opponent. How so? Well, the Attorney General can now claim that he has 'gone across the aisle' and worked with a Republican, the state's most prominent Republican by the way. He also doesn't lose anything with Democratic voters because RI is a bastion of DUI offences relative to its size and given recent events in places such as Barrington, this will be universally viewed as the right thing to do for Rhode Island. Thus, when the time comes for Mr. Harsch to start picking apart AG Lynch's record, this will be one less bullet in the gun. But then again 5 bullets in a 6 bullet pistol is still pretty lethal.

Fathers = Irrelevant?

2005-11-08T01:56:00.000-05:00

Like her father, who was apt to make inopportune comments in a scathing and harsh manner, Hilary Cosell writes, "The judge, who dissented in Casey v. Planned Parenthood, wants to order women to notify their husbands before getting an abortion." regarding Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito. Liberals have used this particular case as their foundation for attacking judge Alito. In my opinion, this particular 'attack' against Alito is tantamount to saying to fathers across America that you have no worth. Seriously, if your wife was pregnant - don't you have the right to know? In fact, barring anything such as abuse or if we're willing to go so far as to say if the woman commits adultery and the father might not be her husband she may opt to not tell him about it, there is NO reason why a woman should be allowed to not tell her husband that she is pregnant and planning to abort their mutually created embryo. This may ruffle some feathers amongst the liberals...but I hope it does! People accross America are fighting to have same sex couples enjoy the same rights/privileges that heterosexual couples enjoy and I'm almost to the point of asking why? Marriage has become so dilluted that if two people make a child one doesn't even deserve the right to know about the life much less have a decision in the process?? I've got so much angst about this situation for one reason: my son, Sean Colin Roach, was born on November 2, 2005 at 9:06pm. While at the hospital, as the father of a newborn, I felt shunned, ignored, and basically looked upon as a second-class citizen with respect to my role in bringing this child into the world. It bothers me that we, as a society, have reduced the role of father to that of sperm donor. My children are just as much a product of my wife as they are me. In fact, I don't even think in terms of her and me...only of we. Call it idealistic if you must, but the degredation of fatherhood will only negatively impact society at large. Example, 50 Cent on Letterman this past evening mentioned only his mother when talking about life growing up and not his father. Coincidence? I don't think so. Fathers are an afterthought...and according to Cosell they don't even deserve to be informed when they impregnate a woman -- excuse me, impregnate their wives!! For centuries, black fathers have either been absent or emasciated mainstream society. And now, in the 21st century, where we are supposedly more enlightened now than ever people want to take away the rights of fathers to know their wives - whom they have entered into a lifelong partnership - are thinking about having an abortion. I commend this judge and politicians who will defend the rights of fathers like me and enable me to at minimum be an informed non-participant in my lifelong partner's life decision.

Oh Man!

2005-10-05T05:04:00.000-04:00

So where's the daily posting you promised, Don? Answer: Still looking for that laptop. Anyway, so Dubya has offered up his second helping of a Supreme Court Nominee in the guise of Harriet Meirs(sp?). If you're like me, you're tired of the pomp and circumstance surrounding the nominee. I read many varying headlines yestderday. Bush taps loyalist to sit on Supreme Court. Non-judge nominated by Bush Former Texas Lottery Commissioner appointed to replace O'Connor The bias was so latent in the headlines, I skipped reading much of the details. When will our media stop trying to spin every little story? I guess never, but we have to expect and demand more. On merits, John Roberts is an excellent choice for Chief Justice. I don't know enough about Meirs to say the same. But, will we get the chance to know her or will we get spin... The Spin Doctors disbanded in the late 90s if I recall, but mainstream media is really doing a good job headlining the revival tour.

Anti-Partisan joins the Conservatives

2005-09-11T00:17:00.000-04:00

Ladies and gents, I've become a regular contributor to the Conservative RI Blog - Anchor Rising. I'm just a laptop away from being able to contribute here on a more regular basis. I have toyed with the idea of creating a new blog titled, 'The Anti-Partisan' but this blog address still gets many hits per day and why change it. Nonetheless, my posts there will be of a much more reasoned tone than here, but I hope hear I can still be satirical and funny. Anybody feel like donating a laptop? Just kidding...Not...No I really am.

Paper-thin policy

2005-08-18T03:18:00.000-04:00

Checking my inbox today, I received a Matt Brown Press release in which Brown, Senatorial Candidate and current RI Sec. of State, said:

"Mr. President, the United States of America – the strongest country in the world – should not let our decision about when to bring our men and women home be dictated by a group of foreign insurgents. We have set timetables for the Iraqis to establish a new government, draft a constitution and conduct free elections – and now we need to set a timetable to bring our troops home. We should start the withdrawal in six months, soon after the Iraqi National Assembly Elections scheduled for December 15. By early next year, our troops will have made it possible for the Iraqis to establish their own government and constitution and to hold free elections. Our troops will have done their job and it will be time to bring them home."

I'm not very impressed. This seems more like posturing from Brown in order to distance himself from Chafee and present a 'clear' plan for withdrawal; something we'd all like to see. However, what's missing from this press release are the complexities we are facing in Iraq. It was either this or last week where Sen. Joe Biden spoke on Meet the Press saying that if we leave now we'll be worse off than had we not gone into Iraq. Essentially, Biden intimated that the world of terrorism has spurred not sputtered due to our involvement in Iraq and thus we are inexorably linked to Iraq's success. So any withdrawal plan must not be limited by dates per se, but by the qualitative measuring of Iraq's governmental and police forces' capability to keep order. Having said that, Brown's comments seem overly simplistic and a tad contrived, in my opinion. It's easy to say 'six months we should pull out' and get people to agree. It's much more difficult to take a hard look at the political and economical ramifications of pulling out of Iraq. I'm sure Brown has spent many hours going over this issue, but I want more from him if he expects me to send a vote his direction in 2006. Just giving a simple answer to a complex situation doesn't cut it for me and I doubt it does for most Rhode Islanders.

Comin' Atcha!

2005-08-17T13:00:00.000-04:00

Well...i'm currently catching up on RI happenings and goings on. I should [keyword: should] be posting at least daily from here on out, save weekends. I hope that's good news for the dedicated people who visit this site daily despite the lack of post for ...well... almost two months now. Some food for thought before I get off my lunch break: Ever wonder if left wing and right wing think tanks actually spend time researching the other side before spouting off at the mouth?If I were a betting man, I'd put a whole lotta cash on 'no'. Sad part is many people in RI and around the country, depending on party affiliation, jump whenever a moveon or moveright dot org says 'boo'. Sadly, people who have the same disbelief in the fact that Dubya won in 2004 and think people south of Delaware (did I spell that right?) are nonintellegent-spacetakers-with-Ford Trucks, are the same ones who will chant 'John Roberts, Republican. Bad! John Roberts, Republican. Bad!' So before you decide anything in this political strata ask yourself about the other side's argument and if you can intelligently refute it. If you can't, please step away from the ad. rep. who wants to run your falsified commercial with a killer commission. out. Hasta manana folks. :-)

'Don where are you?'

2005-07-12T16:40:00.000-04:00

Sorry all, been going through real life contraints that have severely limited my time since the end of April. I plan to make a return towards the end of August or earlier. Check out either of http://rifuture.org or http://anchorrising.com for left and right commentary, respectively. Stinks too, when we have phantom votes, stall tactics at the State House, and 'bills - they die, die, die.' I'll be back....

I have an excellent idea...

2005-06-24T11:42:00.000-04:00

Hold up...wait a minute!?!? CIA Chief Porter Goss said that he has an 'excellent idea' where Osama Bin Laden; aka Hitler of the 21st Century, aka The Man, The Myth, the Terrorist; aka Public Enemy Number One; aka loser of Average Joe: Arabian Geeks. Man, I could go on forever with that one, but point is the CIA director had the following to say about bin Laden's whereabouts: "I have an excellent idea where he is. What's the next question?" I'm soo trying to continue to support the Bush Administration with respect to the War on Terror and they make it more difficult for me to do so with statements like this. Here we went in and deposed (read: regime change) Saddam Hussein because we 'thought' he had weapons of mass destruction and now the CIA chief says he has an 'excellent' idea where bin Laden is and can't do anything about it??? What is up with that? Let me ask you all this: There's a serial killer in your neighborhood. He's killed your sister and one of your friends. You've been searching for this punk for years. Then, via some very good detective work, you discover he's across state lines but you have an 'excellent idea' of his exact location. What do you do? A. Stay home and watch "Hell's Kitchen". B. Set your brother-in-law (your sister's widower) up on a blind date. C. "I'm not going to answer this. Next question." D. Call the cops and hope they beat you to this guys location so that your children can have a father who doesn't have a serial number tatooed to the back of his neck. The answer is obvious. Now, why isn't the CIA protecting us and taking the same course of action?

Right to Vote going to the voters in 2006

2005-06-24T11:34:00.000-04:00

The right to vote legislation has passed, technically. The amendment was typographically adjusted by the House so it must return back to the Senate in the coming days/weeks. I'm not going to say 'This is a great win for democracy.' and definitely not, 'The General Assembly is the bastion of civil rights ideals. I thank them.' Too often when proponents of legislation either a) win or b) lose they come out with regurgetated statements that have little meaning and tell us nothing about the merits of the situation. What I will say is this: I had confidence that the General Assembly would pass this legislation. In essence, it's a no lose situation for them. They pass it, they're heroes to the liberal throngs. They pass it, they don't have to take responsibility for actually agreeing that former felons should have the right to vote. "No, all they are interested in is allowing the average Rhode Islander to have their say." That's why I was confident this would pass and through much effort of people like Marshall Clement and Andres Idarraga, it has. But I had confidence in something else, that hasn't quite panned out the way I thought. I honestly believed, and still do, that the Governor should have jumped on board this democracy train as soon as the words 'casino' had stopped echoing in our brains. "...casino...jobs...sucking life out of RI....money driving, away..." Sorry, guess the echo is still there. Anyway, this Governor needs a 'civil rights' issue and this is about as safe as you can get. Logic: People living in our community of voting age have the right to vote. Period. End of Story. But perhaps the Governor remains on the sidelines in order to position himself for 2006 based upon his challenger. Ok, I can live with that politically speaking. Yet, I think the better political move would be to endorse this effort strongly to ensure his opponent cannot use this referendum as his issue. But, what do I know? I'm not a 'political insider' nor a 'special interest group'. I'm just an average Rhode Islander with some commen sense.

Howard Dean...Casanova with no substance

2005-06-15T07:59:00.000-04:00

Uber-liberal hacks have come to me since Howard Dean was elected as DNC chair saying that he is just what the party needs. He's a no holds barred, grassroots stirring,truly liberal leader who will be able to help the Democrats create a vision, win the Presidency in '08, and perhaps take back at least the Senate between now and '08. Have you ever watched some movies and you see this bright eyed young woman who is 'so in love'? She's telling all her friends about this new guy and how great he is; he gives her flowers, tells her she's beautiful, and writes her poetry. Her friends ask, "What does he do for a living" to which she replies, "nothing he stays with his mom." And you, the viewer, are like "Woman, wake up and smell the coffee. This guy is going and will take you nowhere fast! There's better out ther for you!" My friends, change the names and insert average Democrats as 'the girl' and Dean as 'the momma's boy' and the situations are eerily similar. Dean is NOT going to take the Democratic party where it wants to go with comments like - "They all behave the same. They all look the same. It's pretty much a white Christian party [...] The Republicans are not very friendly to different kinds of people." In 2004, more Latinos voted for Bush (45%) than for any other Republican presidential candidate ever. Latinos make up the fastest growing population in America and Republicans have been wise to target them. If Dean is clueless about this, Dems, you really should be worried. And recent results probably indicate that Dems believe that Latinos are like their ol' standby minority electorate - African Americans. In 2000, Gore carried 65% of the Latino vote whereas Dubya only garnered 35%. In four years, he grabbed an extra 10% and as the previous post illustrates, we're still looking for WMDs! Karl Rove deserves a very heft salary increase. So Dean, the Casanova, is not what the Dems need. They need a leader who can see the forest through the trees, a leader who sees what the Republican strategy is and creates his/her own based upon the ideals of the Democratic party. When I think of Dean, I think of a madman - his first few months as DNC chair have done nothing to dissuade me and probably most Americans from this viewpoint. By the way Doctor, aren't you a 'white Christian'?

Can't fake the Funk

2005-06-08T12:13:00.000-04:00

What is up, my hommies? Thanks goes to the many of you faithful readers who have trodded back here day after day, and now week after week, only to be denied a new post. Well, no more! In today's installment of 'How the Black, White, Left, & Right Turns' we take a look at the issue of Koran defacement within the US Justice Department, namely during interrogations of would-be terrorists (do not note any sarcasm). The initial story of a Koran being flushed down the toilet by by stuffy dudes in shirts and ties pretending to be the next Kujo was subsequently retracted by Newsweek with the administration having the gefall to jump down on Newsweek. Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld said:

"People need to be very careful about what they say just as people need to be careful about what they do"

*Don comes to the microphone* 'Excuse me, Mr. Secretary, but have you found the weapons of mass destruction?' *Inaudible response from sweat bead-laden countenance of said Secretary* Let's see here flushing the Koran down the toilet OR no weapons of mass destruction. Toilet or WMD? The Can or nuclear weapons? This administration astonishes me in how it dispels its mistakes by living in a constant state of denial while harping on less pertinent mistakes made by others with furiousness not unlike that of an emasciated dog who's bloodshot eyes spot a week old KFC thigh bone. Yummy! And now we're hearing reports of the Koran being stood on, kicked, and 'inadvertently' peed on. Here's the U.S. Southern Command response from Brig. General Jay W. Hood, noting what Rumsfeld said regarding Newsweek as you read:

Mishandling a Koran at Guantanamo Bay is a rare occurrence [...] Mishandling of a Koran here is never condoned. When one considers the many thousands of times detainees have been moved and cells have been searched since detention operations first began here in January 2002, I think one can only conclude that respect for detainee religious beliefs was embedded in the culture of [the task force] from the start.

That says it all, dear reader, says it all. I don't think I need to write another word...well perhaps just a few more - STOP FAKING THE FUNK.

