I don't know why Rhode Islanders suffer fools like Chafee,Whitehouse,and Kennedy who never had to wonder if they were going to be evicted or if dad would get work tomorrow.Their soft,useless lives did not prepare them to take on the responsibility of representing people facing ruin.
Chafee plays at this stuff.He thinks he's in "Mr.Smith Goes to Washington".

"The "independent" Chafee is the candidate for people who wish to preserve the unsustainable civic structure that has brought Rhode Island to its knees."

There are so many factors contributing to Rhode Island and the country's economic plight that blaming an "unsustainable civic structure" is absurd, if, by "civic structure" you are referring to public sector unions, which I suspect you are.

You know,Michael,just every now and then try to stop believeing every objection raised to a politician here is about unions.Unions aren't sacred by the way.They have to compromise like the rest of us-try selling a no retreat attitude to someone just making it who now has to pay tax on an old car.
I spent 27 years as a public employee union member so I have some time in grade on the issue.
Chafee has dingbat ideas like taxing food and clothing-a regressive tax that targets those least able to afford it.
Why not tax pleasure boats?Too many of his filthy idle rich friends own one I guess.
They are certainly less of a necessity than cars in a state with a poor public transit network.
Oops-I forgot-the "train station"will take care of all that.Chafee must have inspired Dustin Hoffman's role in "Rainman".

Far from it, Joe, concerning my tying every objection concerning politicians is concerning unions. The post itself is focused on the topic, I'm simply reacting to that.

My experience with politicians and their relationship with unions is not good. I am the last person to defend them (politicians) I believe in the union, not the politicians who force us to play their games.

If the commies (progressives) and the public unions unite for Loser Linc they better hope Caprio doesn't win or they will be f*****.

Joe
>"fools like Chafee,Whitehouse,and Kennedy who never had to wonder if they were going to be evicted or if dad would get work tomorrow.Their soft,useless lives did not prepare them to take on the responsibility of representing people facing ruin"<

Some folks would add people like George Bush and Willard Romney to the above list,

Right you are Sammy-but I didn't vote for Bush anyway,and Romney only ran in Massachusetts,so what do I care about them?
The three I mentioned have been real f**k ups here in the state where I live.
If you disagree vote for Chafee or Donald Duck or whoever.
You liberals always jump in with this equivalence stuff.It's gotten so it's almost de riguere.
I will say Claiborne Pell grew up wealthy,but he was a very good Senator,nonetheless.He was of a different era.
I've had personal experience of seeing how Sheldon does things from when he was US Attorney-a more worthless public official is hard to imagine.

Joe

General aviation and pleasure boats are both accorded special treatment in RI. I suspect, but don't know for sure, that this has been a net positive for the state. I'd rather J Effin Kerry spent his maintenance and repair and chandlery dollars here than in MA on his $7megabuck yacht.

We did have a go at this before with the luxury tax and it mostly hurt skilled maritime craftsmen in Bristol and Warren. The rich can do what they always do - make do with the tatty old fifty footer or have a new one built, commissioned and home-ported somewhere else. I am glad that Kerry got caught with his boat in Boston Harbor, which triggers the sales tax. He couldn't even keep it out of MA for the six month exclusion period to avoid the tax. How about that for a lack of discipline and a sense of entitlement?

Kerry just sucks.He's a hypocrite of the first order.
His wife is a real horror story-almost makes Hillary seem human.

Kerry had he won in 2004 would not have nominated Harriet Miers for the Supreme Court, had an incompetent fool as the head of FEMA, continued a failed policy in Iraq and Afganistan or had Cheney as a vice anything. So how bad could it have been. ChuckR is right about the unintended consequence of the luxury tax on boats. And you really cannot blame a person for who they marry. Just look at your right wing favorite Ronald Reagan.

Phil-gimme a break.Kerry would have appointed his own crew of f**kin' scumbags.
Now,let me say this for the LAST time:I din't like George Bush(either one)and didn't vote for the son.I didn't vote for the father the second time around either.So don't lecture me about Bush.
Kerry is a stinkpot on his own.And you're wrong on the marriage thing-Kerry married her for money.He's a POS.Period.
You don't like Nancy Reagan?She was a loyal and protective wife.She made sure her husband wasn't shanghaied by some of the asswipes in his administration.
She stuck by him through Alzheimer's-that's a bummer.Just imagine Hillary taking care of Bill in a similar situation.She was weird,granted.I'm sure you're completely normal.I'm not,but reasonably so.
George W.Bush also appointed Colin Powell and Condoleeza Rice-both competent SOS's.
Bill Clinton appointed Jesse Brown to head the VA.Almost anyone can pick a winner now and then.

"Kerry married her for money"

The senator was against marrying for money before he was for it ...

That's kind of funny, Monique. I almost choked on a pretzel while I was alone with a dog and a bottle of bourbon.

joe bernstein,

Pell had "psychic" Uri Geller in to the U.S Senate to give a spoon bending demonstration. He thought nothing of forcing people to pay for the Pell Grant program. Good? I don't think so.
A progessive,out of touch,old fashioned,and somewhat kooky, Euro elistist is more like it.

In fact,how much does the Pell Grant program give out to individual students?

The amount in past days has been about enough to purchase textbooks for a semester or so, and perhaps a student fee or two,if that. Maybe. Certainly not enought to pay for a full course of study even at CCRI,as far as I know.

So what's so great about the slow taxpayer bleed in Pell's holy name that doesn't do much of anything to really relieve the costs of higher education,but is just one more item in the burdens on taxpayers?

I was making about $42,000 a year when daughter # 1 started college in 1997. Didn't qualify for a Pell Grant. Made too much money.

Pell was surely a little strange,but he wasn't a disgrace like Sheldon Whitehouse,a money grubbing weasel like Jack Reed,a nincompoop like Lincoln Chafee-so-it's a matter of comparison I guess.
He may have been pretty liberal Helen,but not a lying smear artist like Sheldon.He also didn't shill for illegal aliens.
I do respect your opinion however.
Michael-I never even considered my daughter getting financial help for college.She worked and paid for quite a bit of it herself and we paid the rest.
Sure,she went to RIC for BS and MS degrees,not an "elite"school,but she performed well enough as an educator to be given a fully paid teaching fellowship for her Phd by amajor university.She oughta have it this time next year.

Joe, you didn't fill out a FAFSA? Really?