Justin Katz

An old, rusty chain

Standard economic analysis misses the rising “government plantation” in RI.

By Justin Katz | August 24, 2023 |

Rhode Island Current, a newcomer to the Ocean State’s media landscape, recently published an article by Nancy Lavin asking the perennial question, “What’s with RI jobs data?”  Over the decades of my interest in the topic, this ambiguity has been a running theme.  The state has no (and cannot have any) economic confidence. We’re like…

Sledge hammer

Matos’ Home Depot attack on Amo is a lesson in progressive thinking.

By Justin Katz | August 23, 2023 |

Lieutenant Governor Sabina Matos’s attempt to tar competitor Gabe Amos for — get this — having ties to Home Depot is fascinating: He wants voters to focus on his work as a public servant and to ignore the fact that he was a registered lobbyist for Home Depot despite the company’s ties to the far-right…

Sabina Matos takes the oath of office.

Politics This Week: Mostly Matos Muddling

By Justin Katz | August 21, 2023 |

John DePetro and Justin Katz discuss the RI’s political dance… or stumbling.

"I Voted" sticker in a pile of leaves

Fewer Rhode Islanders are qualifying for the ballot.

By Justin Katz | August 18, 2023 |

Decreasing political participation is unhealthy, limiting voters’ choices, tilting incentives toward corruption, and separating We the People from the exercise of government authority, and campaign regulation reform would be a good place to start looking for a fix.

A girl making a mess with paint

Politics This Week: Strategy All Over the Place

By Justin Katz | August 14, 2023 |

John DePetro and Justin Katz kick off the week with political talk.

Animals stampede into a river

Liberation psychiatry could destroy our civilization.

By Justin Katz | August 11, 2023 |

Whether well-intentioned or conspiratorial, prescribing political activism as a form of therapy will inevitably create a destructive cycle.

Doctor covers a piggy bank

Why can’t Neronha and the local media give us insurance information straight?

By Justin Katz | August 10, 2023 |

Spin from Attorney General Peter Neronha, which local media picked up mostly without skepticism or even context, shows Rhode Islanders are defenseless against the activists’ storyline.

A house made of money

Politics This Week: Rights and Diversity

By Justin Katz | August 9, 2023 |

John DePetro and Justin Katz discuss recent developments in RI politics.

Office worker sleeping with Post-It Note eyes

Politics This Week: A Political Class Without a Care

By Justin Katz | July 31, 2023 |

John DePetro and Justin Katz discuss the curious lack of real disagreement in RI politics.

A water drop and ripples

Lovely. We have poison hemlock in RI, now.

By Justin Katz | July 27, 2023 |

Keep an eye out for weeds that have purple-spotted stems and white, umbrella-like flowers: Poison hemlock has made its way to all 50 states, including Rhode Island, except for Alaska, Florida, Hawaii, and Mississippi, so it’s something we’ll all likely deal with at some time or another. Commonly found in yards and fields, on the…