The Current Week, 04/30/12-05/04/12

Justin's Case

Monday:
State in Decline, Employment in RI Cities and Towns: North Providence - Research
North Providence's low-for-Rhode-Island unemployment rate masks the fact that the city's number of employed residents has never been lower in the DLT's 22 years of data.
What's Nuttier than a 7% Rate of Return Expecation? - Opinion
Polemics can give a sense of the debate concerning reasonable predictions, and investment returns are no different.
As State Legislatures Go, the General Assembly Is Pretty Liberal - Analysis
Empirical data related to the ideology of state-level legislators suggests that, yes, Rhode Island is very liberal.

Tuesday:
State in Decline, Employment in RI Cities and Towns: North Smithfield - Research
North Smithfield's unemployment rate of 10.1% (not seasonally adjusted) is largely attributable to the rapid growth of its labor force during the last decade.
The Technocrats' Deal with the Devil - Opinion
The intricate machinations suggested by Gary Sasse in the "tax-the-rich" debate raise the question of whether RI can afford the risk (or the wait) involved with technocratic designs.

Wednesday:
State in Decline, Employment in RI Cities and Towns: Pawtucket - Research
Standing in static comparison with other RI cities and towns, Pawtucket's employment statistics are bad, but not state-leading. It's the longer-term view of the city's decline that ought to be a matter of concern.

Thursday:
State in Decline, Employment in RI Cities and Towns: Providence - Research
Although no employment pictures are positive, in Rhode Island, Providence's is a mixed bag. Still, all positive spin must be tempered with the fact that so few of its residents are interested in working, with only 40% actually employed. Its unemployment rate would be around 30% if it were like other cities and towns.

Friday:
State in Decline, Employment in RI Cities and Towns: Scituate - Research
Scituate's employment and population trends aren't far from the typical RI town, and its not-seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate is below the state's overall number. However, the town has been on a consistent downward drift for a number of years.