Justin Katz
Some will accuse me of defending the indefensible, but my piece in today’s Providence Journal argues on behalf of Governor Carcieri’s cuts to RIte Aide for illegal immigrants. Being welcoming and compassionate is one thing, but are policies send the message far and wide that our invitation is for them to stay, and to remain…
Well, this is a no-brainer: Rep. Raymond C. Church has filed legislation rescinding legislative approval granted last year for a new courthouse in the Blackstone Valley, saying the state shouldn’t be borrowing money for large projects when grappling with huge deficits. “At a time when the state is trying to identify money to close a…
Consider this vignette from Katherine Gregg’s Projo story on Rhode Island’s misuse of federal healthcare funds: Emma Villa told the lawmakers what would happen to her, as the operator of a small day-care business in her Laban Street, Providence, home, where she looks after two children in addition to her own. With the help of…
On the back of the Rhode Island section of today’s paper is a Timothy Barmann piece on Governor Carcieri’s efforts to “encourage healthy lifestyles”: The majority of Rhode Islanders could stand to shed a few pounds, and Governor Carcieri wants to help. Yesterday, the governor launched what he’s calling Healthy Weight in 2008, a campaign…
Judging from the Providence Journal’s letters section, social work students at Rhode Island College have been given the assignment of denouncing Bill Felkner’s January 13 op-ed. Amanda Eyes is the latest “candidate for a master’s degree in social work” to make the opinion page, and she contributes the following interesting statistic: The problem with dialogue…
If the “Economic Growth and Fairness Act” proposed yesterday by RI Representative Arthur Handy (D, Cranston) and Senator Paul Moura (D, East Providence) becomes law, it will blow away any lingering wisps of hope that our state can pull out of its current crisis without utter collapse. Based on a report (PDF) issued by The…
I’d have added some sort of spiritual fortification to Dogbert’s advice, but his assessment is compelling. It reminds me of one of my father’s favorite topics: the notion that production and healthcare both are going to create a reality in which none of our historical social models apply. Everybody’s going to live a very long…
Beware unsigned opinion pieces phrased in the first person. The instance in mind is this post from A Blog Called Hope, which appears to be a somewhat official production of the Rhode Island Democrats: I know everyone hates taxes, but a longer and more destructive recession would be much worse. Actually, it simply isn’t the…
RI Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D, Ocean Drive) has personal experience with the dangers of global warming: Scientists say the world needs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2050 to avoid the worst consequences of global warming. Repeating the mantra of frustrated environmental advocates across the world, Whitehouse told a supportive audience that…