The Current Week 06/18/12 - 06/22/12

Headlines

Tuesday: Uncertainty over ObamaCare Supreme Court Ruling Bedevils Business Community, Kevin J. Mooney - Analysis
The economic drag of legal uncertainty surrounding ObamaCare may be resolved with the Supreme Court's pending ruling on its Constitutionality, but longer-term effects remain a concern.

Justin's Case

Monday: Payday Loans and Government Expertise - Opinion
An unspoken assumption of advocates for payday loan reform leads Justin to question the ability and right of government to meddle.
Watching the Choice of Decline Being Made - Opinion
Reviewing the latest budget in terms of RI's rankings according to various criteria puts the state's choice of decline or turnaround in clear terms.

Tuesday: Ev'rybody's Talkin' 'bout ALEC-Seein', Rep. Jon Brien, Taxes Bein', Workers' Pleadin' - Opinion
A New York Times mention of Woonsocket's problems has the state buzzing; Justin suggests that everybody should look a little more deeply into the heart of Rhode Island's problems.

Wednesday: The Ever-Growth Unfunded Liability - Analysis
Various national organizations have attempted to calculate unfunded liabilities for Rhode Island and other states across the nation. The differences are dramatic and indicate reason for concern.
Americans Losing Confidence in Institutions, Especially Public Schools and News Media - Analysis
A Gallup poll finding American confidence in public schools at an all-time low also points to a disconnect between Americans' opinions of various institutions and the priorities of government.

Thursday: Non-Union Charters Do Better in Math and Science - Analysis
With Education Commissioner Deborah Gist recommending that the charter expire for one of Rhode Island's charter school specifically on the grounds of its math scores, the question arises whether private-sector methods and non-union teachers might underperform their public-school peers. Comparing several charter high schools in RI shows that the lesson may be the opposite.

RIRA to Hold Biennial Endorsement Convention

Rhode Island’s largest conservative organization, the Rhode Island Republican Assembly (RIRA), will hold its next monthly meeting and biennial endorsement convention this Thursday, June 21st, 2012, at 7:00 p.m.

Unlike its regular gatherings, this month’s RIRA meeting and biennial endorsement convention will not be held at the Rhode Island Shriners. Instead, it will be held at the Coventry-West Greenwich Elks Lodge No. 2285, at 42 Nooseneck Hill Road, in West Greenwich, RI (Exit 6 off of Route 95). Additionally, the group will not be having a sit-down dinner prior to the endorsement convention. However, there will be a great selection of complimentary appetizers available during the convention, as well as a cash bar.

The convention is scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. Any like-minded Republican may attend. However, only RIRA members "in good standing" may vote (and annual dues must be paid current).

The meeting agenda will primarily deal with consideration of possible RIRA endorsements for the several federal races; for Republican National Committeeman and Republican National Committeewoman; and for Rhode Island General Assembly. A number of candidates have asked to personally address the organization and will be taking questions from the membership. Endorsements by RIRA require the assent of two-thirds of eligible members present and voting. Endorsement by RIRA is one of the requirements for candidates to be eligible for financial assistance from its political action committee (PAC).

The Rhode Island Republican Assembly is an affiliate of the National Federation of Republican Assemblies, a thoughtful organization of GOP conservatives working to grow and strengthen the Republican Party, in the tradition of President Ronald Reagan. They encourage the active grassroots participation of their members toward the endorsement, support, and election of principled Republicans.

For more information, contact RIRA President Raymond McKay at (401) 487-2514 or president@ri-ra.org or visit http://ri-ra.org.

The Current Week 06/11/12 - 06/15/12

Headlines

Monday:
06/11/12 – Senate Floor and Committees - Liveblog
Justin tries to keep an eye out, live, during what may be the second-to-last night of the legislative session. EBEC, casino, budget, campaign finance, and felony dog leashing rules.

Tuesday:
06/12/12 – The Whole Mad Jumble of the Last Day - Liveblog
Justin writes live from the final day of the legislative session.

Justin's Case

Monday:
Netroots & Rhode Island More Alike than Patinkin Admits - Opinion
In Justin's view, the similarities between Netroots and Rhode Island extend to similar internal contradictions.

Tuesday:
Nationally Recognized Investigative Reporter Joins the Ocean State Current - Interviews & profiles
Kevin Mooney has appeared on Breitbart and Glenn Beck.

Wednesday:
Afterthoughts - Opinion
Still over-tired from the General Assembly's final night in session, Justin draws some lessons from the experience.

Thursday:
K-12 Enrollment Versus Expenditures in RI and Woonsocket - Analysis
Although enrollment is down in almost every Rhode Island city and town, expenditures have continued to grow at several times the rate of inflation.

Friday:
General Assembly Budget Gradually Undoes State Workforce Cuts - Analysis
Under the radar, the state government of Rhode Island has gradually been reversing the workforce reduction achieved during Governor Carcieri's second term.
MA Comparison Overwhelms One-Month Improvement in RI - Analysis
RI's employment slide stopped in May, but comparison with MA shows just how much ground it has to recover.

The Current Week 06/04/12 - 06/08/12

Headlines

Tuesday:
06/05/12 – House Floor & Committee on Environment and Natural Resources - Liveblog
Justin whiles away the evening writing from the State House floor (campaign finance) and House Environment and Natural Resources Committee hearing (EBEC).

Thursday:
06/07/12 – House Floor: Budget - Liveblog
Justin sets up camp to write live from the RI House’s discussion of the budget.

Justin's Case

Monday:
Trading Budgetary Restraint for Economic Recovery - Opinion
Projections of a sales-tax phase-out in Rhode Island show a stark decision for the people of the state, with a little government restraint yielding accelerated economic recovery.

Wednesday:
The State GDP Growth Race and Some Taxing Milestones - Analysis
Trends in GDP growth for Rhode Island and three other New England states suggest that its general policy approaches during the last decade might be worth reconsidering.
Poll: Teachers' Union Opinion Downslide - Analysis
NEA Executive Director Robert Walsh may disagree with findings of deteriorating opinions of teachers' unions, but technology and events of recent years suggest reevaluation may be in order.

Thursday:
The Titles of Offices or Offices of Titles? - Opinion
Justin muses about the inappropriateness of honorifics in American politics... especially in Rhode Island.

The Current Week 05/29/12 - 06/01/12

Headlines

Tuesday:
05/29/12 - Joint House & Senate Finance Committees - Liveblog
Justin writes live from a joint House & Senate Committee Hearing on casino legislation.

Wednesday:
With Budget Commission, Woonsocket Deficit Problem Nearly Doubles - Investigative Report
Addressing city's pension shortfall, Woonsocket budget commission faces another $7 million annual deficit, addressing $46 million gap over five years.

Thursday:
05/31/12 - House Finance Committee - Liveblog
Justin writes live from House Finance Committee; House budget.

Justin's Case

Tuesday:
Woonsocket's Unique Pension Woes Prove Deeper Problems - Analysis
As public officials debate the appropriate next steps for Woonsocket, the city's local pension plan provides an example for caution.
The Real Disconnect in the "Skills Gap" - Opinion
Continuing talk of the "skills gap" in RI's labor force (with the call for more resources) further defines the extent to which advocates are on the wrong path entirely.

Thursday:
Tax Credits Need Transparency - Opinion
Channel 10's Bill Rappleye interviews Justin about hidden profits from tax credit programs.

Gallogly: Discount Rates and the Oversight Spotlight - Interview
Dept. of Revenue Director Gallogly comments on pension issues and communities on the brink of state oversight.

Friday:
Educating in America Is Not Like Educating Elsewhere - Opinion
Teacher unionization may work in smaller, less-diverse systems, but that's proof that those systems are different, not that the United States should match them.
Video Blog: Counting up the Discount Rates - Video
In a mildly whimsical video, Justin explains pension fund discount rates and the risk associated with shooting too high.

The Current Week 05/21/12 - 05/28/12

Headlines

Tuesday:
Rhode Island Cities and Towns, Where They Are and Where They've Been, Part 1 - Analysis
The Current's long-running review of population and employment data can lead to better understanding of who is being affected by public policy in Rhode Island and how. Part 1 reviews how the cities and towns compare right now.

Wednesday:
Rhode Island Cities and Towns, Where They Are and Where They've Been, Part 2 - Analysis
Part 2 of The Current's long-running review of population and employment data assesses population, employment, and income trends across the cities and towns to develop a sense of how communities are shifting.

Thursday:
Rhode Island Cities and Towns, Where They Are and Where They've Been, Part 3 - Analysis
The final part of this series groups communities by income and population change, finding clear distinctions suggestive of different strategies for moving the state forward.
05/24/12 - House Floor & Judiciary Committee - Liveblog
Justin writes live from the House Floor session and Committee on Judiciary. Woonsocket.  Campaign finance.

Friday:
052412 - House Floor Debate, S2872 Woonsocket Tax Recommit - Video - Video
Video of Rep. Lisa Baldelli-Hunt moving to recommit S2872, an act authorizing a supplemental tax increase in Woonsocket.

Justin's Case

Monday:
State in Decline, Employment in RI Cities and Towns: Westerly - Research
Westerly's unemployment rate is better than RI's, but the reason appears to be the willingness or ability of its residents to drop out of the labor force when they aren't working.
Policing for Profit, from Google to the Little Guy - Opinion
An example of civil asset forfeiture in Northern Massachusetts adds punctuation to Justin's concerns about the local forfeiture windfall taken from Google.

Wednesday:
Putting the EDC in the Wind Farm Business - Analysis
A quasi-public wind farm proposal is still flying below most Rhode islanders' radar and changing shape from month to month, the latest idea being to make it a subsidiary of the EDC.

Thursday:
In (Partial) Defense of the RI Mainstream Media - Opinion
News media too often goes for the flash, but Justin suggests that the impulse begins with the audience.

Friday:
Despite DE Status, RI Will at Least Receive $500 Minimum Tax from 38 Studios - Opinion
Despite legally residing in Delaware, 38 Studios will be subject to Rhode Island's $500 minimum corporate tax.
Table Games: A Big Change for a Sliver of Improvement - Analysis
The state government's negotiated take from proposed casino games at Twin River and Newport Grand would provide a sliver of relief from a swath of loss and may not be worth the shift to full-scale casinos.

Monday:
Memorial Day, 2012: Until the Best of Us - Poem
A Memorial Day reflection in verse.

The Current Week 05/14/12 - 05/18/12

Headlines

Monday:
Fiscal Oversight as a Path to MERS, Central Falls and Beyond - Analysis
A bill by Sen. Crowley and the Dept. of Revenue would allow cities and towns to use the state oversight process to move retirees into the state-run MERS pension system.

Tuesday:
Backstopping and Insulating Local Pensions via Legislation - Analysis
Legislation bringing Central Falls and other municipalities into MERS limits pension cuts to 25% and may set precedent for repeated state bailouts.

Thursday:
05/17/12 - Committee on Finance - Liveblog
Justin writes live from the RI Senate Committee on Finance, including Central Falls retirees and a path to MERS.

Friday:
Raimondo Raises Concerns About Central Falls Transfer into MERS - Analysis
General Treasurer Gina Raimondo expresses concerns about a bill to bring Central Falls and other struggling pension systems into MERS.

Justin's Case

Monday:
Government Second Only to Finance for Fraud - Analysis
Government and public administration has moved up to 2nd on a list of fraud-prone industries, with health care and education climbing quickly.
State in Decline, Employment in RI Cities and Towns: Narragansett - Research
At 8.5% (not seasonally adjusted) Narragansett's unemployment rate is low, for RI, but the reason is that its labor force adjusts more than usual to gained and lost employment.

Tuesday:
State in Decline, Employment in RI Cities and Towns: New Shoreham - Research
New Shoreham's March unemployment of 29.5% (not seasonally adjusted) is high by any measure, but it may be more concerning that both summer peaks and winter troughs have been lower than any time since 1994.
"Did You Know" All Presidential History Points to Obama? - Opinion
President Obama's staff has been promoting his agenda on the biographical pages of previous presidents.
One Group Leaving RI: Young, Single, and College Educated - Analysis
During no period, from 1965 to 2000, did young, single college graduates increase in number in Rhode Island, according to the U.S. Census.
A Little Perspective on the 38 Studios "Hook" - Opinion
It is definitely a matter of concern that 38 Studios may cost RI some large portion of the debt that it guaranteed, but Justin suggests a little perspective might be in order to learn from the experience.

Wednesday:
State in Decline, Employment in RI Cities and Towns: North Kingstown - Research
North Kingstown's low-for-RI unemployment rate disguises a town that hasn't grown much and now has an historically low number of employed residents.
The High Cost of Mandates, Wind, and Energy - Analysis
Rhode Island has the seventh highest energy costs, and renewable energy standards are a likely contributor.

Thursday:
State in Decline, Employment in RI Cities and Towns: Richmond - Research
Richmond has the second lowest unemployment in Rhode Island, but its longer term trends are arguably the healthiest.
Common Sense and the Google Windfall - Opinion
Using a police windfall award to (possibly) eliminate pension problems may seem like common sense, but when the dynamics of government are considered, Justin suggests rationality goes in the other direction.
Senator's Wife Caught Up in RI Licensing - Investigative Report
Sen. John Tassoni's wife lacked a license for her day care center, but he won't comment about whether RI's licensing regulations are too burdensome.

Friday:
RI Sees Largest Year-Over-Year Employment Decline - Analysis
Not only has RI's sharp drop in employment continued, but its trend is increasingly opposite that of the nation.
Rhode Island Doubling Down in Risky Economic Development - Opinion
38 Studios has brought into stark relief the problems of government-run economic development.
State in Decline, Employment in RI Cities and Towns: South Kingstown - Research
South Kingstown as seen significant growth over the past two decades, but the trend has begun to reverse, over the past few years.

The Current Week 05/04/12 - 05/11/12

Headlines

Monday:
Medicaid Waiver Reform Saved Tens of Millions, Although ObamaCare/ARRA Curtailed Savings - Investigative Report
Despite some local journalists' reports, RI's Medicaid Global Waiver reform has saved $55.2 million within the first year and a half of implementation, and would have saved more but for ObamaCare and federal stimulus legislation.

Tuesday:
05/08/12 - Tiverton School Committee Meeting - Liveblog
Justin liveblogs from a Tiverton School Committee that promises controversy over tactics used while advocating for particular budgets.

Wednesday:
Rhode Island, nos trata a todos como extraños - Opinion
Al igual que un conductor que no sabe donde los edifi cios que solían ser, los que no conocen los canales secretos del gobierno de RI tienen tres opciones

Justin's Case

Monday:
State in Decline, Employment in RI Cities and Towns: Smithfield - Research
Smithfield's unemployment rate has improved a little since 2010, but the reason is that its labor force has fallen off while its number of employed residents has mostly stagnated.
Transportation Infrastructure: Making a High Priority Low - Opinion
Local transportation funding is vulnerable to federal vicissitudes because it is entirely federal dollars build on a bed of local borrowing. That ought to raise questions among voters about the management of the state.
Shrinking Government?  Not Quite. - Analysis
The New York Times' claim that President Obama has shrunk government shrivels under examination.

Tuesday:
State in Decline, Employment in RI Cities and Towns: Woonsocket - Research
Woonsocket's number of employed residents has never been lower, in the 22 years of DLT data, and the only thing keeping its unemployment rate steady is the rapid decrease in labor force.
Tax Breaks for the Trendy, Not the Ordinary - Opinion
Tax breaks for artists raise the question of why all Rhode Islanders shouldn't have more control over their own destinies
Various Lifestyle Stories Vaguely Related (Taking Our Treats Away) - Opinion
A jumble of news and commentary headlines leads Justin to wonder where the cause and effect lie in entitlement and nanny-statism.