The immigration battle

2005-05-25T11:53:00.000-04:00

In my post regarding 'Entitlement versus Responsibility' I highlighted the need for my community in Providence to move from 'give me resource' to 'i will create resource'. In subsequent conversations with many, they were angered by these and similar comments I have made. To that I say, then I'm doing my job. You see, I grew up in a home where my father was told at the age of 5 that he should consider janitor or cook as his best vocational prospects. I grew up in a home where my mother had a full scholarship to a highly regarded New England university, but could not go because her parents were unable to afford to send her. I grew up in a community that was small, mostly white, and where I generally was the only black face in the room. What does this have to do with immigration? Everything. You will hear various people fight, argue, and seek to enable undocumented (aka illegal) immigrants various rights within our communities. This is the 'entitlement' mentality I have talked about. When you feel entitled to be in this country and receive benefits derived from citizenship or legal immigration (and are not either) then, in my opinion, you are the type of immigrant this country does not need. That sounds harsh and it should. Consider that if I was in another country illegally I would be deported. Other countries have taken a much more antagonistic stance towards illegal immigration than the US which is probably why we have so many illegal immigrants. And that's the problem. If we continue to allow illegal immigration, then we must continue to be burdened by their inability to obtain legal jobs; instead, relying on under-the-table jobs which usually pay less than minimum-wage. Generally speaking, companies with skilled workers do not want illegal immigrants. It's something sticky called the law, I guess. However, small businesses seeking cheap labor will hire these people. But it doesn't help. It creates non-taxable income, low income, and people who's opportunities are severely limited because they are living in a constant state of criminal activity. Instead, we should support legislation that would help these folks move from illegal to legal status. We also need to deport some people. 'What!? Don, what are you saying?' Yes, I said deport. Why? Because if we do not demonstrate that we're serious about not allowing people to live in this country illegaly then we will have to make examples of some in order to change the perception that it's ok to be illegal in the US. The thing is, no one is above the law. I'm not. You're not. Yet proponents of legislation giving privileges to illegal immigrants are saying that illegal immigrants are above the law. They are saying that they can spit in the face of the American Legal System and receive privileges as a reward. To me, that's not only unfair to legal immigrants/citizens, it creates an unecessary antagonism between citizens and immigrants. I like the President's idea of granting work visas to people who are here currently. I think that's a good first step. But, our goal should not be to make illegal immigration easier and better for those living as illegal immigrants. Our goal must be a way to ensure a balance between open borders and safe, secure, and legal immigration.

Back in the Saddle

2005-05-24T09:43:00.000-04:00

I have gone underground the last week or so. However, traffic has continued to remain at a steady pace, thanks to Google. I had planned a restart of sorts, but ya know what, forget it. I will however, leave open the call that if you have a political persuasion and like to chat about it, drop me a line and you may become a contributor on this blog. Hearing myself talk was never the intent of this blog and I don't find it that interesting. Dialogue is what it's all about and we have serious issues facing RI that need discussing. So, it's time for me to get back on the saddle and start up again. Here we go.....

Does RI need more Democrats? Answer: NOOO!

2005-05-13T09:24:00.000-04:00

Ask any liberal in the state the following question: Do we need more Democrats in office? Their answer will undoubtedly be a resounding 'yes!'. But, did you know that the General Assembly has been dominated by Democrats for decades. DECADES! Right now in the House, there are 60 Democrats and 15 Republicans. That's a 4 to 1 ratio. You want more money for education? Thought the Dems were the socially progressive party? You want your property tax reduced? Thought the Dems were for 'working families' and 'small businesses'? Rhode Island, we have believed a lie. We have believed that progressives only reside with people that have capital D's next to their names. Sadly take a look at some of the scandals at the State House the last few years, and you'll see how wrong we truly have been. The spin doctors will tell you about our Republican Governer. Yet, last time I checked a united General Assembly had more than the 66% required to overturn a veto. Remember the casino vote last year? The problem is the monopoly Democrats have at the State House. Absolute power corrupts absolutely! As Rhode Islanders, we need to wake up to the fact that our representatives have failed to address our concerns. And we've failed to hold them accountable. It's time for that to change.

Warwick mayor's race adds another face

2005-05-13T06:39:00.000-04:00

The Warwick Beacon reports today that City Councilman Joseph J. Solomon (D) may take a run for Warwick mayor in 2006 where there is widespread speculation that current mayor Scott Avedisian (R) will run for statewide office.

“I’m exploring a number of different things at this point,” Solomon said during a break in this week’s City Council meeting, adding he was considering vacancies at both the local and state level or he might just seek re-election to his current post. “I enjoy public service,” said Solomon, who was elected to the council in 2000 and is now in his third term. “I find it very rewarding and fulfilling.” Solomon, if he were to formally announce a run for mayor would be among at least two other Warwick Democrats interested in the job, including Council President Donald Torres (D-Ward 2) and Councilman Steve Merolla (D-Ward 9).

Oh it's so fun to watch people come out the woodwork whenever there is a power vacuum!

Minimum Wage Part III

2005-05-13T06:07:00.000-04:00

The RI House has passed a bill that raises minimum wage to $7.25/hour as of Jan. 1, 2006.

“The democratic philosophy has been to help hardworking men and women. If we can give high tax breaks to businesses to keep them in Rhode Island, how can we deny working people a 50-cent raise?” said Representative Lima, a Democrat who represents District 14 in Cranston. “The average pay raise for chief executives at the 500 largest companies in the country was 54 percent last year. Meanwhile, regular working people are struggling and going into debt. This modest raise is a way to give them some help.”

What do you think?

Right to Vote passes Senate

2005-05-12T07:12:00.000-04:00

In a sweet victory, the Right to Vote bills which would return voting rights to former felons living in our communities passed the Senate in overwhelming fashion. These bills now go to the House for consideration. Read the projo article about it.

Right to Vote: RI Senate to vote today

2005-05-11T07:47:00.000-04:00

I'll be trekking to the state house today, as the RI Senate votes on the constitutional amendment and the statutory changes that would allow former felons to vote. Hopefully, the Projo will cover this major vote and hopefully with its passage will put some heat on the House to pass their version of the bill as well.

Am I missing something?

2005-05-10T10:26:00.000-04:00

As you all know, I have been and continue be an advocate for felon re-enfranchisement. It makes sense; people live in communities they should be able to vote (they are citizens afterall). However, the local push to make it legal for non-legal immigrants to obtain lisences is very, very, odd. Consider that if you are not a legal immigrant you have no status but yet you can still receive some forms of aid (I may be mistaken, but I believe you can receive WIC for you and your child-who may or may not be a legal immigrant as well). You may think I'm a hardline conservative and just don't like immigrants. Well, you'd be making a mistake. This country could be labelled the Immigration States of America. People have flocked to the US from all parts of the world...and many of those displaced some my ancestors, namely Native Americans who welcomed their lighter skinned brothers and sisters only to be....bah! that's for another time. Suffice it to say, the rule of law is critical to the stability of any country. That is why we are able to transfer power from one president to another. It's why we don't need a one to one ration between police officers and average citizens. It's why you and I are willing to cough up $175 for a speeding ticket with very little argument, your honor. And it's also why we must oppose granting lisences to non-legal immigrants...at all costs. Two months ago, I had a conversation with Representative Diaz about legislation she introduced that would grant non-legal immigrants the ability to obtain a lisence. Further, I do believe she introduced a bill that would disallow local police officers from inquiring about the immigration status of people they pull-over, arrest, detain, etc. I had a huge problem with this as I'm sure many of you have. I'm also sure many of you come from immigrants as recent as 2-3 generations ago. Again, this isn't about not wanting immigrants in this country because they might be bad for the country. It's about creating laws that do not subvert other laws. If we make it 'legal' for 'non-legal' immigrants to get a lisence, what are we saying? We are saying come to our country and/or state and do whatever you like. It's cool with us. Be legal, be illegal. It's all the same to us. My friends, that is a recipe for disaster and we cannot allow anyone to tell us otherwise. If they try to, just tell them that it's 'a load of crap!' Work to make it easier for non-legal immigrants to become legal. The immigration laws in the US are as tricky as a WWII minefield. That's where the fight should be taken. Don't fight to circumvent standing law and subvert its enforcement. Instead work to change the mentality of the power establishment on non-legal immigrants. What is that mentality? That they're latino or southeast asian and that all they want are some program to help them NOT work. Legislation such as this drivers license bill and the like perpetuate and support thinking of those who would like us to close our borders-retroactive to 1958 (sorry Cubans in Miami). Don't let them do it by taking cheap shots at immigration. Take a stand, fight the good fight, and work with would-be supporters (like myself) come to a reasonable solution. Anything less, is as I said, 'crap'.

Casino to be decided in Court.....AGAIN!

2005-05-05T10:59:00.000-04:00

Rep. Williamson has gotten the Casino bill its day in court (again). Last night, the House passed the resolution we talked about last week (no Senate vote is required) so these questions will be posed to the court [paraphrased]:

(1) Would the proposed act comply with Article VI, Section 15, of the RI Constitution which says 'all lotteries permitted in Rhode Island be operated by the state'? (2) Would the proposed act, comply with the provisions of Article VI, Section 22, of the RI Constitution requiring a statewide and municipal referendum to become effective? (3) Would the proposed act, violate the equal protection clause of Article I, Section 2 of the RI Constitution, in: (a) granting to the Narragansett Indian Tribe and its chosen partner the right to enter into an exclusive contract as casino service provider; or (b) in providing that the state retain a share of net casino gaming income that is different from the share of net income that the state retains from other gambling facilities in the state? (4) Would the proposed act, be violative of the equal protection clause of Amendment XIV, Section 1 of the US Constitution, in: (a) granting to the Narragansett Indian Tribe and its chosen partner the right to enter into an exclusive contract as casino service provider; or (b) in providing that the state receive a share of net casino gaming income that is different from the share of net income that the state receives from other gambling facilities in the state

I guess we'll have to wait see what the Supreme Court says. This procedure does raise an interesting precedent. Generally, the judicial branch allows the legislative branch to legislate reviewing statues after they have been passed. In this situation, the Judiciary is being asked to render a decision prior to the passage of legislation. One representative (Rep. Gorham, D-Conventry) made the comment last night

You know all the questions . . . we could have asked the Supreme Court. Is it OK to protect the environment? Is it OK to be tougher on crime? . . . Is it OK to protect religion? We've even had the gay marriage issue up here, but what are we sending to the Supreme Court: is it OK for Harrah's to have a casino?

Good point. Though the situation here is slightly different in that the Supreme Court struck down a referendum that was passed by the General Assembly last year. It's not that the legislature is asking the court to give an opinion on every piece of legislation. Instead, they've been at this thing a long time, were rebuffed last year, and want to get it right. Let's wait and see what the justices have to say about it and if we will have summer of 2004 redux or not.

Emmett Till's body to be exhumed

2005-05-04T12:32:00.000-04:00

Emmett Till, a young man who was brutaly murdered because he allegedly whistled at a white woman, will be exhumed so that federal authorities can determine who murdered him. His autopsy will come 50 years after his death, too-late to sentence his admitted killers (who have died), and 2 years too late for his mother to see justice. A letter to the editor by one Mr. William Bates, said "...If this case is not reopened and the guilty punished, I shall laugh at the word "justice."" Well Mr. Bates, you can finally stop laughing (though hopefully you haven't coughed up your lungs in the last 50 years.) Interestingly, the killers allegedly only planned to rough up Till. But Till allegedly kept saying he was their equal and that is what caused them to kill him. I've often said, that had I lived in those times, I would have been killed. Why? Because that time was a time of pure discrimination and it's not likely I would have shut my mouth for the sake of acquiescence. However, I bring up this story because it has always fascinated me and justice 50 years later is still justice. Take a look at the links I provided-they're an interesting read.

Mini Hiatus

2005-05-02T08:35:00.000-04:00

I'm breaking until tomorrow evening. Have two very important 'meetings' between now and then that I MUST...repeat MUST...prepare for. Hopefully, Mike or Darlene will pick up the slack. *hint* *hint* don

And the battle continues...

2005-04-29T07:00:00.000-04:00

Just like a game of roullette, the casino debate in Rhode Island goes round and round and round again. After being rebuffed by the Supreme Court last year, Rep. Tim Williamson (D-West Warwick) and the Narragansett Indian Tribe have come up with a new deal that addresses the concerns the Supreme court cited. Last night, the House Judiciary committee passed this legislation (H-6396) to the shagrine of Governor Carcieri who had some not-so-nice words for Rep. Williamson. It's no secret that the Governor does not want a 'new' casino in Rhode Island. Here's the problem(s) I have with the Governor:

1. He's working a deal to sell Lincoln Park to BLB which, you guessed it, is not a state entity. It would seem that for the same reasons that the Supreme Court struck down last year's deal the Governor's proposed deal should come under fire. In fact, since he was the one who issued the challenge last year, doesn't it seem disingenuous that he is one of the primary supporters of the BLB deal? 2. As the Narragansett Indian Tribe looks for ways to become economically viable-the Governor calls their attempts a 'charade.' I don't think people who are trying to work a business deal that would be good for the state and themselves have any false intentions. On the contrary, they are trying to produce a situation that will be beneficial for all. But it's not up to them, which brings me to point number three... 3. Even if this or last year's bill would have passed, the question is going to go to the voters of Rhode Island. That's right, you, me, and Bob down the street will be able to decide if we think the casino is the right option for the State. Let me just say, that if this comes to a vote I plan to vote against (with current information) because I don't agree with the proponents of a casino saying it will help Rhode Island. Yet, I disagree with the Governor in allowing the decision to rest with the people it will most directly affect: the voters. 4. What alternatives has the Governor suggested to the Narragansett Indian Tribe? *crickets churping*

I'm with the Governor in believing the casino will cause more trouble than it's worth. But, I have faith enough in the people of Rhode Island to make an informed decision. No, I actually believe that it is the right of the people to weigh in on this issue once and for all. It is the essence of democracy and it's painful to watch a Governor whom I respect, time after time get tripped up because of how he deals with the Narragansett Indians. Hopefully the Supreme Court will rule the current year's casino bill manifestation constitutional and in the Rhode Island 'marketplace of ideas' the casino will either live or die by the voice of the voter.

When is the meeting? 1:00AM. Bring your slippers!

2005-04-28T16:56:00.000-04:00

Just when you thought you saw it all at the Secretary of State's website. In February, the projo did an expose on how you really couldn't find your legislator even though the website said you could. That problem has been fixed, but lookie what I found today. 4 meetings scheduled for April 28, 2005 begin prior to 2AM!!! Not one-a data entry glitch, not two-someone having a bad day, not even three-someone's planning on giving their notice tomorrow, but four-do I really know how to work this thing-meetings being held while most of us are sleeping. Perhaps it was a one day thing, but as you look through the list of meetings you'll find numerous meetings listed before 5am. Surely, this must be an error but you have to ask yourself how often does the staff at the Secretary of State's office check this list for accuracy. We deserve better than this Mr. Secretary. Please update and/or correct this listing.

Right to Vote Part II: V is for Victory

2005-04-28T09:50:00.000-04:00

From the Projo:

the Senate Committee on Constitutional and Gaming Issues voted unanimously to send to the Senate floor a proposal to ask voters to amend the Constitution to allow convicted felons to vote, as long as they are not serving a jail term for that conviction.

