In Depth

Degrees of Separation

By Justin Katz | December 8, 2004 |

The alarm siren that this news sets off should be audible as distantly as Hawaii: Superior Court Judge Netti Vogel last week issued a permanent injunction blocking the state’s three-year agreement with United. United rival Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island had sought the injunction, claiming the state’s handling of the bids was…

WARL 1320 AM Radio Show Appearance

By | December 8, 2004 | Comments Off on WARL 1320 AM Radio Show Appearance

I will be appearing on Rick Adams’ radio show on WARL 1320 AM (“Reality Radio”) in Providence, Rhode Island, next Wednesday, December 15, from 8-9 p.m. You can also hear the radio station streamed online at its Web site.

Anchor in the Update

By Justin Katz | December 8, 2004 | Comments Off on Anchor in the Update

Thanks to Dave Talan for including a mention of Anchor Rising in the latest edition of his R.I. Republican Update email. The blurb is about “the relatively new occurrence” of the blog movement. Talan also mentions Chuck Nevola’s The Senescent Man (as well as Dust in the Light and The Ocean State Blogger). There aren’t…

Warwick School Board Election: A Litmus Test

By Marc Comtois | December 8, 2004 | Comments Off on Warwick School Board Election: A Litmus Test

Yesterday I “braved” the rain to vote in a special election that sought to winnow down the candidates for an open school committee seat from 5 to 2. Dr. Saleh R. Shahid and Lucille Mota-Costa emerged as the winners. Shahid is a registered Republican who has unsuccessfully run for both the State Legislature and State…

Re: The Politics of Charter Schools

By | December 7, 2004 | Comments Off on Re: The Politics of Charter Schools

Marc: I published a ProJo editorial in March that noted the ludicrous comments last Spring about Governor Carcieri’s then-proposed modest increase in charter school funding and insignificant reduction in general education funding. What made the comments so ridiculous was the proposed small changes in funding for the upcoming year were completely dwarfed by the hefty…

The Politics of Charter Schools

By Marc Comtois | December 7, 2004 |

While visiting The Learning Community Charter School in Pawtucket, Governor Carcieri floated the idea of removing the state’s charter school cap, which limits each school district to two charter schools (except Providence, which is allowed four). Predictably, there are those who disagree with the Governor about removing the cap, even though recent studies have shown…

Misguided Incentives Drive Public Sector Taxation

By Donald B. Hawthorne | December 6, 2004 |

Talking about a pro-tax ballot initiative defeated in Oregon during 2002, a Wall Street Journal editorial stated: When the budget issue is framed in terms of higher taxes, voters don’t understand why government should be exempt from the same spending discipline the rest of us live by. “I am a normal person and when I…

Misguided Incentives Drive Public Sector Taxation

By | December 6, 2004 |

Talking about a pro-tax ballot initiative defeated in Oregon during 2002, a Wall Street Journal editorial stated: When the budget issue is framed in terms of higher taxes, voters don’t understand why government should be exempt from the same spending discipline the rest of us live by. “I am a normal person and when I…

Taxation Without Representation… or Even Personhood

By Justin Katz | December 6, 2004 | Comments Off on Taxation Without Representation… or Even Personhood

Robert Whitcomb’s writing, as much as conservatives might find to disagree with, is refreshing for the simple fact that he obviously thinks things through and is willing to take an unpopular position when his thinking demands it: Corporate-income taxes — local, state or federal — are absurd, and should be abolished. I say that as…

Taricani’s Right to Trial-By-Jury

By Carroll Andrew Morse | December 6, 2004 | Comments Off on Taricani’s Right to Trial-By-Jury

I was surprised to read in Sunday’s Projo that the Taricani case continues. There is still a fundamental question I have yet to see answered anywhere in public. Did Taricani waive his right to a jury trial in this case? If so, why? If not, how has Judge Torres’ managed to skirt the whole right-to-trial-by-jury…