Wednesday:
State in Decline, Employment in RI Cities and Towns: Charlestown - Research
Charlestown's unemployment puts it well above the overall rate for the state and results from more than four years of continual employment declines.
RI 14th Most Licenses for Low/Mod-Income Professionals; 22nd in Overall Burden - Analysis
RI requires licenses for the 14th highest number of lower-income occupations in the U.S., imposing the 22nd greatest overall burden, disproportionately affecting men and minorities, whom the recession has hit hardest.

Thursday:
State in Decline, Employment in RI Cities and Towns: Exeter - Research
Throughout the '90s and most of the last decade, Exeter was on a path of growth, but 2007 brought an end to employment increases, and 2008 lost jobs. Now, the town's unemployment rate is 12.2% (not seasonally adjusted).
A Math Technique Custom Made for Government - Opinion
New methods of math education remind Justin of the math that professionals and politicians are using, even now, to conceptualize pension funds.

Friday:
State in Decline, Employment in RI Cities and Towns: Hopkinton - Research
Hopkinton grew, in population and economically, over the last decade, but since 2010, employment has stagnated as the labor force recedes.
Clarification on Pension Projections - Investigative Report
The General Treasurer's office clarifies, for the Current, a chart showing a brief period of pension investment returns below expectations.
Kauffman/Thumbtack: RI Small Business Friendliness an F - Analysis
In keeping with past experience, Kauffman/Thumbtack study finds RI to be dead last in the nation for small business friendliness.

Saturday:
Moving Forward, Double Dip or Not - Opinion
The specter of a double-dip recession brings into stark relief, for Justin, the lack of vision among those leading the state.

Investigative Reporter Sought for Ocean State Current

If there are any journalists in the Anchor Rising audience who are out of work or looking for a new opportunity, the Ocean State Current is now seeking a full-time investigative reporter.

The position will have a great deal of independence, but the main focus will be investigative reports and human interest stories centering around what might be called the free market and small government beat.

The opportunity extends to candidates of varying experience and education, but the baseline requires a demonstrated ability to find and develop journalistic stories. Familiarity with Rhode Island is also required.

We're looking to move quickly, so don't delay!

See here for details.

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.

The Current Week, 04/23/12-04/29/12

Headlines

Tuesday:
04/24/12 - House Finance Committee - Liveblog
The House Finance committee hears a variety of tax proposals, mainly concentrating on taxing "the rich"; Justin writes live.

Thursday:
04/26/12 - Senate Floor and House Finance - Liveblog
Liveblogging from the Senate floor session and some committee to be determined.

Justin's Case

Monday:
State in Decline, Employment in RI Cities and Towns: Burrillville - Research
Burrillville's unemployment rate equals the statewide average of 11.8% mainly because the town's employment has not matched its growing labor force.  Consequently, unemployment is near the town's all-time high.
State in Decline, Employment in RI Cities and Towns: Central Falls - Research
The not-seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for Central Falls was 15.6% in March and would be much higher if the same percentage of the population were in the labor force as in other RI cities and towns.
Tax Reform and Medicaid Money-Go-Round - Investigative Report
RI's income tax reform affected taxpayers with little income beyond what they pay for medical care.  As the state seeks to fill in the gap for low-income Medicaid recipients, the gravity of government complexity grows.
State in Decline, Employment in RI Cities and Towns: Cranston - Research
Cranston's unemployment rate is below that of RI overall. Most interesting, though, is how trends in employment compare with those in Warwick, for very different results.
Providence Budget Illustrates Pension Charade - Analysis
Inflated assumptions for pension system rates of return mean that the budget that Providence Mayor Angel Taveras unveiled this evening (and all current RI budgets) amounts to an accounting trick to disguise future tax increases and pension cuts.

Tuesday:
State in Decline, Employment in RI Cities and Towns: Cumberland - Research
Cumberland is somewhat unique in Rhode Island, in that from 2000 to 2010 it gained employment.  Still, its labor force grew more quickly, so its unemployment is still high, and all numbers are down from their boom-time peak.

Wednesday:
State in Decline, Employment in RI Cities and Towns: Portsmouth - Research
In terms of employment change from 2000 to 2010, Portsmouth is pretty much the typical RI town. The town weathered the recession well, until 2010, and its seasonal swings create an interesting comparison with the rest of Aquidneck Island.
Using Providence for Pension "Liability" Perspective - Analysis
Pension actuaries use the word "liability" differently than the layman would.  The total actuarial accrued liability of Providence's pension system has been given as $1.3 billion, with about $0.4 billion in assets, but the liability as most people would probably conceive of it is more likely $5.7 billion, with the same $0.4 billion saved up to date.

Thursday:
State in Decline, Employment in RI Cities and Towns: East Providence - Research
Not seasonally adjusted, East Providence's unemployment rate of 12.8% is well above the state's average.  With its total employment near a record low and its labor force nearly there, as well, it's even more concerning that unemployed residents remain near the high.
Giving the Regulator the Power to Police - Analysis
S2680, from Sen. Walaska, appears to open the door for the PUC to act as a police force. Senate Judiciary hears the bill, today.
When Is a Sleazy Politician Non-Partisan? - Opinion
The Providence Journal publishes an entire article about him without letting on that John Edwards is a Democrat, much less that he was almost vice president on that party's ticket.

Friday:
State in Decline, Employment in RI Cities and Towns: Foster and Glocester - Research
In a comparison that plays out in other competing communities in RI, Foster and Glocester exhibit an interesting dynamic. Foster has significantly higher unemployment, but its number of employed residents is up, while Glocester's is down. The difference is the number of people who want to work.
What's the Complaint, with ALEC? - Opinion
In some circles, local ties to ALEC have been hot news this week, but Justin isn't sure that the complaint against the group is really what it's being articulated
Even Minimal Take from Table Games May Be Overstated - Analysis
Ian Donnis has looked into RI's negotiations for its share of prospective casino revenue, and pulling all the data together suggests that table games may only mean $9 million per year to the state government.

Saturday:
State in Decline, Employment in RI Cities and Towns: Johnston - Research
At 12.9% (not seasonally adjusted), Johnston has among the highest unemployment rates in Rhode Island. Like some other cities and towns, however,  Much of the employment gap results from the presence of additional people in the workforce.

Sunday:
State in Decline, Employment in RI Cities and Towns: Lincoln - Research
Lincoln's employment trend over the last decade was along the typical Rhode Island line, with labor force growing substantially while employment receded. Since 2010, however, the town's situation has not improved, although it remains better situated than the state overall.

The Current Week, 04/16/21-04/21/12

Headlines

Monday:
04/16/12 - Don Watkins at Brown - Liveblog
Justin writes live from Don Watkins talk to the Brown Republicans on entitlements.

Tuesday:
Rhode Island Treats Us All as Strangers - Opinion
Operating in RI government is like following directions based on where things used to be; Justin says outsiders are disadvantaged and vulnerable.

Wednesday:
04/18/12 - Ron Paul Town Hall - Liveblog
Justin writes live from Ron Paul's town hall event at URI.

Thursday:
04/18/12 - Video of Ron Paul at URI - Liveblog
The Current's full "Video on the Go" from Congressman Ron Paul's campaign appearance at the University of Rhode Island.

Saturday:
Two Economies, or One with Exceptions? - Opinion
Is it the bull or the bear for Rhode Island?  Justin suggests that if Rhode Island is to cease to be a drag on its region, the model has to be quite different.

Justin's Case

Monday:
Kennedy Describes "Quid Pro Quo" White House - Opinion
Former district 1 congressman Patrick Kennedy tells the New York Times that big donations from special interests is how the business of politics works, with implications for local campaign finance initiatives.
State in Decline, Employment in RI Cities and Towns: Jamestown - Research
According to RI Dept. of Labor and Training statistics, the number of employed residents in Jamestown fell 7.6% from 2000 to 2010. The town's number of employed residents has almost returned to its level before the new bridge to the mainland eased travel to the island in 1992.
The Downer Side of Centralization and Lost Social Capital - Opinion
An interview with Charles Murray leads Justin to muse on the possibility that avoiding judgmentalism in the name of tolerance might just make it less likely that others will have the opportunity to judge us good and worthy of advancement.

Tuesday:
State in Decline, Employment in RI Cities and Towns: Little Compton - Research
Although Little Compton is among Rhode Island's wealthiest communities, the town has seen an above-average drop in employment and its unemployment rate is higher than the state's overall number.
The Labor/Left Strategy: Shore Up Revenue - Analysis
RI's unions are behind efforts to increase state revenue through gambling and "taxes on the rich" in an apparent effort to counter the effects of Massachusetts casinos, but the state will have to decide whether the consequences are worth the attempt.

Wednesday:
State in Decline, Employment in RI Cities and Towns: Middletown - Research
Middletown's February unemployment is high compared with the rest of the state, at 13.4%, and January's was the highest in 22 years of data.  More concerning is that those numbers were achieved even as the total labor force shrank.
First Quarter Single-Family Home Sales Picture Mostly Bleak in RI - Research
Reviewing William Raveis data for single-family home sales in each Rhode Island community, Justin finds that the picture isn't rosy.

Thursday:
State in Decline, Employment in RI Cities and Towns: Newport - Research
Newport joins its neighbor, Middletown, in having very high unemployment, as well as a dramatic downward trend in its population and employment data.
Central Falls Charter Panel Selected (Not Elected) - Opinion
The process for selecting charter review commissioners in Central Falls has Justin concerned that an important lesson in self-governance is being missed.
Lower Unemployment in Alabama Corresponds with Immigration Law - Analysis
Correlation is not causation, but Alabama's employment picture has improved in the wake of its stringent immigration law.

Friday:
State in Decline, Employment in RI Cities and Towns: Tiverton - Research
Tiverton's employment trend is characterized by ten-year growth in population and labor force that wasn't matched by employment. In recent months, improvement in unemployment results only from a fast-falling overall labor force.
Scariest Unemployment Fact: It's a Trend - Analysis
RI's accelerated decline in labor force and employment continues and now constitutes a full-quarter trend; combined with poor housing market results, the trend ought to be of great concern to Rhode Islanders, especially in their capacity as voters.
If They Know What to Do to Fix Education, Why Not Do It? - Opinion
A consulting group under contract with two of RI's most-struggling cities is sufficiently confident in its turnaround estimates to proclaim a specific dollar amount; Justin suggests they just go ahead and find the money.

The Current Week, 04/09/12-04/15/12

Headlines

Tuesday:
04/10/12 - General Treasurer Guide to Comprehensive Pension Reform Part II - Liveblog
Justin writes live from General Treasurer Gina Raimondo's second comprehensive pension reform workshop for municipal leaders, Part II: Creating a Secure & Sustainable Pension Plan.

Wednesday:
04/11/12 - Romney Town Hall - Liveblog
Justin writes live from Mitt Romney's town hall in Warwick, Rhode Island.

Thursday:
04/12/12 - RI Senate Finance Committee Hearing - Liveblog
Justin writes live and extemporaneously from the Senate Finance Committee hearing on Gov. Chafee's municipal relief package of legislation.

Justin's Case

Monday:
State in Decline, Employment in RI Cities and Towns: Barrington - Research
Reviewing the unemployment picture for RI cities and towns, the Current finds that Barrington lost 3% of its population from 2000 to 2010 and almost 7% of its employment.  Meanwhile, in the quarter leading up to February, 1% of all residents left the town's work force.
Legacy Media Woes Point to Larger Political Dynamics - Analysis
Reason's Matt Welch measures cutting-edge media against legacy media worries about the death of their industry, and reviewing the local playing field, Justin gives an example of how public policy can give them a cudgel (even inadvertently).
The Obscurity of Appointed Public Boards - Analysis
Objections that low state contributions to public institutions of higher education should mean low authority over their operational activities raise the question of what the relationship between the schools and the state actually is.
State in Decline, Employment in RI Cities and Towns: Bristol and Warren - Research
Reviewing the unemployment picture for RI cities and towns, the Current finds that Bristol has actually been gaining population and workers, over the past decade, but they're finding jobs in insufficient numbers.  And the circumstances for Warren appear dismal from every angle.

Tuesday:
State Pension Projections Versus Actual Results - Analysis
At this morning's workshop, Treasurer Raimondo's news that the state pension has only been earning 2.28% return on its investments jarred disconcertingly against the actuary's projections of what 7.5% and 5.0% returns mean for the future.

Wednesday:
State in Decline, Employment in RI Cities and Towns: Coventry - Research
Reviewing the unemployment picture for RI cities and towns, the Current finds that Coventry's exploding unemployment rate can be explained by increases in population and labor force rather than a decrease in the overall number of residents who are employed.
Who Are Legislators to Save Our Lives? - Opinion
Matt Allen's petition for repeal of the primary-offense seat belt law leads Justin to consider the real consequence of such legislation.

Thursday:
State in Decline, Employment in RI Cities and Towns: East Greenwich - Research
Given its reputation among Rhode Island towns, it's surprising that East Greenwich has a higher-than-average unemployment rate. The explanation likely lies in the growth of its population and labor force, which exacerbated the smaller decrease in employed residents.
Fighting Over Numbers in the Public Debate - Opinion
A pair of articles point to the use of statistics in public policy debates, and Justin encourages everybody not to lose sight of the points being made.

Friday:
State in Decline, Employment in RI Cities and Towns: Warwick - Research
Warwick's employment story appears to be one of lost population and lost employment.  As with some of RI's other cities and towns, Warwick's number of employed residents has never been lower in the twenty-two years of data.
The Meaning of "Legislation Last" in Pension Reform - Analysis
Argumentation about the concept of "legislation last" when it comes to municipal pension reform appears to be an example of two sides talking past each other.
More About When a Marriage Begins than Whether Cohabiting - Analysis
Couples who are engaged when they move in together are more likely to stay married than those who are not, but interesting gender differences in the survey data suggest that it matters whether one spouse has been married before.

Saturday:
State in Decline, Employment in RI Cities and Towns: West Greenwich - Research
West Greenwich's employment data (while of limited confidence, given the small population) tells a story of consistent growth, until the current recession moved its unemployment rate above that of the state overall.

Sunday:
State in Decline, Employment in RI Cities and Towns: West Warwick - Research
West Warwick leads Kent County in unemployment, in part because its total labor force grew 4.1% at the same time that the total number of residents working or looking for work (its labor force) increased 4.9%.

The Current Week 04/01/12 - 04/07/12

Headlines

Monday:
Rep. Trillo: Casino Research Should Seek Equal Revenue, Include Allens Ave. - Investigative report
Rep. Joseph Trillo supports a casino ballot question, but he has submitted legislation for a broader study of ways to increase RI's gambling revenue, possibly including a casino on Allens Ave. in Providence.
04/02/12 - Central Coventry Fire District Annual Meeting - Liveblog
Justin writes live from a contentious Central Coventry Fire District annual meeting in Coventry.

Tuesday:
AG's Gambling Bill Leaves State Lottery to Self-Police - Analysis
A bill originating in the attorney general's office transfers all authority over casino gambling in RI to the Division of Lotteries and omits "conflict of interest" rules for its employees.
Video for 04/02/12 Central Coventry Fire District Meeting - Liveblog
"On the go" video from the Central Coventry Fire District special meeting on 04/02/12.

Wednesday:
04/04/12 - Senate Committee on Special Legislation - Liveblog
Justin writes live from the Senate Committee on Special Legislation, with particular interest in casino-related legislation submitted on behalf of the attorney general.