Boo-yiggidy-yah! As a member of the RI Right to Vote campaign, what has been curious to me is the lack of opposition, specifically organized opposition to this measure. This campaign has also brought many groups who are on opposing sides on many issues. The reason is, restricting a fundamental right of democracy to citizens living in our communities doesn't make any sense. The RI Right to vote campaign is still working with the House to get these bills out of committee. Yet if the Senate vote is any indication, things are looking pretty good. I know this post is somewhat incoherent, but I'm just soo excited that this has passed and has a legitimate shot of passing the full senate in the coming weeks. YES!! Right to Vote Part I: Second Class Citizenship

Parents 1, ACLU 0

2005-04-28T07:48:00.000-04:00

House strengthens parental consent laws In a great move yesterday, the US House of Representatives passed a bill making it illegal for people to transport minors across state lines in order to circumvent parental consent laws within the minor's state of residence. AWESOME! However, a member of the ACLU said "It certainly reflects a lack of compassion toward teens and in particular to their health [...] It reflects a willingness of Congress to override or trump states' policy decisions." No, it actually aims to strengthen states' rights. States that have chosen to enact parental consent laws shouldn't have their citizens going across state lines just to circumvent the laws. I'm sure the ACLU would be chanting in the streets if the Supreme Court struck down parental consent laws everywhere. A double standard indeed! It sickens me to no end to hear pro-choice advocates' inability to confront moral and ethical challenges of the abortion debate. Instead, they label folks such as myself as 'anti-choice' and against 'abortion rights'. Hmm, I believe that men and women have a choice to sleep with one another and I believe that once a human has been conceived that human has a right to life. But, I guess I just suffer from a 'lack of compassion' according to the ACLU. But, whenever I and the ACLU are on opposite ends of the debate, I feel I'm doing something right. Score one for parents everywhere who, oh my gosh, would like to know if their daughter is about to have an abortion. What a concept!

Proposed: .50 Caliber Ban

2005-04-27T17:49:00.000-04:00

The radical Violence Policy Center (VPC) and CBS's "60 Minutes" used its Jan. 9, 2005 show to vilify .50 caliber rifles. The VPC storyline was that these guns are "too dangerous to be in the hands of private citizens". Jim Moran (D-VA) has introduced the "50 Caliber Sniper Rifle Reduction Act" (H.R. 654) in Congress. This ban would include many antique and blackpowder rifles and a number of big-bore rifles owned by hunters of dangerous game. In addition to a freeze on possession and transfer of all center-fire .50 caliber rifles, H.R. 654 requires guns now legally owned to be placed under Title II of the Gun Control Act (1968), and be treated like fully automatics. Moran's ban would prohibit any legally registered rifle from being bought, sold, given, traded or willed. "Reduction" is accomplished with the death of the registered owner, at which time the once-private property becomes the presumed property of the U.S. government. This far-reaching attack targets law-abiding citizens, while being disguised in ugly hype about "heavy sniper rifles" and threats of "terrorism". The propaganda war is calculated to frighten the unknowing public and fool and divide gun owners. If such restriction becomes law, that will be the beginning of gun ownership "reduction" based on bore size. Let's reference England's handgun ban in 1997. First, when licensed gun owners fought to stop confiscation of their registered handguns, the government threw them a bone - it only banned guns of a bore size larger than .22. The British licensed gun owners turned in their "large bore" handguns for destruction. They were told they could keep their .22s in government-approved lockups at government-certified gun clubs. Yet, that "bore reduction" gun control had barely been in place when British handgun owners were told the government was going to collect their registered private property from the approved armory sites. .22s suddenly had become "too big". So now armed young predators rule England these days, robbing, beating, and shooting the rich and poor alike. The harsh reality in England: -BBC reported that England's firearms restrictions "seem to have had little impact in the criminal underworld." Guns are virtually outlawed, and, as the old slogan predicted, only outlaws have guns. Worse, they are increasingly ready to use them. -December 2001, London's Evening Standard reported that armed crime, with banned handguns as the weapon of choice, was "rocketing." -In the two years following the 1997 handgun ban, the use of handguns in crime rose by 40 percent, and the upward trend has continued. From April to November 2001, the number of people robbed at gunpoint in London rose 53 percent. -From 1991 to 1995, crimes against a person in England's inner cities increased 91 percent. And in the four years from 1997 to 2001, the rate of violent crime more than doubled. Your chances of being mugged in London are now six times greater than in New York. -England's rates of assault, robbery, and burglary are far higher than America's, and 53 percent of English burglaries occur while occupants are at home, compared with 13 percent in the U.S., where burglars admit to fearing armed homeowners more than the police. -According to a United Nations study of crime in 18 developed nations published in July, England and Wales led the Western world's crime league with nearly 55 crimes per 100 people. -English crime followed a sea of change in government policies. Gun regulations have been part of a more general disarmament based on the proposition that people don't need to protect themselves because society will protect them. It also will protect their neighbors: Police advise those who witness a crime to "walk on by" and let the professionals handle it. -In 1973 a young man running on a road at night was stopped by the police and found to be carrying a length of steel, a cycle chain, and a metal clock weight. He explained that a gang of youths had been after him. At his hearing it was found he had been threatened and had previously notified the police. The justices agreed he had a valid reason to carry the weapons. Indeed, 16 days later he was attacked and beaten so badly he was hospitalized. But the prosecutor appealed the ruling, and the appellate judges insisted that carrying a weapon must be related to an imminent and immediate threat. They sent the case back to the lower court with directions to convict. -In 1987 two men assaulted Eric Butler, a 56-year-old British Petroleum executive, in a London subway car, trying to strangle him and smashing his head against the door. No one came to his aid. He later testified, "My air supply was being cut off, my eyes became blurred, and I feared for my life." In desperation he unsheathed an ornamental sword blade in his walking stick and slashed at one of his attackers, stabbing the man in the stomach. The assailants were charged with wounding. Butler was tried and convicted of carrying an offensive weapon. -In 1994 an English homeowner, armed with a toy gun, managed to detain two burglars who had broken into his house while he called the police. When the officers arrived, they arrested the homeowner for using an imitation gun to threaten or intimidate. In a similar incident the following year, when an elderly woman fired a toy cap pistol to drive off a group of youths who were threatening her, she was arrested for putting someone in fear. Now the police are pressing Parliament to make imitation guns illegal. -In 1999 Tony Martin, a 55-year-old Norfolk farmer living alone in a shabby farmhouse, awakened to the sound of breaking glass as two burglars, both with long criminal records, burst into his home. He had been robbed six times before, and his village, like 70 percent of rural English communities, had no police presence. He sneaked downstairs with a shotgun and shot at the intruders. Martin received life in prison for killing one burglar, 10 years for wounding the second, and a year for having an unregistered shotgun. The wounded burglar, having served 18 months of a three-year sentence, is now free and has been granted £5,000 of legal assistance to sue Martin. The failure of English policy to produce a safer society is clear. Do you want this to happen in America?

Minimum Wage Part II

2005-04-27T08:01:00.000-04:00

I told you about minimum wage going on in the Senate on Monday, but I should have looked to find its House counterpart (H65420A). This bill would increase minimum wage to $7.25/hour; the increase to $7.75/hour in 2008 as well as the cost index increases/decreases that were originally part of this bill have been stripped. Also, it is scheduled to be voted upon in the House today. So what do you think? Andrew commented last week that:

One of the problems with raising the minimum wage is that it impacts small, mom-and-pop style businesses disproportionately.

But the question I have is this: will the disproportionate affect on mom-and-pop business make such an impact as to impede these same businesses from operating? In other words, would the 7% increase in minimum wage cause some small business to either downsize, close shop-being unable to afford the increase, or would businesses jump the border seeking cheaper labor in Mass or Connecticut? To answer the last question, in Massachusetts there is legislation which would change the minimum wage from $6.75 to $8.25-making the Mass minimum wage the highest of any state's minimum wage in the country! That could have positive and negative effects for Rhode Island. Some businesses may be tempted to move from Mass to RI to pay $1.50 less per hour which is significant, but on the flipside low-income workers will be tempted to go across the border to Mass (and taking their tax dollars with them) and receive a much higher income doing the same work. I'm no economist, so I really can't say which is more likely to happen. But, if I was making 6.75 in RI and the minimum wage in MA was $8.25, I'd be looking to leave my job...and quickly. In Connecticut the minimum wage currently sits a $7.10/hour. It's higher than RI and I haven't heard that Foster/Gloucester has been inundated with new building projects sponsored by disgruntled Connecticut manufacturers, have you? Again as Andrew noted, minimum wage is always a dicey situation-and I just don't know if this will be a good or bad move for Rhode Island. Any hack economists out there are welcome to educate us.

No Laffey Matter

2005-04-26T20:35:00.000-04:00

The state Board of Elections today pulled the plug on Cranston Mayor Stephen Laffey's Friday morning radio show which aired on WPRO-AM. They reasoned that the free publicity, not to mention the free airtime, that Laffey received was nothing more than an in-kind contribution to a current officeholder. Ya' think? How many other local politicians get such generous contributions from the media, still the primary conduit for getting your name and message in front of the voters? As Cranston City Council President Aram Garabedian, a Democrat who filed the complaint leading to the Board's action, said, "It's worth thousands of dollars. Everybody knows its value, because we all spend that money to get in front of the people.'' D**n straight. Laffey's lawyer can start tossing all the First Amendment Red Herrings he wants, but the Board's ruling is not putting a muzzle on Laffey (pity.) He can talk all he wants -- he just can't do so on the public airwaves subsidized by some corporate largesse. And when the mouthpiece further tweaks our nose with the contention that Laffey's not a candidate receiving a political advantage, we're hearing the most transparent political denial since Richard Nixon's "I am not a crook." The good news for the radio station is that they don't have to miss a beat. The famous old actor "Francis the Talking Mule" is available to fill the time slot with yet another publicity-seeking a**.

Regarding Chafee: You Can't Touch This

2005-04-26T07:12:00.000-04:00

According to the Projo, House Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev) is not all that optimistic about his party's chances of unseating Lincoln Chafee. He said "We'll have to look at it. But right now, you know . . ." Rhode Islanders love Lincoln Chafee for reasons I cannot understand. In a recent Zogby Poll, 46% of those polled said they would vote for Chafee over 'someone else' if the race was held today (only 25% said they would vote for 'someone else'). Given that both Democrats and Republicans have or are about to take shots at our junior Senator, those numbers are mindboggling! But maybe Rhode Islanders like Chafee because he votes his conscious (according to this same poll 79% believe he does) and doesn't beat to the drum of Republican brass. This has angered hardline Democrats and Republicans who would rather have someone more to the left or right than Chafee. Yet, Rhode Island residents have always been independent-voting for the people of the office versus the party label. I think that's a good thing and so here's a little word of advice for any would-be Chafee challenger-do not attack him saying he's a Bush-ite, that's false and you'll catch a beat down, nor try and say that he's too liberal-the state is probably slightly left of Chafee and this won't resonate with most voters. All in all, if anyone hopes to defeat Chafee in 2006, they will have to craft their message not as anti-Chafee but as pro-Me. They'll have to do what John Kerry was unable to do against a relatively unpopular George Bush. If not, can you say 2012?

Minimum Wage Hearing

2005-04-25T14:06:00.000-04:00

Senator Daniel Da Ponte has introduced legislation that would significantly change minimum wage in RI. S0277, would: increase the minimum wage from the current $6.75 to $7.25 on January 1, 2006, and to $7.75 on January 1, 2007. Beginning January 1, 2008, and every January thereafter, the minimum wage would be adjusted based on the northeast region cost-of-living index, as determined by the U.S. Department of Labor. I've always felt that minimum wage laws were a necessary evil. Necessary in that as it gets more expensive to purchase goods and services there must be away to ensure those at the lowest income levels are not completely left behind. Evil in that minimum wage laws force market conditions. What I mean is, in a completely free market would RI minimum wage be $5.50? Or maybe even $10.50? Minimum wage laws take market fluctuations out of the equation and contrary to popular belief-the market doesn't always hurt the little guy. Yet, I do see this legislation as making minimum wage less of a political tool and more of a response to the environment of the Northeast economy. I do have a question for Senator Da Ponte: if the cost-of-living index happened to move downward, would minimum wage also be decreased? The hearing for this bill will be tomorrow 'around' 2:30pm at the State House.

Entitlement vs. Responsibility

2005-04-25T00:49:00.000-04:00

There's a war being waged in our Rhode Island streets. It's not the drug war. It's not the Micky D's vs. Burger King war. It's not even the losing battle I, and many other married men, have with their wives over movie selection. 'No, I don't want to watch The Stepford Wives, honey.' This war is much more subtle, yet impacts us much more than many other aspects of our lives. It's the battle between entitlement and responsibility. Let's take entitlement. Entitlement - Give it to me, baby Entitlement says, 'you owe me, something.' You listen to any hardline liberal and they'll repeat something like this-'the state owes the people cheap housing, good education, healthcare, etc.' The thinking goes that if I am a citizen of this state, then if my needs are not being met, the state must do everything in its power to provide for me. This is Socialism 101. Responsibility - Suck it up and deal Responsibility, on the other hand, says 'if I can do it, so can you. Now get to it!' Listen to any uber-conservative or libertarian and they'll tell you that income tax should be revoked, the education department disbanded, and local police and fire departments should be utilized only to keep the peace-security and fire prevention details should be privatized by citizens willing to pay the price. In other words, the state has only one function, maintain peace among its citizens and allow for a free market whereby hard workers can rise from nothing. If you don't want to work or are lazy, you need to take responsibility for that fact while I pass you buy in my BMW. Which One? I'm sure you can see many problems with both arguments and you may find yourself in agreement with one more than the other. However, we have countless number of crises facing our state: property tax, affordable housing, education funding, and many others. Personally, I'm tired of the 'entitlement' theory rampant among many politicians, community organizations, and average joe residents. If we want change in our communities, we must make change happen. Sitting around and waiting for the government to do for us what it is unable to do for itself (i.e. balance the budget, remain uncorrupt, et. al.) is just plain dumb. We have a responsibility to ourselves and our children to take on the problems in our communities and be unwilling to yield until we solve them together. If we continue to believe we are entitled to things, then we can only hope to gain table scraps and downcast looks from surrounding states whose citizenry have chosen the more narrow and better road. Yes, the playing field may be unequal-but Jackie Robinson still played the game. I challenge you to think of one problem facing your household and begin to think in terms of how you can bring change to it versus how the government can solve it. You'll find the results fascinating.

