Marc Comtois

Union Bosses Win: 1,000 Brothers and Sisters to be Laid Off

By Marc Comtois | September 3, 2009 |

After a long day, the state employee union leaders got their wish when Supreme Court Justice Maureen McKenna Goldberg overturned Superior Court Judge Michael Silverstein’s decision and granted a stay of the implementation of Governor Carcieri’s plan to have 12 shut-down days in an attempt to save money. The result: 1,000 state workers will now…

Obama Administration Basks in Glow of “Previous Administration’s” Work

By Marc Comtois | September 3, 2009 |

I heard yesterday that the Obama Administration held a celebratory press conference about getting a couple billion dollars out of Pfizer for some thing or other. Except, as Glenn Reynold’s pointed out, it was the Bush Administration that actually extracted the dough. The pharmaceutical giant Pfizer agreed to pay $2.3 billion to settle civil and…

E.P. Teachers Offer “Kid-Friendly” Boycott of After School Activities

By Marc Comtois | September 3, 2009 |

ProJo reports: The city’s teachers have voted to withdraw from volunteer activities in the city’s schools. The roughly 500 educators won’t help with afternoon activities except for those that are accompanied with paid stipends, nor will they chaperone dances, buy supplies for their classrooms or participate in committees for curriculum development, accreditation or school improvement.…

Schilling to Run for MA Senate?

By Marc Comtois | September 2, 2009 |

Waving the Bloody Sock?: Curt Schilling, best known for his bloody-sock pitching heroics, may step up to the plate and run for U.S. Senate. The retired Red Sox ace said today in a telephone interview with NECN that even though his “plate is full,” he’s been contacted to consider a run for the open seat…

Teacher-in-Chief

By Marc Comtois | September 1, 2009 |

Via Drudge, it seems President Obama is going to address all pre K to 6th grade students on September 8th. Hm. On the one hand, I’m guessing he’ll speak a lot of platitudes about working hard, opportunity, reaching for the stars, etc. In and of itself, probably pretty harmless. But the concept of sending out…

“Sports teach the same lessons to the superstar as the substitute.”

By Marc Comtois | September 1, 2009 |

ProJo high school sports reporter John Gillooly writes about pay-to-play and gives an example of a young girl who thought she’d give volleyball a try, but paying a sports participation fee was an issue: She had heard that anyone who felt their family couldn’t afford the participation fee could go to the high school athletic…

The Price of Teacher Hiring Reform

By Marc Comtois | September 1, 2009 |

The Providence Teacher’s union isn’t happy with new hiring rules put in affect this summer, according to this WRNI report from Elisabeth Harrison (h/t). The nut of it is, of course, the removal of seniority as the major factor in determining who gets hired. As Harrison reports: An order from the State Department of Education…required…

Bradley’s Health Care “Grand Bargain” Unlikely

By Marc Comtois | August 31, 2009 |

August has been a tough month for Team Obamacare Force and prospects look pretty grim for their version of “comprehensive” amorphous health care reform. But as current Democrat politicians are being put on notice that they are in trouble come 2010, the old Warhorses are coming out to buck up the whippersnappers and remind them…

Ajami: Obama Cult of Personality = FAIL

By Marc Comtois | August 25, 2009 |

Fouad Ajami: American democracy has never been democracy by plebiscite, a process by which a leader is anointed, then the populace steps out of the way, and the anointed one puts his political program in place. In the American tradition, the “mandate of heaven” is gained and lost every day and people talk back to…

We All Need An Obama Vacation

By Marc Comtois | August 24, 2009 |

The Prez is off: Seven months after taking the oath of office, President Obama on Sunday began his first vacation, traveling to this tony hideaway for Hollywood stars, the wealthy and the occasional politician….Past presidents have been queasy about what they called their time away from the White House, fearing the image of a checked-out…