Thursday:
04/05/12 - House Committee on Environment and Natural Resources - Liveblog
Justin writes live from the House Committee on Environment and Natural Resources hearing, including (for one thing) creation of a new public consortium with powers of eminent domain.

Friday:
Bill Centralizes School Budgeting a Piece at a Time - Analysis
Governor Chafee's legislative package for municipal relief includes a bill, S2823, that would expand and deepen the Dept. of Education's authority over school budgets, including general oversight of municipal budgets, as well.

Justin's Case

Sunday:
The Weekend Distraction of Hunger Games - Opinion
While determining whether to let his daughter read it, Justin found himself with an opinion about The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins.

Monday:
Education Formula for Results, Not Just Funding - Opinion
Observing some points in the national education debate, Justin suggests a shift in how we align funding with measures of success.
The Supply Chain Is Not Immortal - Analysis
From digital cameras to cancer treatments, the supply chain is not immune to disruption, and the drive to build the perfect system cannot rely on an assumption that the status quo will hold.

Tuesday:
Government Legal Action Isn't About the Money (But Isn't the Money Grand?) - Opinion
Justin expresses concerns that a windfall forfeiture from Google to government agencies is further evidence of dangerous incentives for an entity that has the authority to tax, regulate, imprison, and kill.
Paiva Weed on Senators' Misconduct; the Rhode Island Way; and National Popular Vote - Opinion
Justin reacts to Sen. President Paiva Weed's latest Ruggerio statement with an explanation of the end-all-be-all of political consequences, which don't exist in Rhode Island.

Wednesday:
The General Fund Revenue Surplus Continues to Disappear - Analysis
Updated "budget to actual" numbers show that the extra state revenue once heralded as a sign of economic recovery continues to fade.
Caps on College Loan Interest Shift Pressure Away from the Problem - Opinion
Democrats in Congress are looking to slow the expanding cost of financing college while people are beginning to notice the questionable priorities of the institutions that ultimately collect their money.  Justin suggests that it would be better to rethink the entire system.
Unabridged Video of Sen. Pres. Paiva Weed's Short Presser; DUI Victim & Candidate Keith Anderson Goes Beyond "No Comment" - Liveblog
Sen. President Teresa Paiva Weed and Sen. Majority Leader Dominick Ruggerio have issued releases insisting that we move on from the latter's DUI and its aftermath. GA candidate Keith Anderson, victim of a drunk driver's poor judgment, expresses disappointment.

Thursday:
Gambling as a Regressive Tax - Opinion
Justin wonders why the concern of left-wing commentator Robert Reich that state-run gambling is a regressive tax receives no voice in Rhode Island.

Friday:
Two Views of Government on the Projo Opinion Page - Opinion
Justin points out the interesting contrast of two opinion pieces in Tuesday's Projo, one an unsigned editorial and the other a column by Ed Achorn.
Only the First Lawsuit Is Necessary to Erase Culture, Apparently - Opinion
Three incidents of public-school censorship lead Justin to conclude that "offense" is trumping a heritage that fostered social health and progress.

Saturday:
The Conservative Message of Hunger Games? - Opinion
Colleen Conley finds a metaphor for D.C. in the Hunger Games; Justin hopes it indicates a shift in political understanding.

The Current Week, 03/26/12-03/30/12

Headlines

Tuesday:
Consolidation Becomes a Battle for Power in North Kingstown - Investigative report
Proposals from North Kingstown school superintendent Philip Auger could change a balance of power that some already see as out of whack.
03/27/12 - House Committee on Labor - Liveblog
Justin writes live and extemporaneously from the House Committee on Labor hearing concerning E-Verify.

Thursday:
Newport Grand Casino Legislation Quietly Amended Based on Twin Rivers Study - Investigative report
In the space of three minutes, the Senate Committee on Special Legislation and Veterans Affairs had amended and approved legislation calling for a public vote allowing state-run casino operations in Newport Grand and Twin River without further economic analysis.
03/29/12 - David Carlin on Christianity and Party Politics in 2012 - Liveblog
Justin writes live from a speech talk by David Carlin on Christianity and Party Politics.\

Justin's Case

Monday:
Woonsocket Teachers Receive $4.7 Million in Raises and Bonuses in Current Contract - Research
Far from receiving "no raises," the increases in pay of the teaching staff in Woonsocket amount to $4.7 million over the period covered by their current contract.
Contrary to Left-Leaning Analysis, Tax Rates Do Correlate with a Healthy Economy - Analysis
A study being touted by left-leaning think tanks defines economic health dubiously by leaving out population and workforce growth.
On Dan Yorke to Discuss Woonsocket Raises - Interview/profile
Audio of Justin's appearance on the Dan Yorke Show relates to the larger questions of structure and strategy that Rhode Island has to answer.
Large Field of Central Falls Charter Review Commission Applicants Still of Ambiguous Import - Opinion
Justin considers whether a flurry of applicants to Central Falls' Charter Review Commission is evidence that the city can yet avoid the hard lessons of self governance.

Tuesday:
Teacher Steps in the Law, Not Above the Law - Analysis
Step increases for teachers are, indeed, mandated by law, but that does not change them into something other than raises or present the public with a single path forward.

Wednesday:
Engineering Complexity into Healthcare - Opinion
Justin worries that increasing complexity of health insurance arrangements that attempt to factor in patient outcomes take a more dangerous path than just allowing patients to find (and pay for) the doctors who suit them.
House Labor Committee Calls Out Ocean State Tea Party in Action... Again - Investigative report
Reps. Williams and Guthrie opened yesterday's House Labor hearing with an objection to a legislative alert from the Ocean State Tea Party in Action that inferred legislators' opinions on teacher-related issues.  Reviewing the transcripts allows readers to decide who is misrepresenting what.
The State Table Games Corporation Nears Reality - Opinion
Justin notes the movement of Newport Grand casino gambling through the General Assembly and suggests that a government-run casino may not benefit the people of Rhode Island.
03/28/12 - Senate Special Legislation Hearing - Liveblog
Justin checks out a (warm and uncomfortable) Senate Special Legislation hearing concerning Newport Grand table games.

Thursday:
Conspicuous Timing Between Alinsky and Unfruitful Spending - Opinion
Noting a chronological coincidence of Saul Alinsky's influence on teachers' unions and leveling results (with higher expenditures), Justin suggests that reevaluation might be wise.
Tax Hike Kills Four Times More Jobs than Resisting Casinos - Analysis
Comparing job loss estimates related to casino gambling with those related to taxing the rich shows that the latter will be four times more destructive than avoiding the former.  However, in one case, the government's incentive is in opposition to the workforce's.

Friday:
Superior Court: North Kingstown Schools Cannot Knowingly Overspend - Analysis
A Superior Court Ruling in Town of North Kingstown v. North Kingstown School Committee requires the school department to live within its budget but solidifies legal precedent requiring town governments to cover losses in state aid unless the budget makes estimates "expressly contingent" on actual revenue.
Loans for Kindergarten, Another Middle Class Bubble - Opinion
Justin sees a trend for private-school loans, even at the kindergarten level, as an indication of a staggering civic society, not a faddish excess of the 1%.
Hoodie Protest Comes to Providence - Liveblog
A handful of hoodie protesters outside the State House, today.

The Current Week, 03/19/12-03/24/12

Headlines

Tuesday:
A Free-Market Catholic's Conversation with the Bishop, Part 1 of 3 - Interview/profile
The Current interviews Roman Catholic Bishop of Providence Thomas Tobin, part 1 of 3: welfare and charity; "a global authority"; solidarity and subsidiarity; giving authority over to the state.
03/20/12 - House Committee on Labor - Liveblog
Justin writes live and extemporaneously from the House Committee on Labor, addressing teacher layoff notifications, right-to-work for teachers, city/town council approval of school labor contracts, and others.

Wednesday:
A Free-Market Catholic's Conversation with the Bishop, Part 2 of 3 - Interview/profile
The Current interviews Roman Catholic Bishop of Providence Thomas Tobin, part 2 of 3: no political box; healthcare and political lessons; school choice
03/21/12 - Meals Tax Tea Party - Liveblog
Photos from the rally against Governor Chafee's proposed tax increase on meals and beverages.
Meals Tax Tea Party Video - Liveblog
Video of the speeches from the meals tax tea party protest.

Thursday:
A Free-Market Catholic's Conversation with the Bishop, Part 3 of 3 - Interview/profile
The Current interviews Roman Catholic Bishop of Providence Thomas Tobin, part 3 of 3: illegal immigration; perceptions of an oppressive state.

Friday:
House Labor Chairwoman Williams Vents to Tea Party in Action - Investigative Report
House Labor Committee Chairwoman Anastasia Williams paused a hearing, on Tuesday, to criticize an email that she had received, but sender William B. Palazzo disputes her description of the content.

Justin's Case

Monday:
Betting It All to Force a Turnaround - Opinion
The Providence Journal is pumping up the common wisdom on how to turn RI around, but Justin suspects the project is going in the wrong direction from the start.
Real Hourly Earnings on the Decline, Due to Inflation, but RI Might Be Doing a Little Bit Better - Research
BLS data shows real earnings on a slide, nationally, and although RI might be doing slightly better by this marker, it's hardly enough to overcome unemployment problems.
New Group of Health-Industry Insiders Seeks Leverage in Exchange - Investigative Report
Legislation to review healthcare mandates is scheduled for House Corporations Committee review; meanwhile, the local insurers and business interests are forming a group for leverage in the impending healthcare exchange.
Inadequate Government Solutions Are the Fault of the User - Opinion
Justin offers Tiverton's experience in the garbage-bag business as evidence of the risky difference between government services and those available on a free market.

Tuesday:
Death by 1,000 Government Bills - Opinion
A letter by Providence business owner John Palmieri might provide a good indicator of the problems that Rhode Island fundamentally needs to address.
Being Fine with Good Guys Gone Bad - Opinion
Mistaking the content implied by a David Brooks headline leads Justin to a stark juxtaposition showing the deadly danger of relativism.

Wednesday:
Keith Anderson, Teacher and Right-to-Work Advocate, also Candidate for General Assembly - Interview/profile
East Providence High School teacher Keith Anderson is running for the district 29 House seat, from Coventry.

Thursday:
Council Ratification Foes Layer on Technical Objections - Analysis
Technical objections raised to legislation that would give town/city councils authority to ratify employment contracts appear to have been overstated or incorrect.
A Movable Threshold for Municipal Pension Adjustment - Analysis
An argument about pension fund discount rates by the Mercatus Center and RI Center for Freedom & Prosperity illustrates the difficulty, and risk, of setting thresholds on the availability of pension reforms.
Residents Need Incentive for Civic Involvement - Opinion
Apathy in Central Falls leads Justin to further questions about the long-term wisdom of bailouts and receiverships.

Friday:
Living an Ethical Life, Beautifully - Opinion
Justin takes the opportunity of a gorgeous afternoon to muse about beauty in ethics.
RI on a Spree of Losing Jobs and Giving Up - Analysis
Unemployment only "ticked" up, this month, but the overall labor force dropped more from December to February than it has since the dot-com bust.  Public officials looking for a turnaround should consider the power of their message.

Saturday:
Doggedly on the Leftist Message - Opinion
Justin finds in an RI Future post by Bob Plain evidence of the rhetorical method of barricading the door to discourse.

A Free-Market Catholic's Conversation with the Bishop, Part 3 of 3

The Current interviews Roman Catholic Bishop of Providence Thomas Tobin, part 3 of 3: illegal immigration; perceptions of an oppressive state.

(Link fixed.)

A Free-Market Catholic's Conversation with the Bishop, Part 2 of 3

The Current interviews Roman Catholic Bishop of Providence Thomas Tobin, part 2 of 3: no political box; healthcare and political lessons; school choice.

A Free-Market Catholic's Conversation with the Bishop, Part 1 of 3

Read the full article.

Providence (Ocean State Current) — When Roman Catholic Bishop Thomas Tobin took on the responsibility of leading the Diocese of Providence (encompassing the entire state) in 2005, he stepped into a society self-endeared with its own quirkiness. Rhode Island is simultaneously the most Democratic state in the union and the most Catholic. Not that long ago, such a condition wouldn’t have resonated as a contradiction, but traditionally religious voters have increasingly migrated toward the Republican Party as the Democratic Party has solidified its position on issues, such as abortion, that are irreducibly inimical to Catholic and other traditionalist beliefs. In that limited context, Rhode Island can be seen as one of the final reserves for old alliances and may therefore provide fertile ground for changing minds through mutual understanding.

Bishop Tobin’s reception has been suitably mixed. On matters of social welfare and immigration, Rhode Island conservatives often see him in line with his more activist counterparts in progressive denominations. On abortion and same-sex marriage, his stance has been so stalwart as to inspire as vicious a response as any right-wing pundit could manage. When the conservative blog Anchor Rising (of which I remain administrator) compiled a list of the most influential conservatives in the state (as distinct from the most conservative people in the state), the bishop came in at #2, just behind the Republican governor.

However, the answers that he gave when fielding questions from a different perspective than normally posed to public figures in Rhode Island prove that the bishop, like the Church, does not fit conveniently into partisan, or even ideological, categories.

Part 1: Welfare and Charity; “A Global Authority”; Solidarity and Subsidiarity; Giving Authority Over to the State

The Current Week 03/12/12 - 03/16/12

Contributor

Tuesday:
Hal Meyer: Revisiting My Former Home from the Outside - Opinion
Hal Meyer reflects on his move from Rhode Island to Idaho.

Headlines

Tuesday:
Differing Interpretations of Tax Effects Play into Local Decision - Analysis
Experts disagree about whether the seven legislative proposals to increase personal income taxes on "the rich" will have an adverse effect on Rhode Island's economy, but the complexity of such changes requires a more local debate.

Thursday:
03/15/12 - House Finance Committee - Liveblog
Justin writes live and off-the-cuff from the House Finance Committee hearing on retirement contributions, dept. director salaries, corrections, board compensation, and holidays.

Justin's Case

Monday:
03/08/12 - House Labor on Binding Arbitration: Carnevale Provokes Nadeau - Liveblog
Video of Rep. John Carnevale provoking Warwick School Committee Member Eugene Nadeau during House Labor's hearing on binding arbitration.
Societal Structure (Including Boys and Men) and Societal Health - Opinion
Educational imbalances and legal bias against boys and men and the corrosion of cultural mores illustrate why small-government, fiscal conservatism requires a dose of social conservatism, as well.
Owner Liability and Renter Trust in H7136 and S2212 - Analysis
Foreclosure-related legislation illustrates the need for in-depth debate between advocates for and against the proposals.  Even those that appear to be common sense may have unintended consequences affecting the public at large.
Memo to EDC and 38 Studios: Economic Development Is More than Just Money - Opinion
As Mark Patinkin notes, in a Sunday Projo column, the EDC and 38 Studios need to realize that it isn't enough for Rhode Island just to be a place with some buildings in which stuff happens that makes money.

Tuesday:
Merging with MERS Not so Simple, or Even Beneficial - Analysis
As RI leaders begin to explore the possibility of moving local pension plans in the MERS, the only matter getting any clearer is that there's no simple fix.
Unemployment Down in RI, but Labor Force Down More - Research
Rhode Island's unemployment rate fell, from December to January, but the exodus from the labor force has accelerated.
The Bureaucratic Office Has the Last Light to Go Out - Opinion
Justin cites James Lileks' illustration of the absurdity of bureaucratic spending in a down economy.

