Justin Katz

A water drop and ripples

Federal government data simply can no longer be taken at face value.

By Justin Katz | October 16, 2024 |

I realized this when watching Democrats’ repeated proclamations about jobs numbers during the Obama years only to see those numbers quietly revised the following month, almost always with the revision making touted jobs disappear, rather than quiet corrections representing improvements. Now, it seems crime data has the same partisan infection.  All year, we’ve been hearing…

A heavy man races casually without competition

Politics This Week: Corruption Without Competition

By Justin Katz | October 15, 2024 |

John DePetro and Justin Katz discuss ways in which corruption thrives without competitive elections.

A bored RI governor waits for the work day to end

Politics This Week: When “Public Service” Is the Day Job

By Justin Katz | October 7, 2024 |

John DePetro and Justin Katz wonder where the will for public service has gone.

A water drop and ripples

A belated word on Russia-funded conservative commentators.

By Justin Katz | October 1, 2024 |

The news cycle flows by so quickly, lately, that political actors and activists are learning it’s sometimes best to just keep your head down and let the controversy of the day join the rest of the noise tomorrow.  Nonetheless, I think there’s something worth noting in the now-passed story about Russia funding some conservative commentators.…

Tow truck driver in a suit sleeps at the wheel by the side of the road

Politics This Week: Leadership Asleep at the Wheel

By Justin Katz | September 30, 2024 |

John DePetro and Justin Katz review some of the ways in which Rhode Island’s priorities are out of whack.

A water drop and ripples

Are you feeling the wobble in RI’s medical infrastructure?

By Justin Katz | September 24, 2024 |

I find it ominous that one of my children’s dentist just cancelled an appointment for tomorrow due to short staffing. RI’s medical infrastructure feels a bit like we could get the equivalent of an emergency Washington Bridge closure at any time.  Or maybe we’ve been getting them, but the people who run the state are…

Toys march out of the playroom

Politics This Week: Why Should They Stay?

By Justin Katz | September 23, 2024 |

John DePetro and Justin Katz check in on politics in RI.

A Democrat self-interviews

Politics This Week: The Primary Party

By Justin Katz | September 16, 2024 |

John DePetro and Justin Katz discuss the political news of the week.

A water drop and ripples

We have to take the reality of meddling billionaires into account.

By Justin Katz | September 14, 2024 |

Last night, I read a business case about a handful of billionaires who’ve been trying to make lab-grown meat a viable consumer product, and I wondered something tangential.  Imagine if a handful of billionaires decided they needed to have a pliable big-government progressive in the White House. They might flood her accounts with hundreds of…

A water drop and ripples

The point of government seems to be as a way to make politicians feel like celebrities.

By Justin Katz | September 13, 2024 |

It’s a passing thought, of course, but Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee’s mild lament that a State House celebration of a basketball trophy is happening during school hours bugs me.  Somehow, it emphasizes the point that our government officials see the well-being of children — of all regular Rhode Islanders, for that matter — as…