The best election-results quotes from Rhode Island conservatives/reformers came out of East Providence:
[Soon-to-be-former School Committee Chairman Anthony] Carcieri laughed in the face of defeat and said, "The public has spoken, so get your checkbooks out. We'll be paying a lot of taxes in the near future."
Soon-to-be-former Mayor Joseph Larisa points to the deeper lesson of the election:
... Larisa said the results show "East Providence is now bought, owned and paid for by organized labor. This election proves that misrepresentation and money can buy elections in East Providence."
Actually, the more significant proof that the results offer is of the rationale for banning public-sector unions. In this case, the unions didn't like the parties with whom they were negotiating, so they've elected themselves new ones. Union members are fully within their rights to do so, but to allow them an organized often statewide or national movement funded via negotiated salaries and mandatory dues tilts the balance to an unjust degree.
In effect, public-sector employees are doubly represented, as employees and as employers taxpayers. Since it would be contrary to principles of democracy to disenfranchise them, it would be fair and reasonable to bar their unionization.
""This election proves that misrepresentation and money can buy elections""
..........Wrong !!
In just 3 races in the USA... Republiclowns spent $ 550 million dollars, and lost all three
money does NOT buy elections
Best of luck to the folks in the great town of East Providence and to all folks who voted
Democrat or Republican
We are all in this together
Be Well
with love for All
Sammy
and thanks to the good folks at Anchor Rising for letting me post my comments here
Posted by: Sammy at November 6, 2010 12:36 AMAs far as I'm concerned, we should consider teacher's unions to be no different from any other private contractor. I have no problem if a city or town hires a union to run its school system, but I think it's bizarre that once a union gets a contract, the town hires its members and treats them as if they were no different than any other public employee. We should treat them as employees of the union; the union gets paid directly and hires and pays its members as it sees fit. The same should go for any other "public" union.
Posted by: Mario at November 6, 2010 7:18 AMLarisa was saying yesterday that he wins elections every four years (on Presidential election cycles when turnout is higher) and losses elections on the off years when special interests can target more easily. That needs to be a lessen that reform groups can utilize to their advantage as the Tea Party did. The fact that the "Moderate" (yeah right) party won nothing in an off year election cycle really speaks to the superficial nature of their existence. If novelty act Ken Block runs again he won't come close to 5% of the vote.
Posted by: Tim at November 6, 2010 9:15 AMMaybe Carcieri's intemperate arrogance in cutting off and storming a school bus had something to do with his defeat.Do you really want someone like that making big decisions for you?
Posted by: bella at November 6, 2010 10:33 AMActually, EP could now be in line for some interesting national publicity, as a perfect example of how public sector unions can now use the power of the state to enforce the seizure of private sector wealth to be used for their own benefit. At what point does this completely undermine the legitimacy of the government? At what point does a government dominated by public sector unions lose "the consent of the governed?" If Central Falls was the national media star of 2010, EP could be the star of 2011 at the rate things are going.
Posted by: John at November 6, 2010 6:42 PMIs it just me or does sammy sound a little sarcastic these days?
Posted by: joe bernstein at November 7, 2010 6:59 AMPublic sector unions seizing private sector wealth! What crap, it was an election.
Posted by: dick at November 7, 2010 5:12 PMThe East Providence teachers after having their pay cut by the city stuck together and worked hard to achieve this victory over the elitist anti- worker politicans. Larisa, Carcieri, and Santos are being reminded that all politics are local. While their anti union anti worker policies were being applauded by all the usual suspects statewide, the people of East Providence did not agree. Carcieri in particular is finding out that despite all his talk radio appearences that his own constituents had tuned him out. The teachers never resorted to tactics that would have weakened public support for them such as "work to rule" and other public employees saw what the Mayor and his allies on the council and school committee had done to the teachers as a threat to them and helped gain an important electoral reversal of the destructive course set by this group of right wing elitist politicans.
Posted by: Phil at November 8, 2010 10:01 AMThe unions have always gotten whatever they wanted. This past school committee was successful in reigning in the spending and putting the city into further financial chaos. The unions hated that someone told them no. The unions worked very hard to get their people elected. We have a conflicted school committee once again. The ward 4 school committee person, Chrissy Rossi is the wife of the former president of the police union John Rossi, the ward 3 school committee person is now Ryan Tellier another public union employee, a fireman from Cranston, no less.Ward 2 Stephen Furtado is a union lackeye who was out protesting with the teachers, ward 1 has family in the school system and is just another puppet of the union as is Louisa Abatecola at large. So in a nutshell, we are screwed, and most of the progress will probably be undone. Instead of taxpayer and student focus, it's union focus.
Posted by: Kathy at November 8, 2010 12:04 PMSo in a nutshell, we are screwed, and most of the progress will probably be undone. Instead of taxpayer and student focus, it's union focus.
Posted by Kathy at November 8, 2010 12:04 PM
So says the wife of one of the losers.
It's the voter's focus Kathy.
So Phil, what are your credentials. At least Kathy knows what's going on in EP (because she's involved in city politics, not just the wife of a school committeeman). I can't say the same for you. Just because you keep repeating the same nonsense doesn't make it fact.
Posted by: bobc at November 9, 2010 11:35 AMbobc
How have you been? Where have you hiding yourself? I pay taxes to East Providence.
Posted by: Phil at November 9, 2010 4:10 PM