Wednesday:
Bringing the Right Lesson from Chelsea, MA, to Central Falls - Opinion
Even with the direct comparison of Chelsea, MA, with Central Falls, Justin finds that Rhode Island learns the wrong lesson.

Thursday:
Iannazzi (and Taxes) Did It - Opinion
Every bit of legislation raising taxes, every apparently corrupt action, contributes to the culture and sense of hopelessness that is driving people away from Rhode Island. Justin argues that that's the first thing that has to change.
Winners, Losers, and Losing More - Analysis
The 2010 tax reform had winners and losers in every income range.  Increasing taxes this year, even if only on wealthier residents, would arguably represent two straight years of tax increases.

Friday:
3.5% of RI Land Preserved - Investigative Report
In the past few months, the Department of Environmental Management has purchased land or the development rights for nearly 100 acres of land at a cost just under $1 million.
Social Issues, Economic Issues, and Marriage - Opinion
In Justin's view, marriage as a social issue is inevitably bound up with other policies as small-government issues, and in a way that both "economically conservative social liberals" and "big-government traditionalists" ought to consider.
Chafee's Municipal Plan: A Giant Leap Toward Technocracy and Town Solicitor Invoices - Opinion
Justin takes the highlighter and red pen to Governor Chafee's proposal for "municipal reform and relief."

Differing Interpretations of Tax Effects Play into Local Decision

Experts disagree about whether the seven legislative proposals to increase personal income taxes on "the rich" will have an adverse effect on Rhode Island's economy, but the complexity of such changes requires a more local debate.

Click here for the full article.

Providence (Ocean State Current) - Throughout the autumn and winter, the Occupy Movement filled newspapers with slogans pitting Americans from the top 1% in wealth against the other 99%, whom the Occupiers presumed to represent.  That spirit has entered the General Assembly, this session, in the form of seven different proposals to increase taxes on "the rich."

Advocates tout a paper released this month by Jeffrey Thompson, an assistant research professor with the Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) at the University of Massachusetts.  Reviewing research literature related to the effects of tax increases on wealthy residents, Thompson concludes that, in general, "modest tax increases on affluent households are unlikely" to change their economic behavior or drive them out of the state.  It is more likely that they'll find ways to avoid the increased taxes, but such results "are not nearly as dramatic as the consequences predicted by some."

On the other end of the debate, the Rhode Island Center for Freedom & Prosperity (the parent organization for the Ocean State Current) expects significant consequences.  Using a computable general equilibrium (CGE) model developed by the Beacon Hill Institute at Suffolk University, the Center predicts that the most cited tax increase proposal would cost the state 1,372 jobs and 1,000 residents overall, while falling $13 million short of advocates' $118 million revenue target.

The Current Week, 03/05/12-03/10/12

Contributors

Monday:
Jennifer Hushion: Why RI Is Driving Us Out - Opinion
Jennifer Hushion explains why her family is considering moving out of Cranston and Rhode Island

Headlines

Tuesday:
Star Kids for the Children Left Behind - Interview/Profile
The Star Kids Program, in the East Bay, helps the children that Rhode Island might otherwise leave behind to close the graduation gap.
03/06/12 - RI Senate Judiciary Hearing - Liveblog
Justin writes live from the RI Senate Judiciary hearing, including bills addressing campaign finance and straight-ticket voting.

Thursday:
Campaign Finance Reform Targeting National Organizations Worries Local Groups - Analysis
Campaign finance reform legislation currently under review in the RI General Assembly targets large national organizations and companies but has small local groups fearing that their speech (and donations) will be chilled.
03/08/12 - RI House Labor Committee Hearing - Liveblog
Justin writes live from the RI House Labor Committee Hearing, dealing mainly with binding arbitration and perpetual contracts.

Saturday:
03/10/12 - RISC Winter Meeting - Liveblog
Justin writes live from the RISC Winter Meeting at the Radisson Hotel.
Video of 2012 RISC Winter Meeting - Liveblog
Video of RISC's 2012 Winter Meeting, featuring Central Falls Receiver Robert Flanders, Cranston Mayor Allan Fung, Woonsocket Mayor Loe Fontaine, Providence advisor Gary Sasse, and Rep. Larry Ehrhardt.

Justin's Case

Monday:
Complete Streets Legislation Takes Build-It-and-They-Will-Bike Approach - Analysis
The General Assembly is considering legislation that would require Department of Transportation preference of "complete street" designs, but the cost and demand for new regulations appears not to have been thoroughly assessed.
Each Family a Royal Family, but Only If Rights Persist - Opinion
Family and voluntary associations (including those defined geographically, like villages) are a necessary source of authority to oppose ever-expanding government.
Incentive for Psychoses in a Therapeutic Culture - Opinion
A Swedish man disabled by his love of heavy metal illustrates how, as community standards are pushed closer and closer to the closed-door home, the police of the public sphere are apt not only to defend, but to subsidize material they like.

Tuesday:
Attorney General Settlements as Corporate Shakedowns - Analysis
Forty-nine of 50 states participated in legal action against five mortgage banks resulting in a $25 billion settlement.  The public should wonder, first, what the banks gained from the settlement and, second, whether the whole process is wise to encourage.
School Budgets to Town/City Councils: Derailing Reform Still Suggests a Forward Motion - Analysis
A labor-friendly senator proposing reform-minded legislation indicates the need for the careful consideration of unintended consequences as Rhode Island shifts the way it does business.

Wednesday:
Measuring the Inflation of Government - Analysis
Local political analyst Tom Sgouros asserts that government ought to be measured against income, rather than in line with other expenses, but it isn't as reasonable a premise as it may at first seem.
Ethics in an Everybody-Knows-Everbody State - Opinion
As a Ted Nesi article illustrates, the matter of legislator ethics is not a simple one.  Perhaps disclosure, not investigation, is the answer.
Taxing the Rich Raises Taxes on All - Analysis
Efforts to increase the top tax rate shouldn't be viewed in terms of the current tax system, but the system before the tax reform that is just kicking in.  In that case, it represents a massive increase on more than just "the rich."

Friday:
In the Mood for Binding Arbitration? - Analysis
The insider take is that the General Assembly wants to avoid controversy, after pension reform, but last night's House Labor hearing gave the impression of a different kind of show.
Unemployment Unchanged... but at Least It's Not Bad News - Analysis
Unemployment held at 8.3% in February, indicating stagnation no matter how one slices the numbers.
RNC Co-Chair: Optimism, Work, and Tools, but No Money - Interview/profile
On a visit to Rhode Island, RNC Co-Chairman Sharon Day promises local Republicans tools, access, and optimism, but not money.

The Current Week, 02/27/12-03/02/12

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Headlines

Monday:
About the Current - Site-related
RI Senate Economic Summit, Quonset “O” - Liveblog
Justin writes live and off-the-cuff from the RI Senate’s Economic Summit, “Expanding Jobs through Port Resources.”

Tuesday:
RIPEC: Rhode Island’s Business Climate Conference - Liveblog
Justin indulges his wonkish inclinations writing in from RIPEC’s conference on “Rhode Island’s Business Climate: How Rhode Island Measures Up.”

Thursday:
Cranston Police and Fire Retirees Receiving up to $900 on Holidays - Investigative Report
Cranston police and fire retirees are receiving double-and-a-half time for holidays that they do not work and would not be working, anyway.

Justin's Case

Monday:
Government Bans and Health Statistics - Analysis
Smoking bans and other government regulations may catalyze or accelerate positive changes, but the critical question is whether their results are worth their costs.
Food for All Market Shows Business and Community in the Absence of Regulation - Opinion
community interest, while government regulation would bring about unintended consequences with a much more difficult "undo" button.
Arguments and Practice in High Stakes Testing - Analysis
National studies do not show that standardized graduation tests have a clear and immediate effect on student achievement, but closer examination is required for RI's specific circumstances, and all students deserve diplomas that are universally acknowledged to have value.
Another Start - Musings & Announcements
Justin's thoughts upon launching the Current.

Wednesday:
Revenue Above Estimates Not a Sure Sign of Economic Health - Analysis
The total tax revenue that the State of Rhode Island has received for the fiscal year continued to beat estimates in January, by $57 million (3.6%), but it would be premature to infer either strong economic growth or the disappearance of the deficit expected for fiscal 2013.
Tying Some Threads from Diversity to Education to Social Disparity - Opinion
The education gap and Rhode Island's economic difficulties converge in such a way as to suggest school choice and a diversification of opportunities for schooling.
Catching on to the Danger of Municipal Dictators - Opinion
Central Falls Receiver Robert Flanders' performance, both on stage and in his job, should spark reevaluation of theories of governance and political expedience.
Chafee Wants to Be Fair to the Boss - Opinion
"Fairness" is an ideal term of a sort beloved by politicians: descriptors that sound inherently positive and desirable, but that are completely subjective and can be flipped around every which way to serve any political need, as Gov. Chafee illustrates by seeking parity in raises for highly paid directors.

Thursday:
Sen. Whitehouse on the Left-Right Scale and Chafee on the Left - Analysis
National Journal ranking of liberal and conservative legislators points to politics and posturing.
Tax Foundation Runs Some Test Firms Through the RI Ringer - Analysis
A new Tax Foundation study exposes some of the flaws in RI's economic development practices.

Friday:
Laffey Movie Catches Mood, but That Might Be a Different Kind of Success than Hoped For - Interview/Profile
Justin reacts to an initial screening of Stephen Laffey's movie, Fixing America.
Mobility Has Held, but Perception and Perspective Have Changed - Analysis
Economic mobility has improved or held steady over the past half-decade, but public perception is otherwise.  Arguing hopelessness or dependence may reinforce the trend.
The End of an Era (But Not Fast Enough) - Opinion
As impossible as it may be to deny the necessary changes in public policy related to the economy and government spending, the will to reform is not strong enough for due speed.

Rhode Island Republican Assembly "PORK-U-LUS" Pig Roast

The Rhode Island Republican Assembly PAC

cordially invites you to attend the annual

"PORK-U-LUS" Pig Roast Fundraiser

to support conservative Rhode Island Republican candidates

at the home of

State Representative Doreen & James Costa
39 Dyer Avenue
North Kingstown, RI 02874

on

Saturday, August 6th, 2011
2:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M.

featuring catered

Roast Barbecued Pig Served Pulled Pork Style
Accompanied by Baked Beans, Corn, Corn Bread, Cole Slaw, & Desserts
Hamburgers & Hot Dogs available. Soft Drinks provided. "B.Y.O.B."

BBQ Tickets: $35.00 ~ Children 12 & Under: $15.00

Space is limited to 125 guests. Please reserve your tickets today!
Payment by Personal Check or Credit Card is gladly accepted.

To reserve tickets, please mail your request and personal check to:
RIRA-PAC, 19 Bakers Creek Road, Warwick, RI 02886
Credit card payments can be accepted online at http://ri-ra.org/pigroast/.
PayPal payments can be sent directly to paypal@rirapac.org.

Portsmouth Institute Conference on the Catholic Shakespeare

Joining the roster of the Portsmouth Institute's conference on The Catholic Shakespeare?, June 10-12, will be Dennis Taylor, professor emeritus of English and editor emeritus of Religion and the Arts at Boston College. Professor Taylor will speak on "The Tempest and Catholic Exploration of America."

"In the last twenty years," commented Institute director James MacGuire, "There has been an explosion of scholarship on Shakespeare's religion, especially in England, and we thought it timely to bring together leading scholars from our own country and the UK to discuss and illuminate this rich and fascinating subject. Dennis has been a pioneer in this area on our side of the Atlantic, and by so graciously agreeing to participate will enrich the entire weekend, not only with his talk but by contributing to panels and colloquies throughout the conference."

So far the Institute roster includes a number of distinguished speakers, including the Right Reverend Dom Aidan Bellenger, OSB, Abbot of Downside, Dr. Gerard Kilroy of University College, London, Clare Asquith, Rev. Peter Milward, S.J. of Sophia University in Tokyo, Rev. David Beauregard, OMV, dean of studies at Our Lady of Grace seminary, Dr. John Cox of Hope College, Mr. Joseph Pearce of Ave Maria University and Dr. Glenn Arbery of Assumption College.

"Father Milward is the dean of Catholic Shakespeare scholarship," MacGuire continued, "And it will be a privilege to welcome him, Abbot Aidan, Lady Asquith, Professor Taylor and all of our outstanding speakers to Portsmouth Abbey."

In addition to scholarly presentations the Institute will feature dramatic productions based on Shakespeare's plays by Theatre of the Word and other companies. One of these will be in the newly restored Newport Casino Theatre on Bellevue Avenue, originally designed by Stanford White in 1888, which will afford attendees the opportunity to tour some of the treasures of that historic city. There will also be musical concerts featuring music associated with Shakespeare and his time, including William Byrd's Mass for Five Voices.

The Portsmouth Institute is a conference, study, recreation and retreat center for all those interested in Catholic life, leadership and service in the 21st Century. "As with last year's conference on Newman and the Intellectual Tradition," MacGuire said, "In addition to the formal sessions there will be ample time for prayer, sport, music, humor and friendship. We welcome any and all who might be interested in our 2011 Shakespeare conference to join us on our wonderful campus and promise that you will leave Portsmouth Abbey refreshed, edified and inspired."

"We look forward to welcoming old and new friends alike to Portsmouth Abbey and School," said Dr. James DeVecchi, headmaster, "So that they can be better acquainted with the academic and spiritual excellence that has been nurtured here for the past eighty years on the beautiful shores of Narragansett Bay."

The complete conference program and registration information for The Catholic Shakespeare? is available at www.portsmouthinstitute.org, by calling Cindy Waterman at (401) 643-1244, emailing her at cwaterman@portsmouthabbey.org, or writing her at Portsmouth Abbey School, 285 Cory's Lane, Portsmouth RI 02871.

All Saints Academy Spring Fair

All Saints Academy, located at 915 West Main Rd. (behind St. Lucy's) in Middletown, is hosting its annual All American Spring Fair on Sunday, June 5, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The Northeast Navy Showband will perform from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., with games, crafts, face painting, and food available all day. Children will enjoy an obstacle course by eNVy Gymnastics, of Tiverton, a Touch-a-Truck tour of specialty vehicles, and an inflatable playhouse. Adults can bid on great items in a silent auction and raffle, as well as peruse and purchase autographed sports, music, and entertainment memorabilia. Admission and entertainment are free; various activities require ticket purchases.

All Saints Academy is a Roman Catholic diocesan elementary school offering preschool through grade eight for students from Aquidneck Island and its surrounding communities.

The Northeast Navy Showband is a highly entertaining ensemble that performs jazz, Rock and Roll, and patriotic favorites. Consisting of 17 of the U.S. Navy's finest professional musicians, this versatile group has been a crowd pleaser at public concerts, schools, and major events throughout the Northeast. Under the leadership of Chief Musician Todd Smeltzer, the Northeast Navy Showband personifies the quality and professionalism of today's United States Navy.

eNVy Gymnastics, located at 935 Main Rd., in Tiverton, offers age-appropriate gymnastics lessons and events ranging from non-instructional play with assistance for children five and under to competitive team training.

Auction and raffle items have been donated by a variety of organizations, including (but not limited to) the following:

* Barry's Auto
* Bellevue Car Service
* Flint Audio Video
* Flo's Clam Shack
* Frosty Freez
* Girl Scouts
* Home Depot
* Island Windsurfing
* KJ's
* Newport Athletic Club
* RAM Sports Collectibles
* Staples
* Viking Tuxedo
* West Marine

Portsmouth Institute Shakespearean Concert

Musicians from New England's most prestigious performing ensembles, including the Rhode Island Philharmonic, Boston Pops, Boston Ballet, and Portland and Vermont Symphonies, will gather on Friday evening, June 10, at 6:15 p.m. to present an evening of orchestral music inspired by the indelible writings of William Shakespeare.