Sick and Tired...of Taco Bell and Hypocrisy

2005-04-22T16:25:00.000-04:00

Why haven't I posted an insightful or thought provoking piece today? Could it be that today begins WWIII and I just had more important things on my mind? Could it be that Mike was supposed to take today and give me a much needed break? None of the above, weary traveler. Instead, I got rocked by good old Taco [insert funny joke here] Bell. That stuff goes down harder than the political career of Sheldon Whitehouse. But the masses must be informed! So despite my stomach pains, I give you something on the scandals rocking the House of Representatives.... As I write to you, our friends at Rhode Island's Future have decided to beat up House Majority Leader Tom Delay, who is mired in an ethics scandal. Generally speaking, I think if we took more than a 30 second glance at any congressmen, we could find some type of scandal so when this broke about Delay-i really couldn't have cared less. Yet, the way some Democrats and media attacked Delay, it was as if he were the second coming of Benedict Arnold-only less goodlooking and more treacherous. Knowing the machine that is the GOP, I knew it was only a matter of time before a story about a Democratic leader with questionable dealings popped up. Well, the target has landed on House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (link and link2). Oddly enough, the first article came out about two weeks ago and has gotten marginal run on mainstream media outlets. The second article paints an even more grim picture of Pelosi's ethics and I wonder if there will be even a hint of it within mainstream media? You see folks at most other media outlets want to rip any Republican that has some 'indiscretions' but seems to ignore similar situations when the (alleged) perpetrato wears the Democrat badge. Well BWL&R readers, this blog won't play into such partisan nonesense. Here's my advice for congressmen on both sides of the aisle: STOP COMMITTING ETHICS VIOLATIONS! I know, a novel concept but it's painful to watch media outlets lead us to think that the only investigations involve Republicans. Not only is it painful...it's false. I know we're smarter than that-so let's not fall into these witch hunts like chattle. But for now it's back to my bathroom. Peace out, y'all. *sings* I fought my stomach, and my stomach won!

It's about the oil...stupid!

2005-04-21T08:08:00.000-04:00

No one will mistake me for a treehugger. Ya know, those hippie, stuck in the 60s, would jump in front of a car to save a blade of grase type people. I'm about as far from that as William Lynch is a Republican. Yet, even I have to take a second glance when I hear that the House of Representatives voted late last night to allow oil drilling in Alaska. Yes, I understand that our gas prices are high. But is the solution more drilling? Though this is a diversified bill (contrary to what the liberals may tell you) drilling in Alaska seems like a bad idea. Here are some of the specs of the bill, according to MSNBC:

more than $8.1 billion in tax breaks (most of which will go to coal-based refineries...yuck!)
Require for refiners to use 5 billion gallons of corn-based ethanol by 2012, a 20 percent increase over what the industry is expected to produce this year, and a boon to farmers.
Expand of daylight-saving time by two months, so it would start on the first Sunday in March and end on the last Sunday in November.
Provide tax breaks to spur the construction of natural gas pipelines and improve the nation’s electricity grid. It also would require grid operators to comply with mandatory reliability standards instead of industry self-regulation.
Provide $1.8 billion in incentives for development of less polluting “clean coal” projects.

Definitely diversified, but I think we need to do more. We must face the reality that by 2100 we cannot rely on oil as much as we do now. I like that this energy bill contains $1.8billion for 'clean coal' projects, but we need more. Actually, I think gas price increases as well as automakers push to create hybrids is going to cause future administrations to rethink their energy policies.

For instance, hybrid auto sales continue to break record after record. As demand for these vehicles increase and the price of gas increases, the demand for gasoline will decrease-putting pressure on automakers to produce even more fuel effecient vehicles. I see that as a good thing for the environment, too bad this Congress doesn't have the same foresight.

Show me the Money

2005-04-20T10:08:00.000-04:00

All y'all that read this blog and are Rhode Island residents must, repeat MUST, visit this site: RI Unclaimed Property This site is where you can find if the RI Treasury department has some money waiting for you. Just type in your last name and see if you have any money out there. There are hundreds of thousands of items out there so it is worth your while to check it out. If any of you are listed on the site, please let us know and I take the finder's fee (15%) via personal check. Just kidding. Seriously, take a look at the site and tell us what you find.

Satellite Suckas

2005-04-19T07:50:00.000-04:00

My wife, Noni, and I did a little experiment yesterday. Nothing scientific but the results are fascinating nonetheless. You see a few weeks ago, I noticed a strange phenomenon on the streets of Providence. No, it wasn't the volume of rats, trash, or jaywalkers staring you down saying, 'come, run me over.' Instead, it was the amount of satellites attached to the sides of many houses. Doing some digging, DirecTV's base package costs $41.99/mo equating to a little over $500 per year. In a community whose median income is about $22,000 if we have $500 dollars to spend on entertainment, shouldn't we be putting this into mutual funds, IRAs, or at worst-the local bank? But I'm getting ahead of myself. Here's what we did. We drove down a few blocks in Providence and East Providence to see which area had more dishes per block. It wasn't even close. For Providence we ended up with a total of 27 satellite dishes whereas East Providence only had 6. We actually passed more houses in East Providence because we were so shocked that so few houses had satellite dishes. It seems that we can infer that the dish volume may have a direct correlation to the level of income, only in that more dishes equal less income. My theory going into all of this was that affluent people would have more dishes because they have more leisure time. That was completely debunked by this study. Thus, I think there's a mentality the folks in East Providence have that Providence residents need to catch. A mentality of not watching their lives away, but of doing. Doing for themselves, doing for their families, and doing for their communities. It seems Providence residents need to turn off their tv's and turn on their minds-becoming actors in this game called life instead of zombified reactors.

Tragedies in Providence

2005-04-18T13:43:00.000-04:00

Providence lost a cop, a mother, and a neighbor over the weekend. Sad. 27-year vet gunned down at the Providence Police Headquarters Mother and neighbor killed on Osbourne Street. A very difficult weekend for Providence and the families indeed.

Open Discussion

2005-04-16T06:52:00.000-04:00

Biting off other sites that do this, here's an open thread for you to talk about anything you want. The only requirement? Just say it!

Too short

2005-04-15T11:00:00.000-04:00

A couple of days ago, some children played a baseball game. Nothing unusual there. After the game, two young men, children actually, had an argument at the concession stand. Still nothing unusual. One of the young men then became agitated and in the next instant the scene went from ordinary to tragic as one child pummeled Jeremy Rourke,15, with a baseball bat until his life was cut...too short. In an ever violent world, I have two questions: did the suspect have a history of violent behavior and more importantly why didn't anyone jump in and stop this? The answer, according to various reports, to the first question is no. The Arizona Republic reports that 'the [suspect] was known for being competitive but did not have a reputation for violence'. In the coming days, weeks, and months the investigation should confirm or debunk this claim. As for the second question, how was the suspect able to deliver multiple blows to Rourke without anyone stepping in? I am having a difficult time picturing bystanders watching as another child was beaten to death. Perhaps the situation was different, but from accounts I have read no one has asked, "where were the parents/spectators/coaches during this incident?" I'm not looking to place blame, but find it curious no one stepped in to stop this before it escalated. Regrettably, violence on our sports arenas is becoming too often and too violent. As a society we really need to begin to think about what drives our children's knee-jerk violent responses as well as our own apathy. Until we do, scenes like this one in Palmdale, CA will become all too familiar.

17 and not in school? Be on the look out!

2005-04-14T06:45:00.000-04:00

Representative Grace Diaz, my representative, has introduced legislation, H5744, whose summary reads:

This act would require that children attend school until seventeen (17) years of age.

Current RI law stipulates that children must attend school up to age 16. So, what does the General Assembly do?.....they create a commission to study it. I spoke to a lobbyist this week who said that the General Assembly usually creates a commission before passing anything. I laughed then, but I guess he was right.

Brown professor to run against Langevin in 2006

2005-04-13T05:40:00.000-04:00

The Brown Daily Herald Reports that Jennifer Lawless, Assistant Professor of Political Science at Brown, intends to run against Jim Langevin in District 2. Den...Den...Den...Den. According to the Herald:

Lawless acknowledged in the e-mail the difficulty of challenging an incumbent like Langevin, but she wrote that the importance of having women in public office and her divergence from Langevin's views on several issues compelled her to consider running.

Conspicuously missing from the article is a detailed listing of the issues where Lawless diverges from Langevin. I think we're starting to see seeds of discontent within the Rhode Island Democratic machine. Matt Brown v. Sheldon Whitehouse and now Lawless v. Langevin. Perhaps 'outsiders' are tired of the same ol', same ol' and think they can defeat moderately popular incumbents. I don't know what the thinking is, but I'm sure the political infighting amongst Democrats is music to RI Republicans' ears. Lawless has noted her disdain for both Langevin and Kennedy choosing the safe route in not running against Linc Chafee. Perhaps Lawless isn't as 'outsider'-ish as I thought, for Chafee is about as Democrat as a Republican can get; perhaps her true intention is just like Whitehouse said, to send another Democrat to Washington? Stay tuned to BWLR as we confirm this story and sort out the details.

Calling All Cars...

2005-04-13T04:05:00.000-04:00

So last night the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on a bill to ban people from holding cell phones while driving -- and stop all drivers 18 and under from using any cell phones. As usual, they didn't let logic or pesky facts get in the way. Ok, so using cell phones while driving IS stupid, annoying, aggravating, idiotic, and potentially distracting enough to cause an accident. I understand that. But so are all these other seemingly ok activities we've all seen (and perhaps done) while driving: scarfing down a bacon burger and large order of fries; shaving, applying makeup, trimming nose hairs; swapping cd's or searching for the all-sports, all-the-time, because-I-don't-have-a-life radio station; etc. ... So why do our enlightened (read: shortsighted or myopic) pols want to single out cell phones? Isn't it time we start looking at the big picture instead of constantly nickel-and-dimeing our way to constant harassment? Distracted driving is distracted driving, whatever the cause. Are the pols too dumb to see that? (rhetorical question) If they are truly concerned about the dangers of distracted driving, instead of simply grandstanding as usual in front of the latest windmill, they'd be attacking the whole problem instead of just picking off the low hanging fruit. And banning all cell phone use by drivers under 18 is just another example of the Smith Hill Hacks taking potshots at easy targets. Ok, tests have shown that young drivers using cell phones have lowered reaction time equal to drivers in their late 60's or 70's who aren't using cell phones. Well, what about the old geezers who ARE talking while driving? What is THEIR reaction time like - probably as slow as one of our esteemed lawmakers trying to spell "cat"? Shouldn't they be banned too? Leave it to Sen. Joseph Polisena to label this fiasco "a great piece of legislation." And it would be, if it were printed on quilted 2-ply -- much less chafing on the tuckus. (We'll ignore his gratuitous swipe at Steven Brown and the ACLU.) Oh, and a memo to Sen. Leonidas P. Raptakis, who extolled the virtues of using his hands free cell phone: don't let the fact that research has shown there is NO DIFFERENCE in distraction level between using a hands free phone and a hand held one while driving get in the way of pushing your agenda. No need to let facts get in the way of good propaganda. Of course, if the bill were to go so far as banning all distracted driving, it would sideline almost all police cars and hurt donut sales immeasurably . . .

Providence Student transferability: Real or Imagined?

2005-04-12T23:35:00.000-04:00

I’m going to do some digging tomorrow. I’ve been seriously concerned about the Providence School system since I student taught at Central High School in 1999. One of my main concerns has always been parental involvement. At the Providence School system’s website they list among parental rights the following:

Their right to transfer their child to a better performing school, if eligible. Parents of children in Title I schools that fail to make “adequate yearly progress” (AYP) for two or more years have the right to request a transfer for their child out of that school and into a school that is making AYP, with transportation provided. Parents of children eligible for the Title I transfer option will be notified each school year of their option to transfer and the designated schools to which they may have their child transferred.

I have a few questions: 1. How many students are eligible to transfer? 2. How many students opted to transfer last year? 3. What schools were listed as ‘options’?

So, the plan is to call the Providence School Department tomorrow and see if I can get these answered and let you know about it. The critical element missing within the Providence School system is parental involvement and these statistics could prove very useful.

Municipal Economic Development Zone

2005-04-12T15:53:00.000-04:00

Today, Rep. Roger A. Picard introduced the creation of municipal economic development zones (H-6364). I do not claim to be an authority on zoning and associated taxes, but at first glance, this legislation looks pretty good. To summarize:

This act would allow the cities and towns in this state to create a municipal economic development zone within the city or town and would direct that one-half of the sales and use tax collected within the zone would be retained by the city or town to finance the development of the zone.

In essence, half the sales and use taxes collected within these zones would be utilized to make these zones better. It doesn't exempt businesses from any state sales and use taxes; instead seeks to increase the tax base by continually putting back into these zones. In so doing, creating an infrastructure designed to increase revenue streams and causing businesses to salivate at the prospect of municipalities ear marking tax dollars supporting projects which create more opportunities for businesses. A can't lose situation. Again, I'm no expert-but this bill just makes $ense.

Right to Vote: Upcoming Events

2005-04-12T07:59:00.000-04:00

Here in Rhode Island, the Right to Vote campaign has a huge week ahead:

On April 13th, we will be holding a rally outside the State House. The rally starts at 3:30pm.
On this same day, the House Judiciary will hold a hearing on both the constitutional amendment and the conrforming statutory legislation.
On April 14th, members of the campaign will be on the Arlene Violet Show airing on 920 WHJJ-AM at 3:00pm

If you are interested in any of these events, please go to the RI Right to Vote website.

See this post - Right to Vote: Second Class Citizenship for more information on how this has affected Rhode Islanders.

Women's Right to Know Act

2005-04-10T05:06:00.000-04:00

On Tuesday, April 12th the Women's Right to Know Act (H-5144) shall be heard by the House Health, Education, and Welfare Committee. We need to support this bill that ensures that every woman who has an abortion in Rhode Island will have all available information about the procedure and its consequences prior to her abortion. Here are the specs of the bill:

Certain information, including the name of the physician, medical risks associated with the abortion, estimate of gestational age of unborn child, among others, must be dessiminated to the woman by telephone or in person at least 24 hours prior to the abortion by a physician
Other information such as medical assistance options available to the woman and/or unborn child, the liability of the father, and information concerning alternatives to abortion
Provides system for gathering information concerning abortions in RI
Provides penalties up to and including felony charges for physicians who do not follow certain stipulations within the bill
Provides civil recourse for affected fathers/grandparents

Overall, I like this bill. Abortion rights advocates always say 'My body, my choice.' Well this legislation says 'My body. My 'informed' choice.' It doesn't restrict abortions. It also provides for circumventing the informative clauses in cases of medical emergencies. Not only that, it requires the Department of Health to gather AND publish statistical data relevant in understanding percentages of women who receive/decline abortions after being 'informed' by their physicians.

By making this law, we help women and their would-be families. Shouldn't women know if there is assistance during prenatal and neonatal stages? Shouldn't women know that the fathers ARE liable to support their babies? And shouldn't women know the risks associated with future pregnancies after having an abortion? The answer is yes, yes, and yes. Let's be a state that enables women to make 'their choice' an informed one-not simply one of fear without knowledge.

Lives are depending on it.

Cicilline to propose tax sale legislation

2005-04-10T04:36:00.000-04:00

From the Mayor's website: Mayor Cicilline and the Urban League of Rhode Island have partnered with the Rhode Island Housing & Mortgage Finance Corporation on legislation designed to change current tax sale laws to promote homeownership, help working families retain their property, and create more affordable housing opportunities. The news conference is scheduled for Monday, April 11 at 10:30 a.m. at Urban League of Rhode Island, 246 Prairie Avenue in Providence. Check it out if you can. I'm very curious to see what the mayor has up his sleeve.

