Marc Comtois

Will Science Get Us OUT of a Moral Dilemma?

By Marc Comtois | June 6, 2005 |

This would certainly be good news: In recent months, a number of researchers have begun to assemble intriguing evidence that it is possible to generate embryonic stem cells without having to create or destroy new human embryos. The research is still young and largely unpublished, and in some cases it is limited to animal cells.…

The NEA’s Bob Walsh on the Dan Yorke Show

By Marc Comtois | June 3, 2005 |

Here is a very rough, running summary of the two hour discussion between WPRO’s Dan Yorke and the NEA‘s Bob Walsh. Again, it’s pretty rough and, though I doubt I’ll get to it any time soon, I’ll clean it up if I have time. Remember, I’m not a stenographer].

The Union’s Solution for the Future: Get More People In Unions

By Marc Comtois | June 3, 2005 |

Edward McElroy is a Rhode Island native and happens to be president of the American Federation of Teachers, the fourth largest labor union in the country (1.3-million-members). In the keynote address at the Institute for Labor Studies 25th anniversary awards dinner, he recalled the legitimate fight in the 60’s and 70’s to get teachers the…

Cicilline and the Firefighters

By Marc Comtois | June 3, 2005 | Comments Off on Cicilline and the Firefighters

The contract negotiations between Providence Mayor Cicilline and the Providence Firefighters Union continues to drag on. It seems that they can’t even agree on what they agree upon. Cicilline said three issues are impeding negotiations: employee contributions to health insurance, cost of living increase for pensions, and “management flexibility.” Cicilline said the firefighters must agree…

Political Junkies Only

By Marc Comtois | June 2, 2005 | Comments Off on Political Junkies Only

Patrick Ruffini, Republican pollster/blogger, has unveiled his 2008 Presidential Election Tracker. Here’s how it works. Throughout the day, the Wire goes out and scours blog and MSM feeds for news about 22 potential Presidential candidates, both Democrat and Republican. The result is a tool where you can not only read all the news about a…

The Cocoon in which Entitled State Employees Live

By Marc Comtois | June 2, 2005 |

There was a government worker union rally held yesterday in Providence, but this wasn’t your father’s or grandfathers mill worker union rally, folks. This rally was for members of public service employee unions: state employees, teachers, firemen, police, etc., supported by taxes and rather ungrateful for it. Here are just a couple things that were…

How Work-To-Rule Amplifies the Implied Bargaining Chips

By Marc Comtois | May 27, 2005 |

To keep pounding the Education drum, a reader (“CL”) commmented on one of my posts from November of last year on how East Greenwich students rallied at a school committee meeting to agitate for a contract and were cheered on by teachers and parents. Within the context of the piece, I mentioned the now-familiar “work-to-rule”…

Warwick School Budget Fight

By Marc Comtois | May 26, 2005 | Comments Off on Warwick School Budget Fight

The debate over the fiscal and philosophical aspects of education policy often intertwine, but the current goings-on in Warwick have much more to do with money than education philosophy. The Warwick School Committee and Mayor Scott Avedesian are on opposite sides with regards to the education portion of the FY 2006 Warwick City budget. In…

Drafting Laffey or Protesting Chafee?

By Marc Comtois | May 24, 2005 | Comments Off on Drafting Laffey or Protesting Chafee?

Well, it’s official. A group is attempting to draft Cranston Mayor Steve Laffey into a run for Sen. Lincoln Chafee’s seat. A group of Republicans statewide has organized a committee to encourage Cranston Mayor Stephen P. Laffey to challenge Sen. Lincoln D. Chafee in 2006. There are 85 names on a letter given to Laffey…

A Convert Speaks

By Marc Comtois | May 23, 2005 | Comments Off on A Convert Speaks

These days the postmodern left demands that government and private institutions guarantee equality of outcomes. Any racial or gender “disparities” are to be considered evidence of culpable bias, regardless of factors such as personal motivation, training, and skill. This goal is neither liberal nor progressive; but it is what the left has chosen. In a…