The symphony concert will feature Walton's glorious orchestral suite from "Henry V" and Tchaikovsky's moving "Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture." The concert will be conducted by Troy Quinn, music director of the Portsmouth Institute and a prominent young American conductor. Quinn has conducted orchestras and choirs at some of the world's greatest venues, including Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris and Southwark Cathedral in London. He has led such notable ensembles as the Philadelphia Chamber Orchestra and the London Soloists Orchestra, and has upcoming engagements with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra as a conducting fellow. Quinn holds degrees from Manhattan School of Music and Providence College.

The concert will take place during the Portsmouth Institute, a three-day conference being held at Portsmouth Abbey School. The third annual Portsmouth Institute — the topic of which will be "The Catholic Shakespeare?" — will be held on campus from June 10-12. Internationally renowned writers, scholars and commentators will gather to celebrate and explore the life and writings of William Shakespeare. For more information about the Portsmouth Institute, visit: www.portsmouthinstitute.org

The concert is open to the public and free of charge; members of the public who are interested in attending the concert should contact Cindy Waterman at 401/643-1244 or cwaterman@portsmouthabbey.org.

The public may attend the Portsmouth Institute, but registration and a fee are required. To register, please contact Cindy Waterman.

RIRA "Conservative Comedy Night" PAC Fundraiser on Saturday

The Rhode Island Republican Assembly PAC is hosting a "Conservative Comedy Night" fundraiser, featuring "Conservative Liberal Jewish" Californian Comedian Eric Golub on Armed Forces Day, Saturday, May 21, 2011. It will be held at the Manville Sportsmen's Rod & Gun Club, at 250 High Street, in Manville (Lincoln), RI 02838. Check-in starts at 6:30 p.m., with the dinner show set to start at 7:00 p.m.

In addition to our featured comedian, we will also be "lightly roasting" the following local politicos: John Robitaille, Rep. Doreen Costa, Rep. Mike Chippendale, Rep. Dan Gordon, and Sen. Beth Moura.

There will be a great Italian buffet dinner featuring roasted chicken, pasta, salad, and dessert, with a cash bar. The cost to attend this fun event is only $35.00 per person or $60.00 per couple. As May 21st is Armed Forces Day, we will be recognizing U.S. Military Veterans. Veterans can attend for $30.00 each.

Your RSVP and payment in advance would be greatly appreciated for planning purposes. Funds generated from this event will be used to support local conservative Republican candidates in Rhode Island.

As the event will be held this Saturday, payment by mail is discouraged. However, you may conveniently pay for your tickets by credit card or electronic check via the drop-down menu at http://ri-ra.org/comedynight/ or by sending funds directly to RIRA-PAC via PayPal to: paypal@rirapac.org.

For any inquiries about this event or RIRA, you may contact RIRA President Raymond T. McKay at (401) 487-2514 or by e-mail at: president@ri-ra.org.

RIRA "Conservative Comedy Night" PAC Fundraiser on May 21

The Rhode Island Republican Assembly PAC will be hosting a "Conservative Comedy Night" Fundraiser, featuring "Conservative Liberal Jewish" Californian Comedian Eric Golub on Armed Forces Day, Saturday, May 21st, 2011.

The fundraiser will be held at the Manville Sportsmen's Rod & Gun Club, at 250 High Street, in Manville (Lincoln), RI. Check-in begins at 6:30 p.m. The dinner show will begin at 7:00 p.m.

In addition to our featured comedian, we will also be "lightly roasting" the following local politicos: John Robitaille, Rep. Doreen Costa, Rep. Mike Chippendale, Rep. Dan Gordon, and Sen. Beth Moura. Additionally, a great Italian buffet dinner will feature roasted chicken, pasta, salad, and dessert, with a cash bar.

The cost to attend this fun event is only $35.00 per person or $60.00 per couple. As May 21st is Armed Forces Day, we will be recognizing U.S. military veterans, who can attend for $30.00 each.

Your RSVP in advance would be appreciated for planning purposes. Funds generated from this event will be used to support local conservative Republican candidates. Please make checks payable to "RIRA-PAC." To reserve your tickets today, please mail your request and personal check to:

RIRA-PAC, 19 Bakers Creek Road, Warwick, RI 02886

You may also pay for your tickets by credit card using the drop-down menu at http://ri-ra.org/comedynight/ or by sending funds to RIRA-PAC directly through PayPal to: paypal@rirapac.org.

For any inquiries about this event, please contact RIRA President Raymond T. McKay at (401) 487-2514 or by e-mail, at president@ri-ra.org .

The Case for Israel: Democracy's Outpost

The URI College Republicans and the Narragansett and South Kingston Republican Town Committees, tomorrow night, are screening The Case for Israel, a feature-length documentary film, followed by a Q&A session with executive producer, Gloria Greenfield.

In the film, Harvard Law School Professor Alan Dershowitz offers a vigorous case for Israel — for its basic right to exist, to protect its citizens from terrorism, and to defend its borders from hostile enemies. He engages leading political, judicial and academic leaders from Israel and North America in objective and intelligent discourse on the critical challenges facing Israel and the West.

The showing will be on Wednesday, May 4, at 7:00 p.m. in URI's Swan Hall Auditorium, 60 Upper College Rd., Kingston. Suggested admission: $10/public, $5/student.

Rhode Island Republican Assembly: Sixth Annual Christmas Dinner Party

The RHODE ISLAND REPUBLICAN ASSEMBLY cordially invites all of our fellow RI Conservatives (you don't have to be a Republican to enjoy it!) and their family members to attend our SIXTH ANNUAL CHRISTMAS DINNER PARTY, which will be held on SATURDAY, DECEMBER 18th, 2010, at the R.I. Shriners Imperial Room, at One Rhodes Place, in Cranston, RI 02905.

Please join us for a "family friendly" evening of fun, great food and drink, live musical entertainment, award presentations, and special guests, at the biggest and best local GOP party this holiday season! Hors d'heuvres and cocktails will be available from 6:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M., and a great buffet-style dinner beginning at 7:00 P.M., with the festivities continuing for the rest of the night. Live musical entertainment will be provided by the band "Wing It," and there will be a cash bar available throughout the evening.

An RSVP is required for dinner. Tickets are only $35.00 PER PERSON and only $10.00 for Children 10 & under. Tables of eight are available for $280.00. The great buffet features chicken montello and baked stuffed sole, along with salad, roasted potatoes, other vegetables, and chocolate cake. The menu for Children 10 & under features chicken fingers and french fries. Special dietary needs (vegetarian, diabetic, kosher, etc.) can be accommodated with advance notice — just include a note with your payment.

To REGISTER BY MAIL, please send your ticket request ASAP along with your check payable to "Rhode Island Republican Assembly" to: RIRA, 19 LAKESIDE DRIVE, Smithfield, RI 02917. You can also quickly and securely REGISTER & PAY ONLINE by credit card or e-check directly through the RIRA web site at president@ri-ra.org or (401) 487-2514 or NFRA Northeast Region Vice President Will Ricci at NEVP@ri-ra.org. Seating is limited. For planning purposes, we must receive your RSVP by December 8th.

We look forward to seeing you at the party on Saturday, December 18th!

Conservatively Yours,

Raymond T. McKay
President, RIRA

Toward Changing the Conversation in Rhode Island

Last night, Matt and I discussed the DREAM Act, NEA dirty politics, and Anchor Rising's ability to change the political conversation on the Matt Allen Show. Stream by clicking here, or download it.

Again, please email or call (401-835-7156) me to pledge financial support — as subscriptions, donations, or advertising — for 2011. We've still got a long, long way to go.

A Right-Reform Fly on the Wall

Remember when a raucous School Committee meeting in East Providence gave reason to hope that the game might be up for the National Education Association's unchallenged control of Rhode Island education? If so, odds are that Anchor Rising plays in that memory. We liveblogged, photographed, recorded, and analyzed. And it made a difference.

Two days later, East Providence union president Valerie Lawson and NEA lawyer John Liedecker were on the Dan Yorke show, with Jim Hummel filling in. Lawson was explaining that the teachers would never shout down a member of the public who held the microphone; rather, teachers were a little overenthusiastic in cheering for the next person in line to speak. Hummel played a clip of audio from the recordings linked, above, that proved Lawson to be lying, and Liedecker had to jump into the conversation to change the subject.

The point is that we were there, and because we were there, people had access to the truth about what happened. That is why it's so important that Rhode Islanders who want to pull the state back from the brink help us to create a full-time job within Anchor Rising. So that we'll be there when it matters.

Please email or call (401-835-7156) Justin to pledge support for 2011. We're still a long way off, but pledges only commit you to payment if we achieve our goal.

Who's Leaving and How to Stop Them

I called in, again, to the Matt Allen Show on Wednesday to remind his listeners about the sort of research that Anchor Rising has done purely out of intellectual curiosity and to encourage them to help us make it a bit more than a hobby. Stream by clicking here, or download it.

Again, please email or call (401-835-7156) me to pledge financial support — as subscriptions, donations, or advertising — for 2011. We've still got a long, long way to go.

A Mission to Figure Out What's Happening

A few years ago, the common wisdom on the right was that Rhode Island was driving out wealthy people with its tax and spend policies, and the response from the left was to come up with other reasons that wealthy people might leave. In February 2008, Anchor Rising changed the terms of the debate. To be sure, our findings showed a net loss of taxable resident income:

But the people leaving weren't the wealthy. Rather, Rhode Island has been driving out motivated upward-movers — those seeking to advance and improve their situations. Those who do the most work to drive an economy forward.

We honed in on the point revisiting the data the following year:

And now the common wisdom is that Rhode Island's population loss is a matter of absent opportunity — although those in the State House apparently didn't get the message, as shown by their shifting of the tax code to place more burden upon the demographic that's been leaving and to end high-end tax breaks (flat tax and capital gains tax) that had clearly been working. On the latter count, it's a shame that Anchor Rising's reach isn't broader, because we also found that tax revenue had actually gone up among the wealthy after the tax breaks had been passed:

With that, we arrive at the point of this pitch: Anchor Rising has been very effective at affecting the public debate in Rhode Island, even if we've remained somewhat hidden behind the faces of those whose minds we've changed. Imagine what we could do if we were able to do more research and spend more time pushing it out into the public awareness. By the 2012 election, we might even manage to explain to a critical mass of voters what's been going wrong and what needs to be done to fix it.

Please email or call (401-835-7156) Justin to pledge financial support — as subscriptions, donations, or advertising — for 2011. We're still a long, long way away from being able to fund a full-time job, and the beauty of pledging is that we won't ask for the money unless we actually achieve that goal. (Note, too, that we're not non-profit, so while you'll get no tax break for your contribution, you also won't end up on any publicly filed list.)

Prognostication and Remedy

I used our Wednesday call to the Matt Allen Show to connect our current pledge drive with the dire prognostication for the state. Stream by clicking here, or download it. Anchor Rising has been critical in the opposition movement (so to speak) over the years, and there would be tremendous value in helping us to expand our activities rather than watch them retract, as has already begun to happen, given economic reality.

It occurs to me to clarify, by the way, that we're seeking pledges for the entire year. We won't be knocking on doors expecting the checks in their full amounts the moment we hit the threshold at which one of us can focus on Anchor Rising full-time. Monthly, quarterly, semiannual, and periodic payments would be wonderful. We just need to line up the support that will enable our leap and then manage the books to ensure that enough is coming in on a regular basis to keep our employee above water.

Anchor Rising Looks Ahead

There's no denying that the election results in Rhode Island were disappointing. Even during a Republican surge year featuring the Tea Party movement, right leaning reformers made modest gains in the General Assembly and came up empty-handed in other state government offices.

But this is Rhode Island, and hope is not irrational. Republicans running for the offices of governor and the first congressional district seat did much better than would have been expected under normal circumstances. The Democrat Secretary of State barely held his office. In some municipal elections (notably in Tiverton), reformers' years of efforts are beginning to yield offices and fresh candidates to begin climbing the ladder of public office.

All of this is to say that there is a base for our message. Not every Rhode Islander who has woken up to the necessary changes in the state's operations has fled in despair. Change can still come to the Ocean State and may be more likely once the General Assembly has taken full advantage of the negative opportunities that our new governor will present to pull government policy in the wrong direction.

Of course that "may" in the previous sentence is still necessary. Change will take work in shoring up the reform movement and making the case to those who've not given civic matters much thought. And that's where Anchor Rising comes in.

Over the coming weeks and months, we'll be reviewing some of the positive effects that we've had, so far, even as a gang of hobbyists experimenting with new media. Our research, our videos and audio, and our outside-the-RI-box commentary have all had a visible effect on the civic conversation.

Unfortunately, we simply can't keep up those activities that make blogging more than a pastime any longer. Oh, we'll keep blogging, because we've caught the bug, but unless we can manage to fund at least one full-time job, we cannot be as active as we've been in fostering, promoting, and reporting on the movement and conservative ideas.

Knowing how critical the next two years — and the election that follows — will be, we're making a push for advancement rather than stasis. So, we're asking Anchor Rising readers and supporters to pledge support for 2011. Email or call (401-835-7156) Justin with the amount — in subscriptions, in donations, in advertising — that you're willing and able to contribute for the year, and when we hit the threshold at which one of us can make a living from it, we'll ask you to convert those pledges into money. For some perspective, it's going to take about ten times our usual annual revenue, but the good news is that even ten times the money is still not all that much, in the scheme of politics and media.

Over the last six years, we've done a lot of great work, steadily grown our audience, and had a substantial effect on politics in Rhode Island; imagine what we could accomplish with more than a couple of hours per day to devote to the project. We'd broaden and deepen our reading and commentary on issues relevant to Rhode Island and the individual cities and towns that make it up. We'd highlight and cover more events relevant to Rhode Island's reform. We'd expand the niches into which our message reaches.

Again: pledging to help Anchor Rising will cost you nothing until we can actually deliver on the promise of a full-time effort. We're not non-profit, so the privacy of donors will be absolute. Please, consider how much you can afford to donate (and how much you can afford not to) and email or call (401-835-7156) Justin.

Rhode Island Republican Assembly Endorsements & GOTV

We find ourselves one day away from one of the most important elections in this generation.

American conservatives and other like-minded voters throughout our state and nation now realize that our government can no longer be sustained at its current levels and that structural changes must be made at all levels of government and by all citizens.

Waking up in the morning and expecting money from the government is not the American way, nor is it what made this country great. Rhode Island's budget shortfalls these past several years, which have been plugged by federal money, not by changes in Rhode Island government, is proof that our state and municipal governments' way of doing business is broken and that we need and must demand change.

Zebras do not change the colors of their stripes, nor will the one-party system we have in the General Assembly change itself overnight for the betterment of the people. Time and time again, the Democrats in the General Assembly have sided with unions and those looking for handouts, not with those looking to create prosperity in Rhode Island.

The answer to our financial problems is certainly NOT to increase state taxes. We must embrace one nation, one people, one language — for "United We Stand" a strong American People. Divided, we shall surely fall into a world of socialism that will wipe out the middle class.

Change must start on many levels, from the Congress, to our statewide offices, to the General Assembly, and all the way down to the local level.

We must all sit with our friends and family to Get Out The Vote for change. While this is one communication, it does not reach the approximately 600,000 possible voters in Rhode Island. For real change to take affect, YOU MUST become a grassroots activist and encourage your family and friends over the next day and a half to vote the Right Way this Tuesday. The polls are open from 7:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. Everyone should be able to find time within that fourteen hour span to vote for the Right Change.