Warm-Fuzzies

2005-04-09T14:41:00.000-04:00

Yeah, yeah, thanks for the glowing introduction, Don. "Whacked out dudes and dudettes"? The meds are working just fine thank you. Note to the regular readers of this blog -- listen up, both of you: You'll get no namby-pamby posts out of me. Too many bunched-panties whining about the government not doing enough to help them and all the other poor unfortunates. Personally, I'm tired of Uncle Sam's increasingly frequent colonoscopies -- all he ever finds is more of my money, which he then takes to buy himself another plateful of pork. If you want PC, I suggest you hop in your car, drive up Smith Street and turn up River Avenue -- you'll run right into the campus. I'll be telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth . . . as I deem it to be on any given day. And I consult with the burning bush on a regular basis. You've been warned.

New Contributor

2005-04-09T07:41:00.000-04:00

...and they keep coming. Black, White, Left, & Right welcomes a new contributor, Mike. You'll come notice that many of his posts may vary differently from mine. Well, that's the point of BWLR. No partisan hackery here. Instead, we seek to provide RI with a cornucopia of whacked out dudes and dudettes who are passionate about what they believe and willing to back it up.

Dear telemarketers, LEAVE ME ALONE!!!

2005-04-07T22:28:00.000-04:00

Taking a pause from politics...this is something that irks me. You know the 'Do NoT Call LIST' right? Well, I never signed up for it. Well, I should have. Everyday, I get no less than 2 calls asking me to consolidate my student loans. E-v-e-r-y-d-a-y. And these cats don't give up; one even got angry with me. What!?!?? I saw a Seinfeld rerun and I'm going to use his tactic. Seinfeld: Hello Telemarketer: You wanna buy........ Seinfeld: Let me call you back...what's your home phone? Telemarketer: I don't want you to call me there. Seinfeld: What, you don't like to be called at home??? Me, either. I'm using that tomorrow.......

No more circuses in Rhode Island

2005-04-06T14:29:00.000-04:00

Sound crazy. Well it’s not. Deputy Majority Leader, Raymond E.Gallison has introduced legislation (H 5356) which would ‘ban any circuses, carnivals and zoos from exhibiting such animals for the purpose of entertainment, whether for profit or for not’. The hearing on this bill is scheduled for today. The only places exempt from this law would be Lincoln Park (surprise, surprise), zoos accredited by the American Zoological and Aquarium Association (Roger Williams Park Zoo is accredited), and events where horses are used as part of an athletic competition. This is a waste of my tax dollars. Circuses such as Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey’s have been invaluable to enriching the lives of many kids. Whenever they come to the Dunk, they’re a crowd pleaser. Doing a quick google search on “Ringling animal abuse” I come to Mercy For Animals (no link provided) which shows me picks of elephants in shackles and other animal atrocities. Again, animals---humans---animals. Until folks start caring about real people, don’t waste my tax dollars on animals. It’s hypocritical and abusing my eyes every time I have to read about some left-wing program designed to save a non-human and in the next sentence read about a left-wing program designed to ensure the death of a human. Anyone else care more about humans than animals and are unashamed?

Border risks?

2005-04-06T01:17:00.000-04:00

The AP writes that Americans will be required to have passports to reenter the US returning from some our closest neighbors: Canada, Mexico, the Carribean, and even Panama. A Bush policy wonk states:

But we have some lead time to work with our Canadian travel partners to get this information out to them.

While a Canadian official says:

Our system has really always worked on the basis of reciprocity [...] And therefore we will review our requirements for American citizens and we're going to do that in collaboration with the United States.

See the difference? The US 'informs' while Canada seeks to 'collaborate'. Come on Bush Administration...you can do better than this! Here's some free advice: when thinking about changing border policy with your biggest trading partner, you might want to bring them in on the conversation. Maybe it's just me, but that sounds like a good idea. Anyone else tired of overreacting by the Bush Administration? I am.

Right to Vote: Second Class Citizenship

2005-04-05T01:21:00.000-04:00

Part One in an ogoing series on felon disenfranchisement: Second Class Citizenship In terms of 'punishment' felons face more difficulty regaining their right to vote than finding employment, housing, and admission to educational programs once they leave the Adult Correctional Institution (ACI) or any other like facility. In other words, the Rhode Island correctional system deems these offenders eligible to return to normal society but disallow their utilization of a basic right-the right to vote. The reality that eighty-six percent of convicted felons are living in Rhode Island communities, are suffering a political death as a result of their crimes. Let’s take the example of Andres Idarraga. He was an Honors student at Moses Brown but along the way went down a path that saw him get caught up in the drug life. After serving six and a half years in the ACI, he will now serve 3 more years of parole and 27 years of probation.[1] Since being released he has enrolled into the University of Rhode Island and is running a legitimate business with other members of his community. Despite his accomplishments in reintegrating back into our community, he will not be able to vote for the next thirty years under current Rhode Island law. His is but one example of the 13,300 citizens living in our community, trying to make a change in their lives, but denied a basic right decade after decade. Sol Rodriguez, Director of the Rhode Island Family Life Center, declares "We're asking these people to come back into society and get a job, yet we're taking away their right to be a good citizen. Many people […] are trying to keep their life together. They pay taxes, yet they can't vote."[2] How can we expect to integrate these citizens if we continue to deny them these rights? Instead, we must support legislation that restores the right to vote to felons on probation or parole so that we can, without hypocrisy, claim that Rhode Island does not harbor, perpetuate, or propagate second class citizenship. [1] Ziner, Karen Lee: Providence Journal: State Law Keeps Felons’ Voting Rights in Check (2 November 2004). [2] ibid. For more information on the RI Right to Vote Campaign, please visit their website: link.

Simple Question

2005-04-01T08:43:00.000-05:00

Question: Would you have removed the feeding tube from Terri Schiavo?

Tech Issues

2005-03-31T18:45:00.000-05:00

I have had some technical issues for about two weeks in seeing the blog. If anyone else has I have fixed the problem. The Problem was the Poll....so adios to the polls for a while. Terri Schiavo passed today, and I have a unique perspective on it. I'll be posting about it later tonight or tomorrow.

Good Government?

2005-03-31T08:59:00.000-05:00

I never thought I would become such a critic of Governor Carcieri. To be sure, I believe that he is doing a much better job than Lincoln Almond, but his policies seem so 'tunnel vision'-like. For instance, yesterday he unveiled a line item veto proposal that contained two basic points

Budget line item veto authority
Super majority to approve tax increases

While in principle I agree with both ideas. If you have a massive budget, a Governor could be forced to approve it in order to keep the state functioning. And so a Governor is handcuffed because he cannot weed out what he considers frivolous budget add-ons. On the flipside, the General Assembly shouldn't just regurgitate any Governor's budget proposal. Indeed, I like the idea that both the General Assembly and the Governor's office MUST compromise in the budget. I believe that given the history of the General Assembly and the Governor this line item proposal will only create further tensions and antagonisms. The loser will be average Rhode Islanders. As for the 'super majority' needed for tax increases, while it 'protects' businesses and state residents from tax increases that do not have overwhelming support in the State House, it makes no separation amongst types of tax increases and their purpose. Many times Assembly members are reluctant to make tax increases because of self-interest and not because it's good for the state. Further, I would contend that the goal of passing this piece of the proposal has partisan roots. How? If the Republican party can start to chip away at the Democratic stronghold within the General Assembly then getting enough votes for a super majority becomes that much more difficult. While in theory 'super majority' on tax hikes is a good idea, in the context of Rhode Island, it reeks of partisan trickery. But the Governor says:

Good government is a government that lives within its means [...] We will continue to make reforms so that state government is more efficient and more accountable to the people of Rhode Island

I look forward to hearing from the governor in the next few months on his plans to address the 13 million dollar deficit the Providence School system is facing. Hopefully, balancing the education budget to ensure our children receive an adequate education is part of good government.

Excessive Force

2005-03-29T09:10:00.000-05:00

About two years ago, Rhode Island television was flooded with the images of state troopers forcibly removing Narragansett Indians from Narragansett land. The purpose was to close down a 'smoke shop'. Yesterday, a federal jury convicted one of the troopers for using excessive force.(link) The award: $301,100 to Jennings and finally vindication for the pain and suffering stemming from that day. No matter what you think of the legality of the smoke shop, if you were awake during that summer you knew that the tribe was battling with the state over this issue. Again, the reason for opening the smoke shop wasn't to take advantage of their status as a sovereign nation, but to help themselves. The governor, however, felt a compelling interest to make sure that smoke shop was shutdown. I feel sorry for the trooper who was placed 'in harm's way' by an administration who time and again forgets about the people in order to enforce policy.

A Conversation About Immigration Status

2005-03-26T23:14:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I spoke with State Representative Grace Diaz, my state rep. I had some concerns with legislation she had proposed, specifically centered around the issue of undocumented immigrants. According to my understanding, if you are undocumented you should not be in the country. If the immigration service finds you - you are likely to be deported. In fact, many of my neighbors had major qualms about Ms. Diaz's heritage and wondered whether or not she would just push issues favoring immigrants or the recently naturalized citizens. I too had those same concerns but having spoke to Grace on several other occassions had allayed those fears until I saw these bills. One bill H6066 would allow undocumented immigrants the ability to obtain drivers' licenses. I had numerous problems with this. First, if they are undocumented, giving them a license basically allows them to remain in the country as a license can be utilized in many different ways to identify a person. In effect, this subverts federal laws prohibiting illegal immigrants. Second, with this passage would come an influx of undocumented immigrants from other parts of the country. If you can get a license in RI without documentation "honey, do you know what a quahog is?". Third, the bill circumvents the main issue: undocumented immigrants living in our communities. By granting a license, the state would basically say, "we can't document these people, but they're here so here's an idea - let's give them licenses and forgettaboutit." Again, this subverts federal statutes and in reality, makes it far too easy for an undocumented person to continue to remain in this country i-l-l-e-g-a-l-l-y. Ms. Diaz responded by stating that by providing undocumented persons - the category which includes people merely trespassing on US soil to those who have had VISAs expire - adds to the safety of RI by creating more licensed drivers. To which I said, "using that logic - the state should actually look for these people, not issue licenses, and hand them to immigration for immediate deportation. If people are doubly breaking the law, the answer isn't to make legal which is now illegal, but to root out the offenders." She understood my position but again said that the people are here and just need the opportunity to get their immigration status resolved. At this point, I was pretty much convinced that this and other bills Ms. Diaz has introduced this legislative season were completely in alignment with what my neighbors had feared and also not in step with building up my Elmwood community. That is until Grace said this, "we are a nation of immigrants." That might not seem so profound, but it clicked in my brain. Indeed, my family emigrated here from Africa by way of a boat and unwillingly. More to the point, the US has generally welcomed immigrants and provided opportunity to them matched by no other country on earth. We are a rainbow - a mixture of the best of hundreds of cultures. And in that spirit, our position as a government shouldn't be one of deport first ask later - but of doing fact checking with the hopes of welcoming as we have welcomed millions before. With that in mind, I asked Grace if she would consider the following: 1. Issuance of temporary licenses dependant upon becoming a legal immigrant. 2. At the point of license application, providing the DMV with the appropriate INS form necessary to update status. 3. Instead of encompassing the whole world of undocumented immigrants start with those whose VISA's have expired and go from there. She took all these with stride and mentioned having thought of a couple beforehand. What I wanted to impart to Grace was this:

Members of the legislature would kill this bill, as written, in a heartbeat;
in order to receive licenses, undocumented immigrants MUST demonstrate practical steps towards legalizing their residency;
Even if they do, it's going to be very, very, difficult to pass this bill.

We agreed that with some changes this bill could prove beneficial to the many undocumented immigrants and community at large in Rhode Island. Lastly, if you ever have a question or concern about a piece of legislation your assemblyperson proposes, ask questions first before jumping to conclusions. You may just end up helping provide solutions than simple and uneffective whining and complaining.

Playing God with Terri Schiavo

2005-03-24T18:29:00.000-05:00

Since when have we as a society decided who is and who is not worth living? I thought that we are a compassionate society who sees every life as valuable. Terri is being tortured because she did not have a living will. Now, since she is married we look to her husband to give everyone the voice that Terri cannot give. He is supposed to be acting in the interest of his wife. His history shows me otherwise. Her "husband" has obviously moved on with his life. He has a girlfriend which he has children with. He has refused any type of treatment, or rehabilitation for her. She is not even allowed to watch television. How is this acting in the best interest of your wife? Terri is severly disabled, but she is awake and responsive. She only needs the feeding tube attatched during mealtimes. I obviously cannot speak for Terri, but there are many people out there who have debilitating diseases that fight on and live on. "Life" means different things to different people, but it is something that I think we should value, even if it's not "perfect". It's really sad for me to see that a person will go to jail for starving a dog, but the same will not happen if it is done to a human being.

Carcieri says no to child care unions

2005-03-24T13:56:00.000-05:00

Thanks to our 'friends' at Rhode Island's Future, I've learned that Governor Carcieri will not support the child care providers attempt to unionize. I commented there and am feeling really sick so I'll leave my remarks for another day. Suffice it to say, I think the only weakness of the Carcieri administration is lack of personal connections. What I mean is, if you read the Governor's press release on the child care union, it seems to lack knowledge of the situations facing the child care providers and is the exact reason they seek to unionize!! I hope that the Governor will provide better solutions to their problems than this:

...reform proposals include freezing the current subsidy rates paid to all providers until July 1, 2006. [...] The Governor would also raise the eligibility level for child care providers to get free state-subsidized health care, and would require them to pay the same health care co-shares as RIte Care beneficiaries do.

Child care providers aren't nasty, partisan, state leeches. They are dedicated people who perform a service which allows many working families to do just that: work. I'm deeply saddened that this administration does not acknowledge their right to unionize any longer. Last year the Governor said:

He said it would be fine with him if the workers "wanted to organize themselves" into a union, just as long as it isn't as state employees. "This isn't about unionizing or organizing," he said. The Pawtucket Times April 16, 2004

I'm left wondering, and I am sure the child care providers are as well, why the change in policy?

Divide and Conquer

2005-03-23T11:24:00.000-05:00

Have you ever watched movies or tv shows that are centered around people in life threatening situations. Usually they have only so much water, so much air, or some life sustaining object. And always in these shows, there is a point where the people turn on each other and fight for what little they do have. Inevitably, this leads to the object's and thereby the people's ultimate demise. In the same manner, this is how minorities have been unable to break through to sustained achievement in Providence and elsewhere accross the country. We have a mentality that says, "if you get a crumb, I want one too." Keyword: crumb. Why do we fight over the crumbs we might receive from government/foundation grants when our collective community continues to fail. Why do some people say, "that ain't fair that they be asking for a bilingual person. This America and we speak English. (grammatical errors intentional)"? While others say, "Soy de Puerto Rico y no tengo que aprender ingles!" It's a mentality among minorities to stick to 'their own'. We've been cultured to think that 'your success equals my failure' and that's such nonesense. Last night, I attended a meeting where immigrant residents were starting a Co-operative temporary employment company. These residents had received some funding to start their program. They were all Latino residents, coincidentally. Almost immediately after presenting their program, people began to question the inclusiveness of their Co-op. "Will you only target Latino residents? You realize that there are other immigrants besides Latino immigrants, right?" Although these are valid questions, they illustrate the level of mistrust existing between minority groups in Providence. This mistrust only helps keep us divided and leave us defeated-left out of community progress. That doesn't just hurt us as individuals, but it hampers the generations that are coming after us. We do have real differences, but we also have common struggles. When one of us seeks to 'rise up' we need to join with them not tear them down. Let us refuse to be divided and conquered as many of our predecessors were.

