Justin Katz
Like any patriot, I’ve got a problem with this: U.S. manufacturers say they’ve learned to compete against China’s lower wages. What they can’t compete with are government subsidies that enable China to sell some finished products for less than the fiber alone costs in the United States. The difficulty is in the solution. I’ve got…
Given what follows, it’s difficult to comprehend Matthew Stevenson’s initial statement that “the more general trend is European indifference to the policies of the United States.” He proceeds to explain: Economically, Europeans blame America’s financial narcissism for the recent market panic and recession. And: On security, Europeans feel hung over from the binge of recent…
Here’s a good illustration of why I oppose targeted economic development in lieu of a broad improvement of the general business environment in Rhode Island: For years, the financial-services sector has been one of the few growing industries in the state’s sputtering economy, generating consistent job growth and high wages. Employment in financial services has…
Across the society, from cornered municipal officials to the national commentariate, people are preparing the way with palms for the eye-popping stimulus proposals of Obama and Congressional Democrats. A radio report, the other day, explained that the president-elect recognized that the stimulus plan required a tax cutting component, and although, unlike conservatives, liberals see tax…
Governor Carcieri’s appearance on this weekend’s Newsmakers is already online. He certainly makes me a lot less self-conscious about talking with my hands on television. Performances aside, Ian Donnis was responsible for an interesting exchange: Ian Donnis: Governor, wealthy Rhode Islanders have received tax cuts over the last ten years, so how do you respond…
My grammatical standards drop for items that I read on the Internet. It’s a quick and populist medium, so expecting perfectly honed paragraphs constitutes a show of arrogance. That said, somebody who has just decried the governor’s ” doddering style” should be careful not to offer such phrases as “Rhode Islander’s overwhelming rejected” as a…
The following story makes me think that it mightn’t be a bad idea finally to fill the gap left by our previous dog: An animal that wildlife experts believe to be a coyote attacked a 7-year-old girl on Prudence Island on Dec. 30, grabbing her by the arm and dragging her toward the woods. But…
I just heard on WPRO that the judge won’t decide whether to stop the East Providence School Committee’s unilateral employment change until the 23rd. It looks like union members will start to feel the pinch of not giving concessions. That’s a huge change for the better from an environment in which they expect to get…
Through email channels, I’ve been alerted to some items from the governor’s supplemental budget. I don’t have time to ponder them extensively, just now, but here they are: Article #7 suspends any General Revenue Sharing payments for the current fiscal year: loss of $55.1 million #17 freezes the tax rate applied for the Public Service…
