Monique Chartier

There is No Explanation

By Monique Chartier | July 23, 2011 |

… for an act of pure evil. A gunman who opened fire on an island teeming with young people kept shooting for 90 minutes before surrendering to a SWAT team, police said Saturday. … At least 85 people were killed on the island … Andresen, the acting police chief, said the suspect was talking to…

Yet Another Prod for Pension Reform: Fitch Cites West Warwick’s High Unfunded Pension Liability

By Monique Chartier | July 23, 2011 |

Andrew pointed out yesterday that Speaker Fox is leaning against taking up binding arbitration in the special legislative session this fall. That would be a good thing because, last week, a Fitch rating emphasized the need for the focus to be on pension reform. RATING RATIONALE: –[West Warwick] has managed its operating expenses and achieved…

Oh, the Pain – Warwick Disability Pensions: Fire Exceed 40% (Don’t Forget the Police @ 20%)

By Monique Chartier | July 22, 2011 |

Looks like the Warwick Beacon has been doing some digging at City Hall. More than 40 percent of retired Warwick firefighters and 20 percent of retired police are on disability pensions. The pensions are tax-free and also ensure that their children and spouse are entitled to free tuition at state colleges. There has never been…

Stephen Iannazzi Will Bravely Scrape by Without His (Second) 3% Raise

By Monique Chartier | July 19, 2011 |

Why stay in college? Why go to night school? Talking Heads, “Life During Wartime” Late this afternoon, the ProJo’s Kathy Gregg broke the latest development in the matter of the Senate Majority Leader’s degree-less Special Assistant. Stephen Iannazzi, the $88,112-a-year aide to Senate Majority Leader Dominick Ruggerio who became a focus of public ire over…

Debt Ceiling Stand-Off: White House Budget Director Declines to Give Priority to Social Security Checks

By Monique Chartier | July 17, 2011 |

White House Budget Director Jacob Lew appeared on CNN’s State of the Union with Candy Crowley. Kudos to Real Clear Politics for picking up on this part of the interview and transcribing it. Note that the White House no longer contends that there wouldn’t be enough money to issue these checks in the event of…

Not One But Two Rhode Island Cities Make List of “14 Cities That Are Being Eaten Alive By Public Sector Workers”

By Monique Chartier | July 17, 2011 |

Business Insider compiles the latest national list of dubious distinction to contain Rhode Island – in not one but two spots. This is especially not good when the list is only fourteen finalists long. Public employee costs account for a large share of municipal budget woes. While worker compensation accounts for just 30% of state…

Debt Ceiling Stand-Off: What Does Compromise Look Like When We Already Borrow 43 Cents of Every Federal Dollar Spent?

By Monique Chartier | July 16, 2011 |

This staggering item stands out from Mark Steyn’s (characteristically excellent) column of today. When the 44th president took office, he made a decision that it was time for the already unsustainable levels of government spending finally to break the bounds of reality and frolic and gambol in the magical fairy kingdom of Spendaholica: This year,…

Iowahawk’s Twitter Imponderables for the President

By Monique Chartier | July 14, 2011 |

Last week, President Obama held (I’m appalled to type the phrase) a Twitter Town Hall. Below is a sampling of the questions posed to the President by Iowahawk. (Regrettably, the President offered answers to none of them.) Would you get tougher with Iran if you knew they were working with Scott Walker? If we reneg…

Debt Ceiling Stand-Off: So President Obama Wants Republicans to Undertake What Democrats Refused to Do (Raise Taxes)

By Monique Chartier | July 14, 2011 |

I’m not a big fan of Karl Rove. But he’s got a point here. Mr. Obama has offered no evidence since becoming president that he wants to restrain the upward trajectory of government spending. He does want higher taxes to pay for significantly higher federal spending. But he wants Republicans to deliver the tax increases,…

Mayor Menino: Grand Theft Auto Is Fine (As Long As It’s Committed By Undocumenteds)

By Monique Chartier | July 13, 2011 |

The mayor of Boston is trying mightily to expand the list of crimes that undocumented immigrants are (tacitly) permitted to commit. (H/T Howie Carr.) Boston Mayor Thomas Menino is now reversing course and threatening to withdraw from the Secure Communities program. That’s a big change for Boston, where police Commissioner Ed Davis had been a…