New Contributor

2005-03-22T17:14:00.000-05:00

I would like to take a second and briefly introduce myself. My views are mainly Independent & Conservative. I am excited to be a part of this blog and I hope that I will not disappoint. Debates and criticisms are always welcome. It wouldn't be a first that I was proven incorrect. I hope this will spark desire and interest. Everyone can learn something new from eachother. So, enjoy!

Steroids + MLB

2005-03-22T16:41:00.000-05:00

When you hear the word "baseball", do you automatically associate it with steroids? I didn't until recently. Originally, when I thought of baseball, I would think of families, nice weather, beer, popcorn, etc. It's quite unfortunate that America's favorite pastime has to be tainted with this. An article from SFgate.com states the penalty that a player would receive if he were to be tested positive for the use of steroids. The penalties are as follows: 1st offense: Treatment 2nd: 15-day suspension or a fine of up to $10k (without pay) 3rd: 25-day suspension (without pay) 4th: 50-day suspension (without pay) 5th: 1 year (without pay) Now, I don't know about you, but for me this is a slap on the wrist. In 2004, Sammy Sosa made almost $17M. Do you think he is going to miss $10k? I don't think so. MLB needs to be a little more serious on this issue. If I had the choice, the first offense would result in a one year suspension without pay and mandatory treatment. No fooling around. It's no wonder why the House Government Reform Committee is getting involved in this issue. Normally I would say that the HGRC must stay out of this, but I believe it is due to the lax nature of the association. In addition to the pressure that is being put onto the association, it is imperative that kids understand what they are dealing with. They need to be educated on the effects of steroids. I just hope that Sosa, McGwire, Canseco & everyone else realize that this isn't just about how many home runs you can hit, it's about family, and the true love of the game.

Confessions

2005-03-21T19:11:00.000-05:00

You may have noticed less posting. I am in the process of writing a document for the Rhode Island Right to Vote Campaign. Some I will post here. I should be finished by tomorrow when, hopefully, things will return to normal. So much is happening that it's killing me that I don't have time to talk about it. One of which being the credit rating upgrade the S&P rating organization gave to the city. Also, the blog welcomes another contributor...I'll let her introduce herself with her next post. And as a side, if you have an interest in contributing to this blog and can write coherently please drop me a line.

Question of the Week: March 20, 2005

2005-03-21T09:06:00.000-05:00

Hmm...I've decided to change this to question of the week. I don't expect you all to be as in love with this blog as I am, and so to spur more debate...let's make it a weekly instead of daily question. This week's question: Should felons be given the right to vote once they are released from prison and either enter into a parole or probation status? Definitions: Parole - When a convict is allowed to serve the rest of their sentence in our communities (with some stipulations) Probation - A suspended sentence which a convicted felon is allowed to live in our communities (with some stipulations)

Question of the Day: March 19, 2005

2005-03-19T12:16:00.000-05:00

I'm going to start something new here. Each day I (or other contributors) will post a question. You, the reader, are encouraged to respond and debate about it amongst yourselves. I'll try to be abstract because conversations begin easier that way. First question: Do the ends justify the means? From a scale of 1 - 10, 1 being definitely and 10 being never, answer if you feel the ends justify the means in regards to any situation? Also, list your reasoning.

Social Security: A blended solution

2005-03-17T11:24:00.000-05:00

Can we all agree that there is a problem with Social Security? Here's what FDR said about Social Security:

First, the system adopted, except for the money necessary to initiate it, should be self-sustaining in the sense that funds for the payment of insurance benefits should not come from the proceeds of general taxation.

In other words, what people put in should cover the cost of the then-labelled 'old-age' insurance. Other taxes should not be used to cover the cost of this insurance. The realities of the 30s made this very plausible. People weren't living as long as today, and so the number of people tapping into the system was much less than today. Hence the formula used to keep Social Security self-sustaining in the 30s doesn't work. Nor is it reasonable to think that there are enough workers in America to keep it self-sustaining sans major tax increases. Even that will only be a temporary solution because people are getting older and as medical technology advances AND the cost of healthcare rises-we can only expect people living on the system to use up more and more resources. So we're stuck in a quandary. Do we raise taxes to try and keep as many citizens at the same level of benefits as have been for decades? Do we implement a privatization scheme which adds more risks and rewards to the equation? Do we scrap the whole system? Difficult questions, but I think the staple of any new legislation will need to include the following: a. Maintainence of the same level of benefits, to a degree. This is critical. People who have put into the system up to now should have vested SSI payments coming to them. In other words if you are 45 right now and if you stopped putting into the system today, whatever monthly payment you are entitled to at age 65 is the minimum you will receive once you reach that age (adjusted for inflation, of course!). b. Privatization of some kind. Using the 45 year old man as the example, implementing a new 'compulsory' system whereby you are allowed to invest in a plethora of 'safe' and 'risky' funds. You are brought into the Social Security office and an assessment of you financials is done. Afterwards, the advisor gives you their analysis and your options. The choices would include:

1. A plan which mirrors the current Social Security system. In effect, had the system remained the same, this is what you would receive. 2. A plan that involves more risk, and potentially greater reward. You are allowed to invest up to 2/3rds of your 'compulsory' monies into this account. The other portion is placed into a federally backed fund. 3. A plan that is more safe, and potentially less rewarding than option 1 or 2. You invest into a low interest bearing government fund. A fund that invests in only the most stable stocks of the last one hundred years or some low-risk combination. You could be allowed to invest up to 100% of you 'compulsory' monies into this fund.

In this manner, anyone aged 15 to whenever could implement an investment program based on their needs, risk aversion, and current status within the social security system. The federal government would bear a great burden for the next 10-20 years but as younger generations - who've invested into the system less - start getting older, the burden on the federal government should become less. I stress the word should. As mentioned, healthcare and age are rising. Without some form of adequate social security insurance, millions of Americans will find themselves on the wrong side of poverty for much of their elderly life. However, we must face the realities that our economy cannot sustain the current system. We must find a way to create a fluid system that will take us from the current system and bring us to one where the burden on the federal government isn't so monumental. Blanket age cut-offs won't work as every individual's story is different. Complete privatization doesn't work because it unequally favors the rich. A blended system is required, but will partisan antagonism keep us from that solution?

Who knew? The Bush Doctrine is working

2005-03-17T09:41:00.000-05:00

From John Freedland's (read:not a Bush or Blair devotee) article in

Put starkly, we cannot let ourselves fall into the trap of opposing democracy in the Middle East simply because Bush and Blair are calling for it.
And liberals-that comment was for you. With recent actions taken by Middle Eastern countries such as Lebanon, Egypt, and even Palistineans the facts are indicating that democracy is starting to quell in the cradle of the world.

Could this mean the Bush doctrine is actually working?

The answer is: Y-E-S. Though the left will tell you Bush has had nothing to do with it and that it's just happenstance. Check the information for yourself and you decide. It's obvious to me.

Rush Speechless

2005-03-14T11:09:00.000-05:00

I have listened to Rush Limbaugh, on and off, since the early 90s when he had his own syndicated tv show. For the first time ever, I heard nothing coming out of his mouth. Was he talking to Al Franken? No. Randi Rhodes? No. Who was it then? It was a man, age 54, who was talking about Social Security. To give you a little synopsis, the guy is a Republican. He began by talking about how he has been a Republican for a long time but is reconsidering his party affiliation because of the proposed changes to Social Security. His reasoning was he's worked since 16 and has put in nearly 40 years into the system. Also, he's been banking on these social security benefits for almost as long and to change it when he only has 10+ years left of working life remaining is not only unfair, but degrading to the work he's done. Rush at first tried to reason with the guy and say, "you'll be 55 when it's finally passed so it won't affect you." The guy responded by saying, "but what about people who are 51, 52, 53?? They don't have enough time to make up what they will lose by the changes coming to Social Security." Silence. And in that moment, Rush was speechless. Sure it was about 5 seconds, but I could hear his mind trying to spin what this guy just said and he couldn't do it. Rush Limbaugh, Republican of Republicans, couldn't spin the Bush Social Security reform to an average american directly impacted by the legislation. That got me scared and here's why: 1. As a person still in my twenties, I've never counted on nor will I count on Social Security. I'm very willing to change Social Security to make it less of a burden on the government and better for average americans in general. However, my historical memory is limited by my youthful age and thus I acquiesce to this older gentlemen for how this will affect average america. 2. There's no defense for what this man is talking about! If Rush can't come up with something better than 'you'll be 55 next year' then there is no honest reply to what this man and millions of americans are facing. 3. Social Security is going to be difficult to change. Shocking, eh? Tough choices will need to be made, but blanket cut-offs are not going to be the answer. Some form of choice would be preferable. For instance, if you're over 55 Social security stays the same. If you are between 45-54 you can elect to remain in the current system or take your current system's balance and transfer that into a private account. Make similar adjustments for younger people. Limbaugh had nothing for this guy. No answers. No reassurance. And very little sympathy. President Bush, is this the type of reform you are offering? Note: The preceding was just a rant. Social Security needs reform, compassionate reform, that does not place undue burdens on average Americans.

Am I a closet racist?

2005-03-11T09:58:00.000-05:00

Ya know, I pride myself on not pre-judging a person based on appearance. However, what I 'thought' yesterday calls that into question. I was driving down the street when I saw a man driving a truck in a turban who looked Middle Eastern. In a millisecond I had three thoughts in succession: 1. Is this guy a Muslim? 2. Is he a terrorist? 3. Is there a bomb on that truck? My fear was alighted when I saw that his truck carried the label of a local medical company and I thought 'if he's one of their employees he can't be a terrorist.' I don't know why thinking that he was affiliated with that medical company made me feel better, but it did. Yet, after he went his way and I went mine without becoming another terrorist statistic, I did a double-take. Why was it that his 'turban' made me immediately think he was a terrorist carrying a bomb? What have I implicitly programmed or allowed programmed into my brain that is afraid of men wearing turbans? Racism is usually characterized by ignorance and fear and I had both in this situation. Do I even know why people wear turbans? Answer: No. Do I spend time with anyone who regularly wears turbans? Answer: No. Well, I think I have ignorance pretty much covered. Let's move onto fear. Where have I seen people with turbans? Answer: Celebrating over the death of American soldiers. What have I heard about people who wear turbans? Answer: They are militant Muslims and militant Muslims are all terrorists. If racism's characteristics entail a plethora of ignorance and fear...then *gulp*, I am a racist. However, I challenge you all to think of any group that you have no clue about and check yourself. You too could be closet racists. But let me say this. Tolerance does not mean agreement. Tolerance simply means you respect another's will to believe what they choose to believe. Think about the WWI combatants who used to play soccer with one another before killing each other the very next day (link). This level of respect without agreement is absent in today's political atmosphere. Liberals want us to believe that tolerance equals agreement. It doesn't. Instead, I say take the time to look into things you are ignorant and fearful of and make informed decisions. Be it abortion, tax hikes, the war in Iraq, the school board, etc. don't allow your disposition to cloud your judgement and equally do not allow others to flood you head with crap. You may end up like me: a closet racist. But I'm on the road to recovery because information is power. (check link below) Man killed for wearing a turban.

Social Promotion? Are you kidding me?!

2005-03-09T07:53:00.000-05:00

Social Promotion. You know what it is. It's when you take a kid who's like 15 in the 7th grade and move them into the eighth grade regardless of whether or not they actually do the work of a 7th grader. Call me naive but when I was in elementary school (late 80s) the only kind of social promotion we enjoyed was when a geek went through puberty and was 'socially promoted' to hunk or hot girl status. What's up with a system that will move you to the next grade even though you're unable to read or write? What is the value of any diploma you receive? More importantly, what message are we sending to students who get promoted year after year without learning a thing? At a budget hearing yesterday, Rep. Paul Crowley, D-Newport, berated the RI Education Commissioner, Peter McWalters, about this very point. He said "When is the state going to call the question that we can no longer keep advancing these kids?" McWalters reply, according to the journal:

But McWalters said there is no evidence that shows that holding students back improves their performance. On the contrary, research shows that a child who is held back more than once is more likely to drop out of school.He said that the state now requires a personal literacy plan for every child who is seriously behind grade level. That child will typically receive double periods of reading and math to help him catch up with his peers.[Bold mine]

Gee, I wonder why someone held back is more likely to drop out? Could it be that they aren't learning anything in school and have better things to do!?!?!!?!? Ok, now that I've gotten that out. Here are some solutions I suggest to help alleviate this problem

Contracts. An educational contract between student, parent, and teacher is signed by students who are left behind. Included in the contract would be goals for the student, reasons why the student believes he/she is having a difficult time, and a commitment by parent, teacher, and student to see improvement. This way the 3 major parties to a student's education sit down and come up with a plan. Quarterly reviews mandatory.
Study groups. Students who have been left behind are not generally stupid. Many just 'don't like school'. However, if the state required said students in a given school to study together, do group projects, be accountability partners, etc. it fosters a sense of community, inclusion, and takes them from outsider to a sense of belonging. No longer do they feel as though they're the only ones left behind (pun intended) in the educational system. Instead, by seeing others like themselves and watching their progress they would be encouraged to do the same.
Shock treatment. Sometimes you have to be 'scared-straight' as the ol' folks used to say. Various programs could revolve around looking at where people end up without an education-even to the point of having students do research projects on homeless people. In other words, show these kids and, to a certain extent, their parents the ACTUAL results of not having an education and the importance of taking ownership of their education. It might be tough-love, but the alternative is worse...much worse.

But here's the point: the problems in the RI educational system aren't obscure. They are glaringly obvious. It's time to step up to the plate and tackle these issues. Failure is not an option. Period.

RIC Graduation Rate "Immoral"

2005-03-07T10:50:00.000-05:00

There's a provocative piece in the Journal today about Rhode Island's College's graduation rate, or better put, lack thereof. According to a survey by Education Trust 4 out of 10 incoming freshmen in 1997 had not graduated by 2003! RIC brass cited three possible reasons:

* Money pressures that prompt many students to drop out or delay their studies. * The high number of students who transfer into RIC, but who cannot be counted in graduation rates. * RIC's part-time and nontraditional students, who take longer than six years to finish their bachelor's degrees.

