Marc Comtois

Providence is #10 (Most Miserable City)

By Marc Comtois | January 31, 2008 |

So sayeth Forbes: Misery is defined as a state of great unhappiness and emotional distress. The economic indicator most often used to measure misery is the Misery Index. The index, created by economist Arthur Okun, adds the unemployment rate to the inflation rate. It has been in the narrow 7-to-9 range for most of the…

Station Fire Survivor Concert: Phoenix Rising

By Marc Comtois | January 29, 2008 |

On February 20th, 2003 I started blogging. The next day, February 21, 2003, the Station Night Club Fire (

Personal Connection to the State of the Union

By Marc Comtois | January 29, 2008 |

One of the people in the First Lady’s Box at last night’s State of the Union Address was Army Staff Sgt. Craig Charloux, and old high school friend of mine from Maine. He couldn’t make our 20th reunion this past summer because he was in Iraq. Here’s more about Craig: After leaving the military, Charloux…

Florida Today (officially and not…)

By Marc Comtois | January 29, 2008 |

The Florida primary is the big story of the day for GOP presidential hopefuls…and unofficially for Democratic hopefuls who can’t believe they may be losing. Kinda like this…. (h/t):

Is the Bloom off the Clinton Rose?

By Marc Comtois | January 28, 2008 |

So the Kennedy clan is coming out strong for Obama, saying that he is the next generation’s very own JFK. Heck, I can understand what they mean. Of course, the cold political calculation of hopping on the bandwagon can’t be dismissed. But what is most interesting is that–all of a sudden–the Clinton machine doesn’t seem…

Redefining Corporate Welfare

By Marc Comtois | January 25, 2008 |

Ian Donnis points to a “strong post” (alluded to earlier) which illustrates how approximately $11.2 million of taxpayer dollars are going to government supplied health care for workers who don’t get health care through their jobs. Where is that money going, you might ask…. It is going to Bank of America, and their 382 employees…

Presumptive Contempt

By Marc Comtois | January 25, 2008 |

We are never going to compete with folks, with employers who are so ridiculous they do not provide retirement security plans for their employees….If they don’t, they are terrible people and they shouldn’t be allowed to exist and that’s always going to be the union position on those issues.” ~ Bob Walsh I wonder if…

Stimulus Package

By Marc Comtois | January 24, 2008 |

The stimulus package: – Individuals must earn at least $3,000 to get a $300 rebate – 117 million people will get rebates, 35 million of whom don’t pay taxes – Higher-income individuals would receive up to $600 – Couples could receive $1,200 plus $300 per child – Rebates would be limited to individuals earning less…

It’s a Good Gig if You Know the Right People

By Marc Comtois | January 24, 2008 |

Set aside whether or not he did it in a legit manner, there’s just something wrong when 10 years of public service gets you a $110,000 / year pension: At the end of last month, [former Providence City Administration Director John C. Simmons] retired from his $160,837-a-year post as director of administration for Mayor David…

State of the State: Governor Issues A Call to Arms

By Marc Comtois | January 23, 2008 |

Here is Governor Carcieri’s prepared State of the State speech. The ProJo covers it and gets reaction from the usual suspects complaining about how the Governor isn’t working with them. “He says, ‘This is my agenda and everybody has to work on it.’ That’s a corporate approach. That’s one-side unilateral approach. That doesn’t work,” said…