Marc Comtois

Fort Dix Terror Plot

By Marc Comtois | May 8, 2007 |

A quick point about the Albanian terrorists who were arrested for plotting to wreak havoc at Fort Dix. They were initially discovered because of the vigilance of a local video store owner: On or about January 30, 2006, a representative of a retail store informed officials of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) that an…

Farewell, Rocky Point

By Marc Comtois | May 8, 2007 |

As the last remnants of the Rocky Point Amusement Park are demolished and removed, one wonders if it would have survived longer had it maintained a look more like this: Now, there will be a discussion over how much to develop and how much to devote to open space. Time marches on.

School Vouchers: An International Success Story

By Marc Comtois | May 4, 2007 |

From The Economist: Few ideas in education are more controversial than vouchers—letting parents choose to educate their children wherever they wish at the taxpayer’s expense. First suggested by Milton Friedman, an economist, in 1955, the principle is compellingly simple. The state pays; parents choose; schools compete; standards rise; everybody gains. Simple, perhaps, but it has…

RE: That 10 Person Discussion Last Night

By Marc Comtois | May 4, 2007 |

If you’re interested in reactions to a certain 10 person discussion held on a cable TV outfit broadcast from the Gippers book-den, here’s a roundup. And if you’re interested in the one guy who wasn’t there, well, here’s some reading for you. Feel free to discuss, below!

Iraq: We Win, They Lose

By Marc Comtois | May 2, 2007 |

Here is the boilerplate from We Win, They Lose, a coalition of bloggers who seek to impress upon Congress that, no matter what history–revisionist or otherwise–you want to believe about the Iraq War, we need to be in it to win it.

In Johnston, Unions Help Alleviate Budget Crisis

By Marc Comtois | May 2, 2007 |

The ProJo’s Mark Reynolds reports: The town’s police officers and many of its municipal workers have made concessions that will ease financial pressures on the taxpayers, officials said yesterday. Without the unions’ help, the town would have been responsible for budgeting an extra $349,000 to pay for contractually mandated raises and other provisions during the…

Reforming DCYF

By Marc Comtois | May 2, 2007 |

A special commission put together by the Governor to look into ways to reform DCYF has handed in its report. The report’s primary recommendation is to reform how the DCYF cares for children in its custody. According to the review team, the DCYF served 11,329 children last year, about 9,000 at any point in time.…

ProJo Looks At ’06 Voting Discrepencies

By Marc Comtois | May 2, 2007 |

Paul Edward Parker of the ProJo investigated the voter rolls and found some discrepancies. The Board of Elections — which oversees the counting of votes — says 392,884 voters cast ballots in the Nov. 7 general election. The secretary of state’s Elections Division — which oversees the state’s Central Voter Registration System and tracks who…

Bilodeau Elected as New State College GOP Head

By Marc Comtois | May 2, 2007 |

According to a press release issued by the RI GOP, URI College Republican Chair Ryan Bilodeau has been elected as the new head of the College Republican Federation of Rhode Island. Comments to this post hinted that a change was afoot within the RI College Republican ranks. From the outside, it would appear as if…

RI Senate Voting on Various Election Reform Bills

By Marc Comtois | May 1, 2007 |

Perhaps I should say “election change”…? Today, the RI Senate is supposed to discuss and vote on: S0020 – “This act would reduce the waiting period required for disaffiliation with a political party from 90 days to 29 days.” S0760 – “…an individual cannot file a declaration of candidacy for more than one elected public…