But even they admit that this does not tell the entire story. According to the study, schools in RIC's category generally graduate approximately 77 percent of incoming freshman within six years. Why should you care? The less educated we are as a state at-large, the more likely our residents will need government assistance to survive. The more assistance we need, the higher taxes we pay. The higher taxes we pay, the less attractive we are to businesses. The less attractive we are to businesses, the more difficult it becomes to create new RI jobs. And on and on! Call me a conspiracy theorist if you wish. However, when a populace is less educated than its peers and highly taxed that's a recipe for unemployment.

Child-Care Providers seek ability to Unionize

2005-03-04T07:29:00.000-05:00

"This is an opportunity for the state to develop a segment of our workforce that has long been overlooked but is nothing less than integral to our whole economy[...]Working families rely on having someone dependable, trustworthy and loving to care for their children while the parents are at work, so the strength of our entire workforce and economy is dependent upon the quality of care these workers can provide[.]"
And with those words, Rep. Gordon Fox, introduced the Family Child Care Business Opportunity Act (H6099 and S0855). These bills would allow Rhode Island child-care providers the ability to unionize without becoming state employees. The hope would be to get them a seat at the table when it comes time to negotiating salary, healthcare, and other concerns they have. Currently, the Departments of Human Services (DHS) and Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) control the child-care provider industry without any stipulations for child-care providers' input. DHS and DCYF enforce numerous regulations child-care providers must adhere to in order to receive payment for their services and legally operate in Rhode Island. As a group, they do not have a means to directly negotiate with these departments and fought unsuccessfully last year to become state employees. Thus, unionizing keeps them from becoming state employees, creating more tax burdens for you and me, AND gives them the right to bargain with the state. But what is this really about? Is this about unions wanting to control another sector of the economy to have a larger political influence? Is this about child-care providers wanting to overburden the state's Starting RIght Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP)? Actually, based on child-care providers willingness to compromise you can only conclude that the 1,300 providers genuinely face legitimate obstacles in their business and desire representation of their concerns in order to best provide for the families they serve and ensure the success of their businesses. In January, I had the opportunity to meet with my representative, Grace Diaz (a child-care provider herself), about this then-proposed legislation. Initially, I was very skeptical of the idea in sofar as this being a union-led initiative instead of being child-care provider-led. But based on that conversation, I am in agreement that child-care providers in RI NEED a voice. Rep. Diaz recounted various stories, some her own, of child-care providers facing obstacles with the state and having no recourse or medium to address them. Consequently, this legislation gives child-care providers the 'voice' they desperately seek and need. Though I still have valid concerns about what a union will ultimately look like, let's support these bills and allow both child-care providers and their ensuing union to prove they are more interested in bargaining with the state than pushing their own agenda to the detriment of anyone standing in their way. They, and our children, deserve nothing less.

Abortion: The Saga Continues Part I

2005-03-03T07:02:00.000-05:00

After Roe v Wade, did anyone think that the legal, if not social, abortion debate would continue for 30+ years? But it has and during the January 2005 Session of the state house there are bills-a-plenty surrounding abortion. However, we're going to look at one in particular: Senate bill 0273, and its House counterpart 5432. These bills would repeal the requirement that physicians performing abortions notify the husband of the patient before the abortion is performed. The pro-choice world has crept ever so closer to its main goal: Woman's body, woman's choice-forget the rest of y'all! However, except those women who are introvenously fertilized, it takes two people (male and female that is) to create another human life via a sexual act. I find it insulting that these reprentatives and senators feel it necessary to take away my RIGHT to KNOW if my wife will make a life altering decision or not. We husbands aren't some random dudes you meet on the street, are we? Are we just work horses, whose main purpose is to provide heat, electricity, and food? Are we merely sperm doners to our wives? The answer is no, no, and most certainly no! In just about all other aspects of life which are less important husbands and wives are expected to make decisions together. Whether it's buying a house, choosing a school for their child, whose going to pick up the groceries, etc. marriage is a covenant act between two people who have vowed to be life partners; and in a partnership you make decisions t-o-g-e-t-h-e-r. Furthermore, parental rights are rights of the mother and father; not one over the other. The state was wise in mandating physicians inform husbands because it is not true that a wife has more right to the child than does her husband. They made the child together and both share the burden...equally. These same activists that would stip a husband of his right to know, would probably also demand child support from a husband who's wife decided to have the baby, if said husband and wife separated for any reason. That's hypocritical! You cannot tell me or any of the thousands of husbands in RI we have no right to know our pregnant wife is planning an abortion but 'fellas if you run out on her when she has the baby, we're coming for you.' It demeans me. It demeans you! It demeans fatherhood! Respected legislators, as husbands and fathers, we're not going to let this slip by. We love our children, we love our wives, and we love the marriage covenant we entered making us one flesh, no longer two.

The danger is...the system will go flat.

2005-03-02T23:33:00.000-05:00

Those were the words by RI Education Commissioner, Peter McWalters, as he referenced the departure of Providence School Superintendent Melody Johnson. She's leaving the cool breeze of March wind (ok, so maybe freezing breeze) for the heat of Fort Worth. I guess we can't fault her for returning to the state she's been at for twenty-four years and I don't actually want to focus on whether it's right or wrong that she has decided to leave. The main question is: will the system go flat? Providence needs a strong, culturally aware, and intellectualy resourceful educator to clean up this very murky system. Consider that during Ms. Johnson's tenure, generally speaking, test scores went up whereas the drop-out rate continued to increase. The forgotten schools are the schools of Hope, Mount, and Central. If you take a look at Information Works which provides testing data, you get real scared when thinking of what a Providence Education means in society. Example, according to their 2005 report, Hope, Mount, and Central were making insufficient progress towards one or more academic targets, while being labeled schools in need of improvement, having missed one or more academic targets. For Hope and Mount Pleasant this was the 4th consecutitve year they have failed to demonstrate sufficient progress! But parents whose children attend Central can feel good-your child's school has NOT been making sufficient progress for only 2 years. Perhaps, the question isn't will the system go flat? Perhaps the question is, will the system continue to go South for Providence public High Schools? All we can hope for is that the next Superintendent is as appalled and fed up at these numbers as you and I are. Otherwise, three years from now the mayor, et. al., will be singing the praise of yet another outgoing superintendent while our children languish perilously behind their peers. We cannot allow this to happen.

Providence Resident Survey RESULTS!

2005-03-01T10:59:00.000-05:00

The results are in. The ETC Institute of Olathe, Kansas sent 1500 7-page, 52-question, multilingual questionnaires to residents asking their opinions on various city services. In all, there were 634 complete respondents. To view the full report click the link at the bottom of this article. Here's the the good:

66% of residents were satisfied with public safety services
79% and 75% of residents were satisfied with local fire protection and local ambulatory services, respectively
79% of residents felt safe in their neighborhood during the day
70% of residents were satisfied with trash collection and recycling services

Here's the bad:

24% of residents were satisfied with the maintenance of city streets and infrastructure
47% of residents felt safe in their neighborhood at night
40% of residents felt that rodents were a problem in their neighborhood
28% of residents felt satisfied with the city's snow removal service
49% of residents have lived in their home/apartment for only 1-5 years

Varied results for sure. Residents felt pretty safe during the day, not so at night. Two glaring problems are city maintenance (including potholes and snow removal) and rodents. Is anyone surprised? Here's what Mayor Cicilline had to say about the results:

"This is like a GPS, telling us where we are and where we need to go," said Mayor Cicilline. "As we set priorities immediately and for the next couple of years, we want to be sure we align those priorities with what concerns our residents most." - Feb. 28, 2005 Press Release, Mayor's Office

I completely agree with a strong recommendation to the mayor that he not forget about Education. Unfortunately, it appears that the mayor did not request educational services be surveyed. With the state scrutinizing the situation at Hope and 50% drop-out rates at various high schools, data collected on resident perspectives on Education would have been invaluable. Yet, I and you could continue to criticize what wasn't done in this report, but this report does give us an understanding of how we feel about maintenance, safety, and other important city services. I suggest everyone take a little time and browse through the report to see how your neighbors see our city. Further, I challenge City Council, the Mayor, and residents to take this data and do somethin' wit-it! Knowing the problem is half the battle, but let's not stop here. Download Survey Results

Smoke This!

2005-03-01T08:24:00.000-05:00

Drum roll please. Today is March 1, 2004 and yesterday was the last day chain smokers, I mean people who smoke tobacco products, were allowed to smoke in public places. According to the RHODE ISLAND WORKERS' SAFETY ACT OF 2004 beginning today there is a

...Prohibition of smoking in public places. – Smoking shall be prohibited in all enclosed public places within the state of Rhode Island...

No more smoking in restaurants, bars, clubs, etc. As a non-smoker I really am going to be helped by this. It has puzzled me that liberals haven't jumped in support of this law. They are the same who think that if it doesn't hurt anyone, you should do it-so it's odd that there hasn't been resounding support when we KNOW smoking kills the people who smoke and DOES have damaging effects on the people around the smoke. Perhaps they're all closet chain smokers??? But anyway, hears to cleaner air!!

Why can't Republicans win in Providence?

2005-02-28T11:42:00.000-05:00

'Cause they are idiots, Donald!' While some of you might believe this, I find it troubling and strange that the Grand Old Party (GOP) currently holds nary a one City Council spot among the fifteen city wards. The current council is made up of fourteen Democrats and one Green Party member. As late as the September 2004 Primary, there were only 5,045 registered Republicans in the city. To put that number in perspective, there were 101,131 registered voters city-wide. That means, the total people registered Republican is about 5 percent. The Democrats on the other hand sport 57,892 card carrying members. The next largest voter affiliation category is actually the unaffiliated totaling 37,776. Consequently, based on numbers alone its no wonder there are no city councilmen or state legislators that carry the elephant pin. The Providence Dems have done an effective job marginalizing Republicans whereas Republicans have done a pitiful job in promoting themselves and carrying a clear message that attracts voters. I asked some random people (read: my boys) what they thought about Republicans. Answers I received were "Budget cutters, out for big business, doesn't care about the little guy, cost me my job" and on and on. Republicans have done little to change that perception as evidenced by many of the proposed cuts by President Bush and our own Governor Carcieri. In this state, the tactically savvy Democratic party has seized on easy opportunities to spout their propaganda-never admitting to their own capitulation to and creation of problems within government. For instance, if educational funding does not get overhauled this year, who's going to get the bulk of the blame? The General Assembly which is stocked with Dems who have lived at the state house for decades or the Republican Governor who has served approximately two years and a month? Answer: the Governor. And what's more puzzling is the fact that Providence residents continue to vote Democrat as if the Dems were these cool cats with superpowers and compassion despite Democratic leaders whose actions or inaction has failed to address real needs in our community. For too long minorities in this region have supported the Democratic party without so much as a glance at the Republicans. I'm not saying that everyone should jump the Democratic bandwagon and join the Republicans. I'm not even saying that the Democratic vision is all that bad. Instead, I desire to see a city that has strong political parties and smart residents so that our government will become truly representative, for the people, and by the people. Strong Political Parties Where there is more competition the product is ALWAYS better. If the Dems had to face challenges besides themselves for city government seats it is not only likely, but would definitely result in more accountable legislators, better overall representation, and inclusionary politics whereby the diversity of our community would be reflected by our legislative body. With strong Democrat, Green, Libertarian, and yes, Republican parties in the state-we'd be presented with the best choices our state has to offer and move to an atmosphere where 'city-first' is the breastplate each legislator wears. Without strong parties the Dems are likely to maintain control of the process, the money, and our future. And when power is left to the hands of the few, inequality is the result. Our community is too diverse to allow this to happen. Smart Residents The only way a corrupt system continues is by the lethargy and apathy of the populace. During the Citizen Education Campaign this past year, I asked a young man why he didn't vote. He said, "they're all crooks." I don't proscribe to his viewpoint and more to the point, I don't condone it. You have some very dedicated people in Providence politics. People who are working for real change and are really changing how politics work. Yet, these 'satellites' are overshadowed by others who are not getting the job done. And from the comments of this young man and others I have spoken with, residents don't see any change coming. I believe that if residents began to scrutinize the people they voted for and began to hold them accountable for their decisions, we'd see real progress. Consider that at a meeting where 100+ jobs were being cut in the school system ONLY 150 people showed up, 50 from ACORN. Not that I have a problem with ACORN, but ACORN's vision needs to trickle down to the average resident. When that happens, and I believe it can and is, perpetual voting based on name, party affiliation, or the like will be a thing of the past. So Republicans, if you wish to start winning races put forth some competitive candidates and start informing residents of your policy agenda. And in the marketplace of ideas, we'll see if they resonate or fall on deaf ears.

Providence Resident Survey

2005-02-28T10:03:00.000-05:00

In a few hours the ETC Institute of Kansas, which conducted a Providence Resident Survey, will anounce its findings. Hundreds of residents responded to the survey and questions centered around parks, public safety, highway and sanitation services, and arts and recreational programming. The results will be used to relatively determine how satisfied residents are with the aforemention services and programs. Conspicuously missing from this survey is education which would have provided for some interesting coffee talk. Once the results are posted, I'll give a little analysis...

A Mixed Message

2005-02-27T09:26:00.000-05:00

The Providence School Board could have sent a message to Don Carcieri and the General Assembly by refusing the proposed job cuts submitted by outgoing Superintendent Melody Johnson. Think, they could have said 'No! These positions are too important to be cut. We're going to have to figure something out, but you're not cutting our children's already limited future.' They could have, but they didn't. Not exactly. At a special meeting on the School Board decided NOT to send pink slips to 21 nurse-teachers and 10 social workers. However, the board voted in favor of sending pink slips to 20 guidance counselors and 47 social workers. This doesn't mean that the people receiving the pink slips will be dismissed. Instead, their jobs will remain in jeopardy for the foreseable future. I can understand the School Board's decision in handing out these potential terminiations. The Governor has not earmarked enough monies for Providence and they must leave themselves an out in case the governor doesn't change his budget. The School Board balked at taking such a leap into the darkness. Can we blame them? The School Board would have faced serious challenges if come next school year it is unable to pay for its programs and from where would the help come? I wonder how lenient the Providence Teachers Union would be then? *note sarcasm* In essence, the School Board was stuck between a rock and a hard place. They chose to leave themselves with options and not address the situation head on. Not yet anyway. And I can't blame them...there's plenty of that to go around.

