Marc Comtois
Has William Voegli spent time in Rhode Island? Liberals sell the welfare state one brick at a time, deflecting inquiries about the size and cost of the palace they’re building. Citizens are encouraged to regard the government as a rich uncle, who needs constant hectoring to become ever more generous. According to Voegli, its up…
Katherine Gregg at the ProJo gives us the sad stories of the state workers who have been laid off. I feel for them. But they’re not the first to lose their jobs for reasons unrelated to their own job performance, contrary to what some may think. As AFSCME Local 2884 president Salvatore Lombardi explained: “It’s…
In addition to cutting the state payroll, stopping the rub and tugs and cutting aid to cities and towns, the Governor wants to reduce the costs of our social welfare programs. Carcieri indicated he would try a second time to convince lawmakers to cut in half, from 60 months to 30, the time limit for…
From today’s ProJo: With the state facing a budget hole as high as $450 million for the fiscal year that begins July 1, House Finance Committee Chairman Steven M. Costantino, D-Providence, yesterday urged municipalities to craft their own budgets with the understanding “that the state is facing a serious, serious deficit…. I would not expect…
Dan Yorke has been exposing Legislative “rub and tugs” for a few months. In total, these little payouts from legislators to local community groups have cost the state $2.3 million in 2008 (and, as Yorke points out, has helped keep the politicians in office–they’re such good people!). Well, now Yorke’s taking a look at the…
In a ProJo story about the impending state job layoffs instituted by Governor Carcieri, we are treated to a preview of the sort of tete a tete between the unions and various advocacy groups that will become common over the next few months. Carcieri had been scheduled to meet with labor leaders this afternoon to…
The U.S. Treasury Department has released a new study, “Income Mobility in the U.S. From 1996 to 2005.” This study examines income mobility of individuals over the past decade (1996 through 2005) using information reported on individual income tax returns. While many studies have documented the long-term trend of increasing income inequality in the U.S.…
…by 20%, what if the General Assembly made a couple cuts from their own budget. The budget for the Legislature includes funding for Legal Counsel. Last year there was funding for 15.4 positions at a total of $863,875 ($56,095/lawyer). This year they jacked it up to 16.6 positions for a total of $971,249 ($58,509/lawyer). Let’s…
Today the ProJo editorializes about Sen. Hillary Clinton’s illegal immigrant licensing faux pas: The country has laws against open borders. Those who enter the United States illegally are not supposed to be given all the privileges of life in America, including benefits from the government, jobs, housing and drivers’ licenses — which can be used…