The following individuals were nominated and endorsed at the Rhode Island Republican Assembly's Biennial Endorsement Convention back on June 12, 2010. They were endorsed based on our bylaws, which require a two-thirds vote of those members present and eligible to vote. To the best of our knowledge — and we pay close attention — NO candidate listed has compromised his or her standing throughout the campaign season for RIRA to consider revoking their endorsement.

The 2010 RIRA endorsed candidates are:

U.S. Congress, District 1: JOHN LOUGHLIN

U.S. Congress, District 2: MARK ZACCARIA

R.I. Governor: JOHN ROBITAILLE

R.I. General Treasurer: KERNAN "KERRY" KING

R.I. Attorney General: ERIK WALLIN

RHODE ISLAND STATE SENATE:

Steve Gerling - District 18
Dawson Hodgson - District 35
Beth Moura - District 19
Dr. Chris Ottiano - District 11

RHODE ISLAND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES:

Representative Brian Newberry - District 48
Representative Joseph Trillo - District 24
Donald Botts - District 16
Timothy Burchett - District 34
Giovanni Calise - District 25
Michael Chippendale - District 40
Thomas Clupny - District 62
Doreen Costa - District 31
Phil Duquette - District 33
Daniel Gordon - District 71
William Grapentine - District 69
Michael Grossi - District 58
Matthew Guerra - District 46
James Halderman - District 35
Jennifer Hirons - District 44
Michael Picillo - District 39
Daniel Reilly - District 72
Erich Sturn - District 4

In closing, I again ask that you please sit with your family and friends over the next day and a half and discuss voting for a new lease on life by voting for the above candidates. YOU and your vote can make the change! YOU are the activist! YOU must get your friends and family out to vote so that their votes, along with yours, will ensure that change happens!

Thank you for your time and attention to this important issue.

God's speed and blessings to you, your family, friends, and our hard working candidates and all their volunteers and staff.

Conservatively Yours,

Raymond T. McKay
President, Rhode Island Republican Assembly
president@ri-ra.org

Something Fun for Kids, Tomorrow

All Saints Academy on West Main Rd. in Middletown (behind St. Lucy's) will tomorrow (Saturday) be hosting its first annual Spooktacular event, from 1pm to 4pm, featuring pumpkin picking and painting, a maze, and trunk-or-treating (with candy handed out from decorated car trunks). There will also be various games and treats and music.

If you've got children of grammar-school age, consider stopping by. The blisters on the hands of the fella who built the maze still haven't healed, and the laughter and fun of many children is sure to be the best balm. Costumes are not required, but are encouraged, especially for the kids.

Portsmouth Institute's 2011 Conference: The Catholic Shakespeare?

Portsmouth Abbey School, America's premier Catholic boarding school, has announced its third annual Portsmouth Institute, a conference program focused on issues pertaining to Catholic life in the 21st century.

The 2011 Portsmouth Institute conference will be held June 10-12, on The Catholic Shakespeare?

"In the last twenty years," commented Institute director James MacGuire, "There has been an explosion of scholarship on Shakespeare's religion, especially in England, and we thought it timely to bring together leading scholars from our own country and the UK to discuss and illuminate this rich and fascinating subject."

So far the Institute roster includes a number of distinguished speakers, including the Right Reverend Dom Aidan Bellenger, OSB, Abbot of Downside, Dr. Gerard Kilroy, Head of English at King Edward's School, Bath, Clare Viscountess Asquith, Reverend Peter Milward, S.J. of Sophia University in Tokyo, distinguished archivist The Honorable Georgina Stonor, Reverend David Beauregard OMV, dean of studies at Our Lady of Grace seminary, Dr. John Cox of Hope College, Mr. Joseph Pearce of Ave Maria University, and Dr. Glen Arbery of Assumption College. The list of speakers is still in formation, and updates will be provided on a regular basis.

In addition to scholarly presentations, the Institute will feature dramatic productions based on Shakespeare's plays by Kevin O'Brien's, Theatre of the Word, and other companies. One of these productions will be performed in the newly restored Newport Casino Theatre on Bellevue Avenue, originally designed by Stanford White in 1888, which will afford attendees the opportunity to tour some of the treasures of that historic city. There will also be concerts featuring music associated with Shakespeare and his time, including William Byrd's Mass for Five Voices.

The Portsmouth Institute will feature leadership and participation by Portsmouth Abbey's resident Benedictine monks and faculty of the Portsmouth Abbey School, including retired English Department Chairman, Dom Damian Kearney O.S.B., current English Department Chairman, Dr. Michael Bonin, and Portsmouth Institute Music Director, Troy Quinn. Institute programs are designed to offer attendees frequent opportunities for informal discussion as well as access to recreational opportunities on the School's campus and at Carnegie Abbey. In keeping with its mission, the Institute's yearly sessions will also provide opportunities for attendance at Mass, the Divine Office, and "mini-Retreat" sessions centered around the Abbey's landmark Church of St. Gregory the Great.

The Portsmouth Institute is a conference, study, recreation and retreat center for all those interested in Catholic life, leadership, and service in the 21st Century. "As with last year's conference on Newman and the Intellectual Tradition," MacGuire commented, "in addition to the formal sessions, there will be ample time for prayer, sport, music, humor, and friendship. We welcome any and all who might be interested in this year's Newman conference to join us on our wonderful campus and promise that you will leave Portsmouth Abbey refreshed, stimulated, and inspired."

"We look forward to welcoming old and new friends alike to Portsmouth Abbey and School," said Dr. James DeVecchi, headmaster, "So that they can be better acquainted with the academic and spiritual excellence that has been nurtured here for the past eighty years on the beautiful shores of Narragansett Bay."

About Portsmouth Abbey School:

Portsmouth Abbey School is a coeducational boarding and day school for students in grades 9-12. Founded in 1926 by a community of English Benedictine monks, the school is located on a 500-acre campus along the picturesque shores of Rhode Island's Narragansett Bay.

The Portsmouth Abbey education is grounded in the Western intellectual tradition, from ancient Greece and Rome and continuing into this century. This classical curriculum is balanced by a focus on spirituality, science, athletics, the arts and fun.

The School's mission encompasses the importance of reverence for God and the human person, respect for learning and order, and responsibility for the shared experience of community life.

For More Information:

The complete conference program as well as registration information for The Catholic Shakespeare? are available at www.portsmouthinstitute.org, by calling Cindy Waterman at (401) 643-1244, emailing her at cwaterman@portsmouthabbey.org, or writing her at Portsmouth Abbey School, 285 Cory's Lane, Portsmouth RI 02871.

Additional queries may be addressed to James MacGuire at jmacguire@portsmouthabbey.org.

An August Appeal, with Emphasis

Some revenue that we reasonably expected did not materialize, this month, which puts Anchor Rising in a precarious position, with our anual Web hosting bill due at the end of the month. Even with the usual summer lull, readership has been strong, though, so a little generosity, on your part, could surely relieve the financial pressure.

As this year's critical election season shifts into higher gear, we'll be poised to continue offering news and commentary from a conservative (and right) perspective.

Subscriptions of $0.25 per day (payments of $7.60 per month) and donations of any size may be made using credit cards via PayPal (no PayPal account is necessary) by clicking the following:

Those who would prefer the more direct route of checks or money orders can make them out to Anchor Rising and send them to:

Anchor Rising
P.O. Box 751
Portsmouth, RI 02871

For advertising, whether along the sides of the blog or as one of these here Community Crier posts, email Justin.

July Appeal

As we head toward the heart of summer, minds will surely tend to drift to other matters than the political, but Anchor Rising remains focused on keeping readers well informed and well stocked with ideas to distract the mind from the heat and the rolling summer clouds. Please take a moment to consider the value of our work and to start a voluntary subscription or to donate a one-time shot of monetary encouragement.

Subscriptions of $0.25 per day (payments of $7.60 per month) and donations of any size may be made using credit cards via PayPal (no PayPal account is necessary) by clicking the following:

Those who would prefer the more direct route of checks or money orders can make them out to Anchor Rising and send them to:

Anchor Rising
P.O. Box 751
Portsmouth, RI 02871

For advertising, whether along the sides of the blog or as one of these here Community Crier posts, email Justin.

Real Estate on Anchor Rising

With party nominations making campaign season more or less officially begun, we expect there to be no shortage of topics (and events) to cover in the coming months. There is, however, a shortage of time, on our part, but that can be partly remedied through the conversion of dollars into minutes.

For that purpose, Anchor Rising is considering adding a banner ad to the top of the blog — next to and alternating with the very familiar picture of Matt Allen. The location and the order in which items download to readers' computers makes that a very prominent spot well worth consideration by anybody who's got something to promote or sell. Please contact Justin if you fall into that category.

Even if a banner ad would be beyond your means — or needs — please consider supporting us in our work.

Subscriptions of $0.25 per day (payments of $7.60 per month) and donations of any size may be made using credit cards via PayPal (no PayPal account is necessary) by clicking the following:

Those who would prefer the more direct route of checks or money orders can make them out to Anchor Rising and send them to:

Anchor Rising
P.O. Box 751
Portsmouth, RI 02871

For advertising, whether along the sides of the blog or as one of these here Community Crier posts, email Justin.

Campaign Season Appeal

I've tended to post this sort of content under our Community Crier contributor, but my reasoning is a bit more personal, this time around, so my own face and name seemed more appropriate.

You wouldn't know it to observe the electorate, but election seasons, in Rhode Island, have been of increasing importance, and this year is critical. I'd be lying if I rolled a veneer of optimism on my expectations, but even with the darkest of prognoses, we must strive to do all that we can.

Unfortunately, this dire need for attention and action corresponds with a languishing economy, and honesty compels me to admit that my positioning was particularly poor at the time that things went sour. My household was in the process of digging itself out of the hole that past errors had created when the Great Recession hit, and preventing a backslide has become about all that we've been able to achieve for the past couple of years.

These are personal matters, but they become relevant to Anchor Rising in that I'm at the point of having to consider such actions as canceling high-speed Internet in the home — a luxury, to be sure, but one that makes operating a Web site quite a bit more efficient (especially when it comes to audio and video). Taking unpaid days off from work for Anchor Rising purposes is entirely out of the question, at this point. Similarly, expanding the liberties that AR's resources allow me to offer other contributors isn't currently conceivable.

We'll all continue to do what we can in our capacity as hobbyists, but most of you will agree, I think, that the times call for considerably more. So please, if you're able, help us to draw that extra effort from our busy schedules and tight budgets. Every penny helps maintain what we've built, and larger windfall gifts could bring us to another level of activity.

Subscriptions of $0.25 per day (payments of $7.60 per month) and donations of any size may be made using credit cards via PayPal (no PayPal account is necessary) by clicking the following:

Those who would prefer the more direct route of checks or money orders can make them out to Anchor Rising and send them to:

Anchor Rising
P.O. Box 751
Portsmouth, RI 02871

For advertising, whether along the sides of the blog or as one of these here Community Crier posts, email Justin.

Rhode Island Republican Assembly Biennial Endorsement Convention

This Saturday, June 12th, our state's largest Conservative organization — the Rhode Island Republican Assembly — will hold its Biennial Endorsement Convention. The Convention will also serve as a family-friendly fundraiser to benefit state Republican candidates, many of whom will be present. All Republicans and Conservatives in Rhode Island are invited to attend. The Convention will be held from 12:00 noon to 4:00 p.m. in the Rotunda of the Crowne Plaza Hotel, at 801 Greenwich Avenue, in Warwick. Registration will be from 12:00 noon to 12:30 p.m., with the Convention to be called to order promptly at 12:30 p.m.

The theme for the Biennial Convention will be "2010: The Conservative Comeback."

Working toward making that a reality, a number of federal and state Republican candidates have been invited to address the RIRA delegates and our special guests. Confirmed speakers include:

John Loughlin, First District Candidate for Congress
Mark Zaccaria, Second District Candidate for Congress
William Clegg, Second District Candidate for Congress
John Robitaille, Candidate for Governor
Victor Moffitt, Candidate for Governor
Erik Wallin, Candidate for Attorney General
Kernan "Kerry" King, Candidate for General Treasurer

The Convention will start with a fundraiser for the Rhode Island Republican Assembly State Political Action Committee (RIRA-PAC). RIRA-PAC is the only political action committee in Rhode Island specifically devoted to aiding Conservative Republican candidates for office. The event will feature speeches by the above Republican candidates; a fantastic selection of hot and cold hors d'oeuvres will be served; and there will be a cash bar available. For your enjoyment, Live Musical Entertainment will be provided throughout the afternoon by the easy-listening band Wing-It

Candidate speeches, as well as brief question and answer periods for each, will probably last until 2:30 p.m. RIRA Delegates will then vote by secret ballot on candidate endorsements. RIRA endorsements require two-thirds super majorities and may be made in federal, statewide, and RI House and Senate races. In addition, delegates will consider Resolutions on several issues of current importance.

The suggested minimum contribution for the Conservative candidates' fundraiser is only $25.00 per person. However, you are certainly encouraged to donate much more, if it's within your means! All funds raised in excess of our costs will be used to directly support RIRA-endorsed state candidates.

Your RSVP by Facebook or by email would be appreciated for planning purposes, but it is not required to attend... just bring your personal check for $25.00 or more with you on Saturday! Tickets may be paid for in advance or at the door. Personal or PAC checks may be made payable to "RIRA-PAC."

You may securely pay for your tickets online with by credit card or electronic check through our Website at http://ri-ra.org/convention. If you would like to make a contribution to the PAC by mail, the address is:

Rhode Island Republican Assembly PAC, 19 Bakers Creek Road, Warwick, RI 02886

All event tickets will be held at the door. For any inquiries, you may contact RIRA President Raymond T. McKay at 487-2514 or by e-mail at: president@ri-ra.org. Media is welcome to attend.

We look forward to seeing you on Saturday!

Conservatively Yours,

Raymond T. McKay
President, RIRA
Chairman, RIRA-PAC

About RIRA: Founded in 2001, the Rhode Island Republican Assembly is a private membership organization of conservative Republican activists who work at the grassroots level to promote conservative values and ideals within the framework of the Republican Party of Rhode Island. Although an independent organization, many RIRA members are also officers or members of the Rhode Island Republican State Central Committee and/or the various city and town Republican committees throughout the state.

Rhode Island Republican Assembly: "2010: The Conservative Comeback"

The fifth Biennial Endorsement Convention of the Rhode Island Republican Assembly - our state's largest Conservative organization - will be held this Saturday, June 12th, 2010, from 12 Noon to 4:00 PM. The Convention will be held under the Rotunda of the Crowne Plaza Hotel, at 801 Greenwich Avenue, in Warwick, RI 02886.

The theme for the Biennial Convention will be "2010: The Conservative Comeback."

Working towards that goal, several federal and state Republican candidates have been invited to address the RIRA delegates and our guests. Confirmed speakers include:

John Loughlin, Candidate for Congress (First District)
Mark Zaccaria, Candidate for Congress (Second District)
William Clegg, Candidate for Congress (Second District)
John Robitaille, Candidate for Governor
Victor Moffitt, Candidate for Governor
Erik Wallin, Candidate for Attorney General
Kernan 'Kerry' King, Candidate for General Treasurer

All Republicans and Conservatives in Rhode Island are welcome to attend this event. Suggested minimum contribution for the PAC fundraiser is $25.00 per person or only $15.00 for R.I. Young Republicans (of course, individuals may choose to donate much more!). Reserved "Tables of 6" are available for $150.00 each (a great option for candidates!). All funds raised in excess of our costs will be used to support RIRA endorsed state candidates. Check-in and Registration will be from 12 Noon to 12:30 PM, with the Convention to be called to order promptly at 12:30 PM.

