Monique Chartier

Re: MIA: Voter I.D. and Scrapping of the Straight Party Lever

By Monique Chartier | May 6, 2008 |

Secretary of State Ralph Mollis appeared on WHJJ’s Helen Glover Show this morning. He attempted to explain why a voter I.D. law that passed a US Supreme Court challenge by six to three cannot be brought to Rhode Island during this legislative session The only logistic barrier to this law is the absence of a…

May 4: Rhode Island Independence Day

By Monique Chartier | May 4, 2008 |

Will Ricci over at The Ocean State Republican points out that Today marks the 232nd anniversary of the declaration of independence by the colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations from Great Britain on May 4, 1776. As Rhode Island did not ratify the US Constitution until May of 1790, it was for all intents…

Bracing for Sunday’s ProJo

By Monique Chartier | May 3, 2008 |

… or, more specifically, what’s-his-name’s column, about which in recent months has been vocalized much disapproval from several quarters. It appears that Charlie Hall would not disagree.

Re: Another Reason to Private School in Rhode Island

By Monique Chartier | May 3, 2008 |

Under Justin’s post, commenter Rhody remarks: The teachers are back to school (under a court order), they don’t have a new contract, and still people are kicking them. If any of us were sent back to work under a court order, our attitude might not be that great, either. Remember, kids coming out of college…

MIA: Voter I.D. and Scrapping of the Straight Party Lever

By Monique Chartier | May 1, 2008 |

It appears that Secretary of State Ralph Mollis left the two most important reforms to Rhode Island’s electoral process out of his “Voter First” Legislative Package. The Secretary of State does not address at all his exclusion of a voter identification requirement from the package. As for the straight party lever, Secretary Mollis had this…

Time to Re-Tort

By Monique Chartier | April 29, 2008 |

A caller to WPRO’s Matt Allen Show today came up with the idea of charging a fee for every bill that a Rhode Island legislator wishes to file. Matt suggested $500 a pop, to be deducted from the legislator’s annual salary. In view of the many look-at-me, pointlessly distracting bills that are filed every session,…

Supreme Court Rules on Voter Identification

By Monique Chartier | April 29, 2008 |

The New York Times is predicting gloom, doom and lawsuits as far as the eye can see. But anyone who values honest elections is breaking out the champagne to celebrate the U.S. Supreme Court’s 6-3 ruling yesterday which upheld Indiana’s voter i.d. law, a law which is hopefully coming soon to a polling place near…

Recent Border Enforcement Activity (Not Always at the Border)

By Monique Chartier | April 28, 2008 |

The Department of Homeland Security posts on their website updated information of border enforcement activity. Coast Guard Repatriates 24 Dominicans, 1 Colombian April 22, 2008 (San Juan, Puerto Rico) – The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Chincoteague repatriated a Colombian and 24 Dominican migrants to La Romana, Dominican Republic, following an at-sea interdiction by Department…

Just Say No to Ethanol

By Monique Chartier | April 28, 2008 |

From a New York Times editorial almost two months ago: The world’s food situation is bleak, and shortsighted policies in the United States and other wealthy countries — which are diverting crops to environmentally dubious biofuels — bear much of the blame. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, the price of wheat…

National Day of Silence

By Monique Chartier | April 26, 2008 |

Yesterday, students across the U.S. and in Rhode Island participated in National Day of Silence, taking an oath of silence for a day or part of a day to bring attention to the harassment of gays and lesbians. From the Providence Journal: … at least 29 public and private high schools participated in Rhode Island.…