Justin Katz

A prison warden hides his keys behind his back during a fire

Days of Reckoning for the Salt of RI’s Earth

By Justin Katz | April 11, 2024 |

The point can’t be stressed enough that Rhode Islanders should understand the Washington Bridge debacle as a representative lesson on our state government.  For that reason, not the least, Mark Patinkin’s conversations with local affected business owners is an article to print and review periodically in the future.  Restauranteurs and venue owners bought and built…

A water drop and ripples

How much space is there between the RI Foundation and the Democrat Party?

By Justin Katz | April 11, 2024 |

I’m still puzzled by the presence of the leader of the Rhode Island Foundation in this image: Is the foundation involved with this project, was this just a bunch of buddies hanging out for a photo op, or is there really no space at all between state government, federal government, and the non-profit sector —…

A water drop and ripples

Don’t let mockery distract from the most important revelation in Sen. Kennedy’s questioning.

By Justin Katz | April 10, 2024 |

To be honest, I feel for Gus Schumacher, the young man whom many conservatives mocked when he was the target of pointed questioning from Republican Senator John Kennedy: Yes, it’s telling that an ostensible witness for greater government control as a response to “climate change” knows very little about the science, but we’ve raised several…

A yacht sails toward an almost entirely submerged city.

The Maher life can’t be representative of human needs.

By Justin Katz | April 10, 2024 |

Arguably, Eric Abbenante— overstates the degree of “debate” in this clip featuring Dr. Phil and Bill Maher, but the difference in point of view he highlights is the crucial one.  Here’s Abbenante: Bill Maher and Dr Phil debate the importance of family and religion: “You think family and faith are a big fix to the…

A water drop and ripples

Ken Block is telling Democrats the story they want to hear.

By Justin Katz | April 10, 2024 |

I don’t doubt Ken is being honest about his findings, or lack thereof, from his voter fraud review in 2020, but from the very first, I’ve though he’s was overstating his scope and the extent to which his investigation was conclusive.  Very plainly put, “I did not find evidence” is not the same as “there…

A water drop and ripples

Strange how nobody seems to care about the FAFSA debacle.

By Justin Katz | April 9, 2024 |

Joe Biden abusing the authority of his office to buy votes by transferring student loan debt to other Americans is back in the news, and it reminds me that I haven’t seen any mainstream coverage of a disaster facing just about every college-bound family in the United States this year: If, like me, you have…

The Independent Man drives away from the State House

Politics This Week: Arrested Hope

By Justin Katz | April 8, 2024 |

John DePetro and Justin Katz review some of the distractions and calamities in Rhode Island government.

A water drop and ripples

Rhode Islanders don’t want the public transportation statists want them to want.

By Justin Katz | April 5, 2024 |

For an academic project not long ago I reviewed data on RIPTA bus routes, including surveys of riders of every line in the system, so the unstated assumption of Antonia Noori Farzan’s recent Providence Journal article on the subject jumped out at me.  The headline is, “What’s it like to rely on RIPTA to get…

A water drop and ripples

Government economic statistics are starting to feel like the work of zombies.

By Justin Katz | April 4, 2024 |

Some months, it surprises me to find economists still putting out regular analyses of government employment statistics.  Perhaps I’m too jaded, but I’ve completely lost confidence in the data. I used to have my monthly jobs review posts for both the Ocean State Current and the RI Center for Freedom & Prosperity, but during the two…

A water drop and ripples

Opposition to school choice is meant to control teachers, too.

By Justin Katz | April 4, 2024 |

Here’s a good addendum to my post, yesterday, about progressives’ response to discipline policies in charter schools: Those who oppose school choice are also limiting the options for teachers.  They’re only about control.  They want to make sure teachers can’t get out of the pension system, and they want to make sure children can’t get…