The Convention will kick-off with a great fundraiser for the Rhode Island Republican Assembly State Political Action Committee, featuring speeches by Republican candidates seeking our organization's endorsement. A great selection of hot and cold hors d'oeuvres will be served, and there will be a cash bar available. For your enjoyment, live musical entertainment will be provided throughout the afternoon by the band, Wing-It.

Candidate speeches, as well as brief question and answer periods for each, will likely last until about 2:30 PM. Immediately thereafter, RIRA Delegates will vote on candidate endorsements. All nominations will be made from the floor. Endorsements may be made in federal, statewide, as well as in R.I. House and R.I. Senate races. Per our bylaws, RIRA endorsements require a two-thirds affirmative vote of those eligible RIRA Delegates present. All voting in contested races will be conducted by secret ballot. In addition, Delegates will also consider several important resolutions.

RSVP in advance by Facebook or by e-mail would be greatly appreciated for planning purposes, but is not required. Tickets may be paid for in advance or at the door. Personal or PAC checks should be made payable to "RIRA-PAC." To reserve your tickets by mail today, please send your request and payment ASAP to:

Rhode Island Republican Assembly PAC
19 Bakers Creek Road
Warwick, RI 02886

You may also quickly and securely pay for your tickets online with a credit card or electronic check via http://ri-ra.org/convention/. All prepaid tickets will be held at the door. For any inquiries, you may contact RIRA President Raymond T. McKay at (401) 487-2514 or by e-mail at: president@ri-ra.org.

Portsmouth Institute Conference on Newman and the Intellectual Tradition

Registration for the upcoming conference on Newman and the Intellectual Tradition is still open with the Portsmouth Institute, at the Portsmouth Abbey School:

This year’s Portsmouth Institute conference will be held June 10-13, on Newman and the Intellectual Tradition. The conference will be held just months prior to Cardinal Newman’s beatification, which is now expected to be presided over by Pope Benedict XVI personally, during his official visit to England next September. ...

So far our roster includes a number of distinguished speakers. Fr. Ian Ker of Oxford University, author of the definitive intellectual biography of Newman, will speak on “Newman’s (and Pope Benedict XVI’s) Hermeneutic of Continuity;” Professor Peter Kreeft of Boston College will speak on Newman’s great poem, The Dream of Gerontius; Dr. Paul Griffiths of Duke University will speak on Newman’s The Grammar of Assent; Father George Rutler, Pastor of the Church of Our Saviour in Manhattan, will speak on “The Anglican Newman and Recent Developments;” and Edward Short, whose book on Newman and his contemporaries will be published next year, will speak on “Newman and the Americans.” Deacon John Sullivan of the Boston Archdiocese will preach about his miraculous healing after praying to John Henry Newman. Patrick Reilly, the president of the Cardinal Newman Society, will speak on "Newman and the Renewal of Catholic Identity in American Catholic Higher Education", and Father Paul Chavasse of the Birmingham Oratory will speak at dinner Friday evening on the Newman cause for canonization, of which he is the former postulator.

Musical Director Troy Quinn is planning a Saturday evening concert featuring major sections of Elgar’s monumental The Dream of Gerontius as well as a shorter concert on Friday evening. Although the main body of the conference will be Friday and Saturday, there will be recreational opportunities at Carnegie Abbey and elsewhere on Thursday afternoon, a welcoming cookout at Green Animals Thursday evening, and a closing Mass and brunch on Sunday morning for all who wish to attend these additional events.

Several Anchor Rising contributors attended events at last year's conference on William F. Buckley and found it to be a wonderful way to spend a few days.

Registration and additional information can be found on the Portsmouth Institute's Web site.

Not a Telethon, Just a Note

We know as well as anybody that times continue to be difficult — financially harrowing, even — and we're not going to make a daily habit of begging for your limited resources. But please do consider helping us keep up the fight. A great deal of work goes into Anchor Rising each day, and the comprehensiveness of its content is only limited by time, which in turn is only limited by our need to put food on the table.

Please, if you have the means, consider supporting us in our work.

Subscriptions of $0.25 per day (payments of $7.60 per month) and donations of any size may be made using credit cards via PayPal (no PayPal account is necessary) by clicking the following:

Those who would prefer the more direct route of checks or money orders can make them out to Anchor Rising and send them to:

Anchor Rising
P.O. Box 751
Portsmouth, RI 02871

For advertising, whether along the sides of the blog or as one of these here Community Crier posts, email Justin.

There is Still Time to Register for Operation Clean Government's Candidate School, and Become Part of One of the Biggest Sessions Ever!

This year, Operation Clean Government's will host its 5th-biannual Candidate School session. The Candidate School was originated in 2002 by Bruce Lange, founding chairman of Operation Clean Government, and has been conducted in every election year since. Governor Donald Carcieri and former Cranston Mayor Steve Laffey attended the inaugural session. Providence Mayor David Cicilline is an alum, along with Cranston Mayor Alan Fung. Independent Senator Ed O'Neill, who won an upset victory over Senate President Joseph Montalbano in the last election, was a 2008 attendee, along with Republican Representative Brian Newberry and Democrat Representative Deborah Ruggerio. They also beat incumbents in 2008. This year all three will be members of a panel in the afternoon session, How to Beat an Entrenched-Incumbent, a first time offering on the curriculum.

Like OCG, the Candidate School is non-partisan with a focus on local and state office races. It is suited for both candidates and campaign workers.

2010 is shaping up to be an extraordinary election year. The rise of the Tea Party movement, the disastrous economy, high unemployment figures, the surprise win by Scott Brown in Massachusetts and the overall anti-incumbent mood just about everywhere have awakened the people, motivating action to change the direction in which our state and country is moving. Already OCG has double the applicants to Candidate School than at the same time two years ago -- and that was before the bulk of the registrations which usually happen in the last week prior to the event, so record turnout is expected, especially since there may be more primary contests in 2008. There are many first-time participants in the political arena ready to take an active roll in changing government in Rhode Island.

Citizens new to the political process can be overwhelmed at first by the requirements and challenges involved in seeking office. Our program gives these citizen activists the tools they need to run a successful campaign, with topics ranging from the nuts and bolts of filing, to setting up the structure of a campaign and raising funds, to background on key issues, to developing a message and using the media, the web and social networking to deliver that message and target potential voters. Two workshops are dedicated to minority and women candidates.

The registration fee is $95 which includes a full breakfast, lunch, coffee breaks and a comprehensive manual on campaign know how. The Date is Saturday, March 6, all day at the Quonset 'O' Club in North Kingstown. Registration closes on February 28. Click on the link here to learn more details and sign up on line.

Portsmouth Institute Second Annual Conference: Newman and the Intellectual Tradition

The Portsmouth Institute, at the Portsmouth Abbey School, has unveiled the topic and initial itinerary for the follow-up conference to its very successful event exploring "the Catholic William F. Buckley":

This year’s Portsmouth Institute conference will be held June 10-13, on Newman and the Intellectual Tradition. The conference will be held just months prior to Cardinal Newman’s beatification, which is now expected to be presided over by Pope Benedict XVI personally, during his official visit to England next September. ...

So far our roster includes a number of distinguished speakers. Fr. Ian Ker of Oxford University, author of the definitive intellectual biography of Newman, will speak on “Newman’s (and Pope Benedict XVI’s) Hermeneutic of Continuity;” Professor Peter Kreeft of Boston College will speak on Newman’s great poem, The Dream of Gerontius; Dr. Paul Griffiths of Duke University will speak on Newman’s The Grammar of Assent; Father George Rutler, Pastor of the Church of Our Saviour in Manhattan, will speak on “The Anglican Newman and Recent Developments;” and Edward Short, whose book on Newman and his contemporaries will be published next year, will speak on “Newman and the Americans.” Deacon John Sullivan of the Boston Archdiocese will preach about his miraculous healing after praying to John Henry Newman. Patrick Reilly, the president of the Cardinal Newman Society, will speak on "Newman and the Renewal of Catholic Identity in American Catholic Higher Education", and Father Paul Chavasse of the Birmingham Oratory will speak at dinner Friday evening on the Newman cause for canonization, of which he is the former postulator.

Musical Director Troy Quinn is planning a Saturday evening concert featuring major sections of Elgar’s monumental The Dream of Gerontius as well as a shorter concert on Friday evening. Although the main body of the conference will be Friday and Saturday, there will be recreational opportunities at Carnegie Abbey and elsewhere on Thursday afternoon, a welcoming cookout at Green Animals Thursday evening, and a closing Mass and brunch on Sunday morning for all who wish to attend these additional events.

Registration and additional information can be found on the Portsmouth Institute's Web site.

Promotions and the Like

Because I've gotten tripped up by this a couple of times myself recently, we're all getting a quick refresher course.

Following are ways to promote your business, your ideas, your candidacy, your event on the "premier conservative webblog in the state of Rhode Island". (Hey, I'm just quoting someone else.)

Sidebar Ad

$30 per week | $55 for two weeks | $100 for a month | $280 for three months.

A Community Crier Post

Good for:

- Event announcements

- Regular newsletters/roundups

- Press releases

- Advertisements

- Advocacy

- Any other content that would benefit from thousands of page views per day

Rates:

$50 for 1 post = $50 | $45 per for 7 posts = $315 | $40 per for 14 posts = $560 | $35 per for 30 posts = $1,050 | $20 per for 90 posts = $1,800 | $15 per for 182 posts = $2,730 | $10 per for 365 posts = $3,650

More info here.

Last but definitely not least, if you simply enjoy Anchor Rising, consider a subscription. (This also makes an appropriate gift, Christmas and year 'round, for that political junkie who otherwise seems to have everything.) This accrues no premium other than the knowledge that you are supporting a "premier conservative webblog" with our gratitude; on the bright side, you will have done your bit to save the planet as no trees have to be felled for an A.R. subscription.

John Loughlin: Resolutions for the Holiday and Beyond

The holiday season is a great time to reflect on changes we would like to see in the next session of Congress - and resolve to work in the coming year to make those changes a reality. In keeping with that spirit, here are a few items on my Christmas list and, I hope, on yours.

"CHECKING IT TWICE..."
I believe all members of Congress should be required to read legislation before voting, and given sufficient time to do so.

"AND IF YOU EVER SAW IT..."
I will make sure all legislation is posted in final form for a minimum of 72 hours before it can eligible for a vote.

"NO STOCKING STUFFERS..."
I want to limit all legislation to one discrete subject per bill, outlawing the practice of tagging on unpopular and unrelated legislation to bills that must pass.

"I'M TELLING YOU WHY..."
I believe all legislation must contain a statement of the enumerated constitutional authority which allows the legislation. If our Constitution does not specifically allow Congress to make a specific law or regulation, they shouldn't be allowed to pass it.

"WHO'S NAUGHTY OR NICE..."
I want to make sure Congress will no longer vote themselves pay raises. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3% and even then by two-thirds, on-the-record, roll-call vote.

"SILVER BELLS... NOT GOLDEN PARACHUTES..."
There should be no elite congressional pensions: Members of Congress can contribute to their own retirement plan like rest of us.

"DO YOU HEAR WHAT I HEAR?"
I believe Congress must equally abide in all laws they impose on the American people. No congressional exemptions from the laws they pass on the rest of us.

"GOD BLESS US ALL... EVERYONE!"
I want Congress to lose their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people.

"AND TO ALL, A GOODNIGHT..."
I believe in Term Limits: The next Congress must enact legislation to make a constitutional change, to be ratified by the states, limiting the terms of all Senators and Representatives in Congress.

State Representative John J. Loughlin II is running for the First Congressional District of Rhode Island.

http://www.johnloughlin.org/

A Personal Appeal

I brought our "blegathon," asking for donations, to Wednesday night's Matt Allen Show: Stream by clicking here, or download it.

Going on the radio regularly and participating in all of the events and activities that Anchor Rising affords us the opportunity to attend are unambiguous perks of the occupation. More than simple interest and enjoyment, observing interactions and personal behavior across a deep swath of human society is pricelessly edifying for somebody who, like me, should probably confess to being a writer before all else. This is not to suggest that those whom I meet should expect (or fear) to be recast as thinly disguised fictional characters in some future novel, but that a broad experience with humanity enhances authorial sympathy, enabling art to reflect life and the artist to perceive the brilliance of Creation.

Such familiarity cannot be gained, of course, without the periodically painful pinch of contrast. Rubbing shoulders with moguls and masters, politicians and professors, inheritors, icons tends to bring into sharp relief the poorly hidden stitches in one's own tattered suit. (No doubt, some of the aforementioned have noticed worn shoes and loose buttons.) My financial difficulties are mostly of my own doing. They are also edifying, in their way, and a sense of humor rooted in religious faith makes their burden not entirely bereft of enjoyment. But they exist and they require answer each month in a stack of unpayable bills.

The plain reality is that Anchor Rising now lacks the resources to free me from any more mornings or days away from the construction site. At my own current trajectory, 2010 may find me unable to afford the gasoline to traverse the state in the evening. It would not surprise me on any given morning to awake and find that the high-speed Internet that makes posting video a matter of minutes, not hours, has been cut off. That's just the way it is. It's embarrassing, to be sure, and it's perhaps too easy to find experiential value in such a state of being, as well. An author will always be inclined to have the most sympathy for his or her own situation. But as romantic as the notion might be, it simply wouldn't be plausible to pen Anchor Rising on assorted papers and hop upon cargo trains to travel from one event to the next. It's all well and good to jot the bulk of a blog post on a fingerjointed and preprimed scrap of one-by-ten, but if that's where the words remain, the storage costs would quickly become astronomical.

With that, we end our week of financial appeals. Please help it to have been a success.

Subscriptions of $0.25 per day (payments of $7.60 per month) and donations of any size may be made using credit cards via PayPal (no PayPal account is necessary) by clicking the following:

Those who would prefer the more direct route of checks or money orders can make them out to Anchor Rising and send them to:

Anchor Rising
P.O. Box 751
Portsmouth, RI 02871

For advertising, whether along the sides of the blog or as one of these here Community Crier posts, email Justin.

An Update on Response

With Thursday comes an irresistible urge toward honesty: None of our previous "blegathons" asking for donations have broken the bounds of "meager," and this week would probably best be described as "pitiful" (which, the conservative optimist must admit, is better than "utter failure" and "death.") And yet our readership continues to expand.

The economy surely accounts for the lion's share of that discrepancy, but a couple of other factors, unique to us, might come into play. For one thing, as a content base grows on the Internet (as Anchor Rising's archives grow every day), an increasing percentage of traffic likely comes by way of search engines and the ripples of links spreading out into cyberspace. Transient readers, like brand new readers, aren't likely to become instant sponsors.

Conversely, in certain cases, familiarity might lead to a hesitance to offer financial support. It would be a suspicious outcome, indeed, if readers didn't find somewhere, at some level, to disagree with us, and to do so very strongly. We're not here to hit some middle line of conservative thought (let alone Rhode Islander thought), making the occasional off-putting stand an inevitability.

But the fact is that a significant number of people read this site on a regular basis. Whether the motivation is political ammunition, enlightenment, a chance for rhetorical battle, or even just mild entertainment during a coffee break, please consider answering our voluntary work with a voluntary donation.

