Ripple

A water drop and ripples

One reason to fear government control of healthcare is the reluctance to reevaluate.

By Justin Katz | April 2, 2024 |

Rich Weinstein’s quip, here, exposes a deadly serious problem with the progressive style of governance: Rhode Island jumped into ObamaCare with both feet, and not only are our hospitals struggling, but people are having a terrible time finding primary care doctors.  Maybe those two things are cause-and-effect, maybe they’re loosely related, or maybe there’s no…

A water drop and ripples

Notice that McKee’s snafu attempt to meet with businesses in East Providence failed because he didn’t want to cross the bridge.

By Justin Katz | April 1, 2024 |

This incident, highlighted by John DePetro, is a few weeks old, at this point, but it’s worth noting nonetheless.  Democrat Governor Dan McKee and Democrat East Providence Mayor Bob DaSilva were supposed to meet with businesses affected by the Washington Bridge closure.  DaSilva has been adamant that people should not avoid his city out of…

A water drop and ripples

Every datapoint has become a political Rorschach test.

By Justin Katz | April 1, 2024 |

I agree with Mickey Kaus, here: Under President Trump, our dip was shallower than the comparison countries in the chart, and the economy was roaring back by the time Biden took office. If anything’s notable, it’s how hard Biden put the brakes on within months of being in office, with continued slowing in improvement thereafter. …

A water drop and ripples

Maybe mental illness isn’t the cause of progressivism.

By Justin Katz | March 14, 2024 |

This is an interesting bit of data, and Frank Fleming’s response is humorous, but a question of causation and another bit of information are relevant: The bit of information that’s missing is the percentage of each group who’s asked a healthcare provider to diagnose a mental health condition. No doubt, psychologists and psychiatrists could find something…

A water drop and ripples

No, RIPEC, funding isn’t the problem in RI infrastructure.

By Justin Katz | March 13, 2024 |

It’s hard to believe this is the conclusion of the CEO of the “business-backed” Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council (RIPEC): The state should consider alternatives pursued by other states like road usage charges, electric vehicle charging fees, increased registration fees for hybrid/electric vehicles, or tolls (especially if the state is unsuccessful in its appeal of…

A water drop and ripples

What corruption might we find if we looked?

By Justin Katz | March 13, 2024 |

These stories come much too quickly to keep up, digest, and consider, but Mel’s review of Letitia James’s campaign finance reports a few weeks ago is worth a look: What might we find in RI, if we looked?

A water drop and ripples

Be great if we talked more about young’ns voting.

By Justin Katz | March 12, 2024 |

Letting 17-year-olds vote in primaries if they’ll be eligible to vote in the associated general elections is certainly reasonable, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t note a pair of conspicuous questions along the way. Firstly, why do Democrats seem always to want to expand voting toward the most manipulable constituencies? Secondly (and perhaps relatedly), why…

A water drop and ripples

Sometimes it’s the minor legislation (like weekly pay mandates) that is the most telling.

By Justin Katz | March 11, 2024 |

This legislation is hardly the most-pressing matter facing Rhode Island at the moment: Sen. Frank A. Ciccone III and Rep. Enrique George Sanchez are sponsoring legislation to require most businesses in Rhode Island to pay their employees weekly. Has either of these legislators ever had to make payroll for a business?  One suspects they simply…

A water drop and ripples

Vitalogy is a reminder of our need for adventure (at least for me).

By Justin Katz | March 6, 2024 |

Yesterday, I listened to Pearl Jam’s Vitalogy album all the way though for maybe the first time because it’s the 574th best-selling album, and I’m tracing that list from the top. The band’s prior recording, Vs., had been such a disappointment that I didn’t bother with its follow-up. Vs. came out while I was a…

A water drop and ripples

Plotting degree prices versus earnings 10-years later yields unexpected results in Rhode Island.

By Justin Katz | March 4, 2024 |

This is certainly not where I’d have placed the dots if somebody asked me to guess: That Rhode Island College is the least expensive, and doesn’t seem to produce a great effect isn’t a surprise.  Johnson & Whales, however, is surprising, and New England Institute of Technology is even more so, both in how expensive…