Upward Bound faces elimination

2005-02-26T23:48:00.000-05:00

The president who signed the No Child Left Behind Act, once again, is cutting the goals of that legislation at its knees! His recently proposed budget would eliminate Upward Bound and a slew of other programs that help at-risk, low income youths. In RI, 150 students from grades 9-12 attend the Upward Bound program. 2/3rds of those come from families with income levels 150 percent of the poverty level or below AND where neither parent graduated from college. The other third come from families who meet one of the two criteria. These are students who are traiblazers in their families and communities. Without this program many of these students would be locked out from attending college and universities because of the schools they attend (read: Central, Hope, Mount, among others) and poor academic reputation those schools have. A friend of mine, a Mount Pleasant Graduate, who is a 2004 graduate of URI (graduated with a 3.0 in fact) did poorly on her SAT's. However, she attended the Upward Bound program which helped her gain acceptance to the Talent Development program at URI where she enjoyed a successful college career. Had Upward Bound not been available to her, most certainly the doors that opened to her would have been locked. And that's what this program is all about; opening doors for our children. But, President Bush has apparently lost sight of how special and effective programs like Upward Bound are for the inner city student. And so, he has gone too far. At a time when we are being asked to support a war in Iraq with money and sweat equity, he intros these types of cuts?!?! In the past, I have tried to defend this president's actions. He wasn't lying-he was misinformed. He didn't know that there was torture really going on-just utilization of special post 9/11 tactics. And on and on and on. But, I refuse to come to the president's aid on this one. Simply put, as citizens and parents it is our duty to draw a line in the sand and tell President Bush that we WILL NOT cut off our children's future because you thought it was the right thing to do to invade Iraq. We WILL NOT sit idly by as another generation's hopes are dashed because of your desire to reduce a budget deficit that YOU created. We WILL NOT allow a nearly 40 year program to be quietly cut at your latest whim. Instead, we WILL fight tooth and nail to ensure opportunities come to our cities and to our children. If that means a protracted political war, so be it. Your 'education first' rhetoric has more than worn thin and it's now time to back up the No Child Left Behind laws and stop cutting programs such as Upward Bound. Today, I am saddened by Bush's budget cuts, and hope that when people like us start talking-he'll reconsider his position. So here's what we do to stop this injustice folks... The Director of the Upward Bound Program at Rhode Island College, Miriam Boyajian, has requested that we send letters to our local officials denouncing these cuts. Click on the names below to send your letters via e-mail. Senator Jack Reed Senator Lincoln Chafee Representative Patrick Kennedy Representative James Langevin Governor Donald Carcieri

It's up to you New York....

2005-02-25T11:30:00.000-05:00

I love New York right now. First, as I have described earlier, I think Eliot Spitzer is the best emerging Democratic candidate in a long time. He's running for Governor. Second, Spitzer just endorsed Fernando Ferrer for Mayor of New York City. Ferrer is a progressive Democrat who nearly won the run-off in the last Mayor's race and will be the City's first Latino Mayor - he is Puerto Rican. This surprise early endorsement shows Spitzer's backbone. "I'm not shy about articulating my support for a candidate when I think they're the best candidate," Spitzer told the New York Times in Thursday's edition. Spitzer for Governor. Ferrer for Mayor. That would be a change! Finally, a coalition of labor unions, small businesses and real Americans, successfully stopped Walmart's attempt to open their first New York City store. You might remember Walmart as the mammouth company that just closed down their store in Canada that had voted to unionize.

2004 Election: I need the data!

2005-02-23T10:02:00.000-05:00

Today, I'm trekking to the Providence Board of Canvassers where I have been trying to get individual election results for the last three months. We'll see if they have the figures. If they do, then I will be performing some analysis on these in order to determine how effective the Citizen Education Campaign, and initiative of the Cathedral of Life Christian Assembly, was in 2004. For those interested, post any analysis you'd like to see and if it's manageable, I'll try to get to it. But first, the PBC has to have the figures ready!

Over 60? Need a hand? Read here!

2005-02-21T14:56:00.000-05:00

Today it snowed. No big deal, right? Right. However, while I was shoveling I noticed my neighbor shoveling. Nothing unusual there except for the fact that she’s around 85. Now I don’t know about the rest you out there, but my mother taught that ‘if you see an 85 year old woman shoveling snow, then you better help her or you’ll have to deal with me’. So, I went over and politely asked if I could shovel for her. She said ok, with an ‘I wonder how much this kid is gonna charge me?’ look on her face. I asked her if she regularly shovels snow because I usually see her driveway shoveled when I return from work when it has snowed in the past. She said, and I quote, “someone shovels but I didn’t have the greenbacks, today.” Didn’t have the greenbacks? Which brings me to my point. We need to help our elderly citizenry. I don’t know the exact figures, but I have seen estimates that RI has the most seniors per capita in the country save Florida. If so, I wonder how many other seniors don’t have the greenbacks necessary to shovel their driveway? It probably takes the average man 30 minutes to shovel a driveway after an average snowfall. I saw how my neighbor was shoveling and she would have been out there no less than 4-5 hours at her pace. Not to mention all the health risk associated with someone of her age doing such physical labor. I am going to make some inquiries and see if there is an organization of folks who dedicate themselves to shoveling for the elderly so that they can get around on these snow days. If there isn’t one as yet, I hope some of you will contact me and see if we can get something started. As a last retort, once I finished shoveling, she tried to pay me. I had a look of indignation and refused. Our elderly have done so much for us…we cannot leave them out in the cold.

Bells Benton

2005-02-20T21:38:00.000-05:00

A real leader for our youth, Roosevelt Benton, recently passed away. Julia Steiny writes about this great community leader in today's Providence Journal. Read it and think about who was a role model in your life. Then think about if anyone considers you a role model. Then do something about it.

Tailspin thy name is Education

2005-02-16T11:43:00.000-05:00

Tailspin: The rapid descent of an aircraft in a steep, spiral spin. If the Providence, no make that Rhode Island, school system is an airplane then it is in a full blown tailspin. On Valentine's Day more than 300 people showed up at the Providence school board committee to express 'concern' over Supt. Johnson's proposed cuts of over 100 employees. Cuts have been coming the last few years with no real end in sight. Get your parachutes ready, folks! Where's the problem? Is it the fiscally-sound but social-not-as-conscious Governor? Is it the General Assembly who have chosen to create a panel to look at ways to change the funding structure (convening AFTER this year's legislative session ends), rather than taking the time to deal with the situation in 2004 and putting it off in 2005? The blame rests with both the General Assembly and the Governor. However, the problem goes deeper. It is an understatement to say that the system is horrible. According to many sources, a property tax system is anti-child in functionality if not explicit. Why? Generally, the cost per pupil is higher than the property tax generated from a homeowner thereby almost immediately creating a deficit situation. But housing prices have gone up so shouldn't property tax go up too? Well, yes in theory, but wages haven't gone up in any proximity to housing prices. Town officials have had to stem the cost of property tax because people can't afford higher property tax. Providence Mayor Cicciline's and others effort to drive property tax down via larger homestead exemptions illuminate that the current system is undeniably oxymoronic. If the General Assembly and the Governor can do one thing this year-they MUST restructure how schools are funded. Otherwise, every year Superintendent Johnson will have to propose budget cuts and take the heat from angry parents and teachers. The Governor will be forced to propose legislation that makes state employees pay for healthcare or be forced to make unpopular decisions in order to balance the budget. The tailspin will not end until there is a change and commitment to making a better, newer, and more effective system THIS YEAR. To do otherwise, in my opinion, would show such a lack of concern for our children, that come 2006 any and all who blocked, neglected, or obstructed such reform should be booted from office...and swiftly. In other words, Governor and esteemed members of the Assembly children, parents, and the educational system are calling you out to straighten this situation out or move aside. The time for blame is over. The time for real reform is now.

No love on Valentine's Day

2005-02-14T10:02:00.000-05:00

Don't expect a love-fest later today at the Providence School Committee meeting where discussions will center around the cutting of 102 jobs within the School department. For those planning to attend, the meeting will be held at the Public Safety Complex at Dean and Washington streets at 6:30pm. Ringside seats, I mean, public seats will be going fast so get there early!

Partisan Crap-o-la

2005-02-13T08:07:00.000-05:00

I'm back. After a couple weeks where RL heated up, I am back. And here's what I have discovered over those two weeks-many people in this state cannot see the forrest through the trees when it comes to partisan politics. Example 1 One day last week, I spoke to someone who's democratically affiliated (read: she voted for John Kerry) and she told me that I was her Republican friend. Taken aback by this, I advised her that although I have Republican leanings, I shouldn't be considered among the rank and file. Example 2 Also last week, I spoke with someone in the Governor's administration. I was speaking to this person on account that I had written a letter to the RI Republican Party. They were interested in what I had to say, and so I set up this meeting. While in conversation this person said, "You're too much of a Democrat." Again, taken more aback by this comment than the first, I told this person that I was, and still am, an independent. I show you these examples because politics in RI, probably moreso than elsewhere, has become so very partisan. If you're on the other side of the aisle, inherently, you're the incarnation of Satan. I'm sorry to say this but Dems in this state have been using that tactic, specifically against minorities, for years. For instance, Rep. Tom Slater and Sen. Jaun Pichardo introduced a bill last year that would allow undocumented immigrants the ability to obtain drivers licences. Many citizens of the South Providence community either were or know someone who is an immigrant and this issue resonates with them. They also support the Democratic party come election time, by overwhelmingly voting Democratic. However, the billed died in the Democratically controlled General Assembly. But yet, listen to Democratic rhetoric and they say they're all for immigrants and helping them on their feet. "But I thought the Republicans were anti-immigrants?" Perhaps, but... Where's the outrage? Where are the glasses that see fault in both parties? Where's the reasoned response? If the two people I spoke with this week exemplify the common Rhode Island-partisan hack, we're in a heap of trouble here guys.

King's Legacy

2005-01-26T16:38:00.000-05:00

Newly elected State Senator Harold Metts delivered an extraordinary speech at the Ministers Alliance annual Martin Luther King breakfast at Rhodes on the Pawtuxet. He pointed out several important issues that we need to be building support for in order to re-ignite our "passion for social and economic justice" including voting rights and economic opportunities for ex-offenders, more business and job opportunities for people of color and he criticized the Governor's Supreme Court appointment:

...many from our community are still upset about the governor's comment that I'm not interested in making history..." He missed the opportunity to appoint the highly qualified, Judge O. Rogerie Thompson, as the first African American to the Rhode Island Supreme Court. This gross injustice must be corrected....

It is unclear is what African-American or civil rights organizations will pick up the platform put forward by Sen. Metts. The NAACP and the Urban League have lost their juice. And where exactly is the younger leadership in our community? Where is the leadership of the next generation? What IS clear is that Sen. Metts joins Sen. Pichardo, Sen. Perry and Sen. Levesque in providing the 38 members of the State Senate with fresh perspectives of social and economic justice.

Education is about kids, right?

2005-01-19T11:28:00.000-05:00

Governor Carcieri pointed to six things he has accomplished or is working on to improve our schools 1. In the past year new standards have been instituted for reading and math in grades three through eight. 2.I initiated with the Department of Education the establishment of minimum standards of achievement for high school graduation. 3.We passed legislation requiring higher standards for teacher certification and professional expertise. 4.Moving forward, I have called for developing teams of specialists in math and reading to assist the school districts with teacher training. 5.I'm very enthused about beginning a new principal training and mentoring program to provide the future leadership for our schools. 6.The Board of Regents has proposed a longer school day for some districts. This will provide more class time for students and more professional development time for teachers. So to summarize he's working on three standards related issues, three staff development issues, and one administrative issue(longer school days). I have some serious problems with this. From the numerous reading I have done on education reform, I see very little of this: community-to-school relationship building, and in the case of Providence relationship creating. I like this analogy. The governor is basically telling a basketball player: I'm increasing the amount of points you should earn, I'm hiring someone to train your coach to coach you better, and practice is going to be longer. If you don't look at the needs of the basketball player, raising standards, helping his coach, or working him harder are going to amount to very small, if not negligible increase in his performance. And it really is about performance isn't it? The governor said it's about the kids...but what of these issues seems kid-driven? Which of these seem like they were produced with the help of kids? None to me. What's lost in all of this is the fact that education is as much culture related as anything. In communities where excellence is expected, excellence is done. In those same communities, instead of the principal saying "we don't have money to fix the roof" you and I will have a referendum on the ballot asking if we will support a bond-issue to repair the roof at such-and-such highschool. Until we build that type of culture in Providence, the improvements will be minor and most children will continue to get lost in the shuffle. I commend the governor on his initiatives, but the human element is sorely lacking.

New Parking Meters in Providence

2005-01-14T10:30:00.000-05:00

Again from the providence journal http://www.projo.com/metro/content/projo_20050113_pmeter13.1b9b97.html After a year and a half of preparation by city officials, Mayor David N. Cicilline showed off the new meters yesterday at a City Hall news conference. He called it an "incredibly exciting day" and said the ProvPass could become a new Christmas gift. Christmas gift? I really hope the mayor was being sarcastic when he said that... Anyway, this is a good move by the city. I don't know about you, but not having to carry cash has made life a lot easier for the organizationally challenged people like myself. I mean how many times have you found yourself at a metter with only dimes or nickels? Or worse: cash! Now you can buy the aptly named, Prov Pass to pay for parking. Woo hoo! Not only that the rate for parking is higher too. So instead of fumbling in your pockets for quarters, you can now pull out your shiek ProvPass and pay a little more for the convenience. It's interesting to note what city officials deem as important. I think I am one of those old fashioned types who thinks parking and water, for that matter, should be F-R-E-E. I mean, if you work downtown, you're already pumping money into the city by way of your company's tax dollars. You're probably lunching somewhere in the city and adding more to the city's kitty. Why parking meters? Why those blasted meter maids who never cut you a break? Well at least you can still walk for free. :-)

RI Civil Rights Roundtable Discussion

2005-01-13T01:33:00.000-05:00

The RI Civil Rights Roundtable met this week to discuss 'civil rights' issues they hope will be addressed in the coming year. They will be seeking to enact legislation that Allows immigrants to obtain driver's licenses Does not compel local police to act as federal immigration officers. Because of homeland security, police departments have been pressured by immigration officials to add immigration responsibilities. It opposes a proposal that would allow drug offenders who commit crimes near or in public housing to receive sentences that are twice as long if they committed the crime elsewhere.. The legalization of gay marriage and the mandatory recording of police interrogations are two other issues that coalition members will work to achieve with new laws. One question has been ringing in my head in this neo-civil rights era and that is, just what are civil rights? If you have the time and academic stamina to read the likes of Aristotle, Hobbes, Rousseau, Locke, etc. one thing becomes clearly evident: each defines inalienable rights as differently as the colors of a rainbow. I find it curious that proponents of gay marriage consider it a right granted them by the constitution to marry. Curious in that marriage is a religious act which many of these same proponents would ardently fight to keep out of children's books, schools, and city Christmas lightings. Instead, they would have our children taught to believe that a union between a man and another man is perfectly fine-not only fine, it is the right of man to have the ability to marry another man. With the passage of gay marriage legislation would then come common-day examples in textbooks vis a vis its acceptance within the legal system. In other words, if we decide that it is the right of a man to marry another man, then it is therefore their right to be exemplified in textbooks that teach our children. It's much like the argument that if black people are x number of the population, we should see them in x number of shows and so on. Don't think this is reaching either. Consider the first court case where two married gay parents' children ask them why they aren't learning about gay parents in school and only hetero ones. You won't be able to say ACLU fast enough before they've filed the lawsuit. As I get off my soapbox, I just am saddened to see the commingling of what I consider true civil rights with ideologies of the left.