Subscriptions of $0.25 per day (payments of $7.60 per month) and donations of any size may be made using credit cards via PayPal (no PayPal account is necessary) by clicking the following:

Those who would prefer the more direct route of checks or money orders can make them out to Anchor Rising and send them to:

Anchor Rising
P.O. Box 751
Portsmouth, RI 02871

For advertising, whether along the sides of the blog or as one of these here Community Crier posts, email Justin.

A Continuous Growth Curve

It's been encouraging to watch, over the past month, our visitor statistics recover from the typical summer doldrums, which this year followed upon some post-election exhaustion. (Although astonishing government activity served to mitigate that dip.) Thus has it been every year and every election cycle: ups and downs, but a continuously upward trend line.

Many of you make it part of your routine to stop by Anchor Rising and often to participate, and from our perspective, that is really the most significant thing that you can do to keep the site going. If, however, you have the means, we ask you to consider keeping it going in that additional — financial — way. Maintenance is not so inexpensive or light of workload as it used to be, and every amount, large or small, helps and encourages.

Subscriptions of $0.25 per day (payments of $7.60 per month) and donations of any size may be made using credit cards via PayPal (no PayPal account is necessary) by clicking the following:

Those who would prefer the more direct route of checks or money orders can make them out to Anchor Rising and send them to:

Anchor Rising
P.O. Box 751
Portsmouth, RI 02871

For advertising, whether along the sides of the blog or as one of these here Community Crier posts, email Justin.

In a Necessary Niche

We're on all the mailing lists, of course, so we're aware of the dozen or so groups in Rhode Island with similar objectives and related activities to ours, and we support them all. That said, we're all looking for big donors, small donors, grants, advertisements, subscribers, and members, and it's a relatively small field that we're attempting to sow.

Among these right-leaning harvesters, however, Anchor Rising is unique in method and in focus, and there's clearly a necessary role that we strive to fulfill. As made evident by our continued posting, we're not in this for the money and will continue as long as we're able, and as long as we seem to be having a net positive effect. But the more time we're able to compensate from our lives, the more equipment we're able to procure, and the more expenses we're able to cover, the better we'll be armed to fill gaps in knowledge and to analyze the myriad issues that Rhode Island (and the country) must resolve in order to turn itself around.

Subscriptions of $0.25 per day (payments of $7.60 per month) and donations of any size may be made using credit cards via PayPal (no PayPal account is necessary) by clicking the following:

Those who would prefer the more direct route of checks or money orders can make them out to Anchor Rising and send them to:

Anchor Rising
P.O. Box 751
Portsmouth, RI 02871

For advertising, whether along the sides of the blog or as one of these here Community Crier posts, email Justin.

Anchor Rising Making the Autumn Ask

Times are tough, and in Rhode Island, they're going to get tougher. Everybody is fully justified in keeping their wallets closely held, no matter how much politicians and media types strain to cast it as a sort of civic duty to make sure consumer spending (and debt) doesn't drag government redistributors and wealthy investors down. It is only more fitting, therefore, that we make our appeal as it ought to be made: on the merits.

It has been through donations and some limited advertising that Anchor Rising has been able to expand its offerings and capabilities. We've bought technology. Paid our way into events, as necessary. Reimbursed pay lost in the name of AR-related activities. It doesn't take a multi-million-dollar infusion of earmarked pork to make such things possible, but frankly, financial realities may soon begin to restrict what we're able to do — just as what we do becomes more critical.

So, here's the pitch: We don't hold back for political reasons, we don't deceive, and we don't "play ball" (as tense emails and conversations with opponents and allies alike would amply prove). We just learn for learning's sake and offer our opinions. We seek out that which we believe we need to know and share it with you — in the form of reportage, of data, of video, of audio — allowing you to respond. Inasmuch as we all work full-time and are involved in other activities, our limits are ever before us, but that is what we do.

We ask you to support us in the effort — to maintain and continue to expand our capacity to dash around this teetering ship of a state pulling, tugging, and shouting so as to right it... or at least to prepare for rescue should it sink.

Subscriptions of $0.25 per day (payments of $7.60 per month) and donations of any size may be made using credit cards via PayPal (no PayPal account is necessary) by clicking the following:

Those who would prefer the more direct route of checks or money orders can make them out to Anchor Rising and send them to:

Anchor Rising
P.O. Box 751
Portsmouth, RI 02871

For advertising, whether along the sides of the blog or as one of these here Community Crier posts, email Justin.

Rhode Island Republican Assembly: Saturday's "Victory Over Statism" Day BBQ

This is a reminder that the RHODE ISLAND REPUBLICAN ASSEMBLY PAC will be hosting a big "Victory Over Statism" Day barbecue event outdoors at the Buttonwoods — Masonic Shriners' Family Center, located at 116 Long Street in Warwick, on SATURDAY, August 15th, from 1:00 P.M. until at least 4:00 P.M.

Like many of you, we are deeply concerned with the direction that our nation, and especially our struggling state is heading in. We've had enough of one-party rule in Rhode Island and all the ills that go with it. We want to do something about it, but to do that, we need your support. Through this and other outreach efforts, we will be working to support the growth of a robust conservative coalition in Rhode Island. We welcome the participation of all pro-freedom and pro-Constitution individuals, as well as other local conservative groups. We want to emphasize that this is not a "Republican only" event. All conservatives are welcome.

There will be plenty of Barbecued Chicken, Angus Hamburgers, Ball Park Hot Dogs, Kosher Hot Dogs, Corn-on-the-cob, various side dishes, and all the fixings for you and your family to enjoy. Besides acres of well-kept park land and walking paths with a great view of Narragansett Bay, the Buttonwoods — Masonic Shriners' Family Center has volleyball courts, tennis courts, basketball, horseshoes, swimming pools, swing sets, and other amenities for you and your whole family to enjoy. In addition to all the food and fun, we will have a great speaking program of conservative leaders who will share their thoughts about what we can do to become more engaged in the political process. Confirmed speakers currently include:

HELEN GLOVER, Local Radio Personality
REP. JOHN LOUGHLIN, Candidate for United State Congress (Dist. 1)
MARK ZACCARIA, Candidate for United State Congress (Dist. 2)
ERIK WALLIN, Candidate for Rhode Island Attorney General
COLLEEN CONLEY, President of the Rhode Island Tea Party
TERRY GORMAN, Founder of Rhode Islanders for Immigration Law Enforcement
BARTH BRACY, Executive Director of Rhode Island Right to Life
JOHN ROBITAILLE, Communications Director for Governor Carcieri
BILL FELKNER, Executive Director of the Ocean State Policy Research Institute
TRAVIS ROWLEY, Chairman of the Rhode Island Young Republicans

TICKETS: We have made every effort to keep this event affordable. Tickets for the "VS-DAY" event are only $25.00 per person; Children 12 & Under are only $10.00 each; Children 5 & Under get in for FREE!

PAY ONLINE: If you would like to quickly and securely pay for your BBQ tickets online by credit card or electronic check, please use the "check out" on the RIRA-PAC Web site.

PAY BY CHECK: Please make your personal check payable to "RIRA-PAC." Due to the short time left until "VS-DAY," please e-mail Ray McKay at chair@rirapac.org to RSVP. You can bring your check with you to the event on Saturday. It would greatly help us for planning purposes to know that you're coming!

Funds raised in excess of our costs will go towards helping the Rhode Island Republican Assembly Political Action Committee (RIRA-PAC) support conservative state and local candidates in 2010. Of course, even if you cannot attend this event, we still welcome your financial support! RIRA-PAC is neither affiliated with, nor endorsed by the Rhode Island Republican State Central Committee or any Masonic organization.

Please visit http://rirapac.org/victory for more details or to Register Online ASAP. For all event inquiries, please contact RIRA-PAC Chair Raymond McKay at chair@rirapac.org or (401) 487-2514.

Stepping Outside of Life for The Portsmouth Institute's Catholic William F. Buckley Conference

From Justin:

Back when I was a catechumen in the process of joining the Roman Catholic Church, a priest giving a Holy Week lecture in Fall River spoke of the need to step outside of life periodically in one's search for a closer relationship with God. The lesson applies beyond we who are explicitly religious: The noise of our habits and routines can disguise universals and drown out the wonder of life.

As I recall, the priest was talking about physical dislocation into the desert, but one needn't travel far for the same (or similar) effect. Indeed, I'm expecting much the same opportunity to arise from taking two days off from work and one off from errands this week to attend a conference at the Portsmouth Abbey School hosted by the newly formed Portsmouth Institute, with the help of a list of familiar personages who will address William F. Buckley's work and life and the role of Roman Catholics in intellectual society:

• Rev. George Rutler, Pastor of Our Saviour Church NYC
• Maggie Gallagher, author and nationally syndicated columnist
• Joseph Bottum, Editor, First Things
• Roger Kimball, author and editor of The New Criterion
• E.J. Dionne, author and syndicated columnist
• Kathryn Lopez: Editor, National Review Online
• Lee Edwards, The Heritage Foundation
• Tony Dolan, chief speechwriter for President Ronald Reagan

Other activities during the June 18-21 event include meals, tours of the school's church and wind turbine, and classical concerts by pianist Lawrence Perelman and Portsmouth Abbey faculty. Register online.

The Portsmouth Institute's Catholic William F. Buckley Conference

From Justin:

Next week's highlight, for me and many other attendees, will be the three-and-a-half day conference hosted at the Portsmouth Abbey School by the newly formed Portsmouth Institute. The opportunity to invest some time in the life of the mind is something that most folks who work must normally squeeze into spare moments and is often accomplished in solitude — with a book, on a computer, or in front of the television.

A conference is more of a community event: in this case, listening to and having a chance to meet the roster of speakers who will address William F. Buckley's work and life and the role of Roman Catholics in intellectual society:

• Rev. George Rutler, Pastor of Our Saviour Church NYC
• Maggie Gallagher, author and nationally syndicated columnist
• Joseph Bottum, Editor, First Things
• Roger Kimball, author and editor of The New Criterion
• E.J. Dionne, author and syndicated columnist
• Kathryn Lopez: Editor, National Review Online
• Lee Edwards, The Heritage Foundation
• Tony Dolan, chief speechwriter for President Ronald Reagan

Other activities during the June 18-21 event include meals, tours of the school's church and wind turbine, and classical concerts by pianist Lawrence Perelman and Portsmouth Abbey faculty. Register online.

Perhaps the key reason to attend, however, remains the fact that we don't see these sorts of events that often in Rhode Island, and the founders of the Portsmouth Institute intend to make a regular practice of them. The best way to ensure that they do so — and that other organizations pursue similar offerings — is simply to respond to the opportunity for edification.

The Portsmouth Institute's Catholic William F. Buckley Conference Approaches

From Justin:

We're less than two weeks away from the three-and-a-half day conference hosted at the Portsmouth Abbey School by the newly formed Portsmouth Institute. There's been one change to the roster of speakers who will address William F. Buckley's work and life and the role of Roman Catholics in intellectual society; unable to make an appearance, Christopher Buckley has provided his slot to Tony Dolan, who was a friend of his father's and a speechwriter for President Reagan:

• Rev. George Rutler, Pastor of Our Saviour Church NYC
• Maggie Gallagher, author and nationally syndicated columnist
• Joseph Bottum, Editor, First Things
• Roger Kimball, author and editor of The New Criterion
• E.J. Dionne, author and syndicated columnist
• Kathryn Lopez: Editor, National Review Online
• Lee Edwards, The Heritage Foundation
• Tony Dolan, chief speechwriter for President Ronald Reagan

Other activities during the June 18-21 event include meals, tours of the school's church and wind turbine, and classical concerts by pianist Lawrence Perelman and Portsmouth Abbey faculty. Register online.

As I've said, we don't see these sorts of events that often in Rhode Island, and the founders of the Portsmouth Institute intend to make a regular practice of them. The best way to ensure that they do so — and that other organizations pursue similar offerings — is simply to respond to the opportunity for edification and attend.

Hosting Matters: Reliable, Reasonable Web Hosting

From Justin:

Knowing little about the functioning of the Internet when I entered the online game back at the turn of the millennium, for my first Web host, I went with a company associated with a popular computer brand. The world was less trusting of online correspondence, then, so the availability of phone support was the other key factor in my choice.

I soon learned that a brand name has little to do with reliable uptime, and telephone support typically means long, stressful conversations with lower-tier "specialists" who know how to solve basic problems that you're not having. Sometimes it would take several late-night hours to finally come across somebody who actually had the knowledge to advise on a critical problem.

Soon thereafter, I took the recommendation of another blogger and switched to Hosting Matters. The company offers reasonable, easily expandable packages offering more features than I've yet found reason to explore. When we at Anchor Rising do find something new that we'd like to try, I've always found that the function is already supported. More importantly, the service is very rarely down, and problems with the Web site almost always originated somewhere else in the chain.

Most importantly, the email-based technical support has always produced rapid responses, no matter the urgency level that I claim, and the people who respond — usually the same two women with whom I've been dealing for years — quickly find the problem and know how to fix it. If the "problem" is actually my own lack of knowledge about how to accomplish something, the host's forums and knowledge base often have the answer, and if they don't, the technical support help desk does.

The options for Web hosting are virtually unlimited. The nature of the medium is such that one can go with a company from pretty much anywhere, and there are few obvious reasons to choose one over the other. But there are many reasons that Anchor Rising has remained on the servers at Hosting Matters and is happy to recommend the provider to others.

The Portsmouth Institute's Catholic William F. Buckley Conference

From Justin:

Among the highlights of my summer is likely to be the three-and-a-half day conference hosted at the Portsmouth Abbey School by the newly formed Portsmouth Institute. Taking William F. Buckley as the unifying theme, a series of familiarly named speakers will address Mr. Buckley's work and life and the role of Roman Catholics in intellectual society:

• Rev. George Rutler, Pastor of Our Saviour Church NYC
• Maggie Gallagher, author and nationally syndicated columnist
• Joseph Bottum, Editor, First Things
• Roger Kimball, author and editor of The New Criterion
• E.J. Dionne, author and syndicated columnist
• Kathryn Lopez: Editor, National Review Online
• Lee Edwards, The Heritage Foundation
• Christopher Buckley, author

Other activities during the June 18-21 event include meals, tours of the school's church and wind turbine, and classical concerts by pianist Lawrence Perelman and Portsmouth Abbey faculty. Register online.

At least to my experience, we don't see these sorts of events that often in Rhode Island, and the founders of the Portsmouth Institute intend to make a regular practice of them. The best way to ensure that they do so — and that other organizations pursue similar offerings — is simply to respond to the opportunity for edification and attend.

Introducing the Community Crier

To provide some company for Engaged Citizen, Anchor Rising herewith introduces Community Crier — your opportunity to publish paid content to the site as direct posts. The feature is particularly well suited for:

• Event announcements
• Regular newsletters/roundups
• Press releases
• Advertisements
• Advocacy
• Any other content that would benefit from thousands of page views per day

Regular Community Crier rates are as follows:

• $50 for 1 post = $50
• $45 per for 7 posts = $315
• $40 per for 14 posts = $560
• $35 per for 30 posts = $1,050
• $20 per for 90 posts = $1,800
• $15 per for 182 posts = $2,730
• $10 per for 365 posts = $3,650

Contact us with any inquiries.

Notes:

• Content and length to be approved on a case-by-case basis.
• All purchased posts to be utilized within a one-year period.
• Limit of one post per day.
• Posts to remain in Anchor Rising's archives until such time as Anchor Rising deems it prudent or necessary to remove them.
• Anchor Rising reserves the right to decline content for any reason.
• Bartering available at Anchor Rising's discretion.