Monique Chartier

Scaring Grandma II – The Cicilline Lie-Apalooza Returns (Briefly)

By Monique Chartier | April 30, 2011 |

Further to Marc’s post about Rhode Island’s junior senator going around baselessly alarming seniors, in the other Congressional chamber, Rhode Island’s First District congressman was almost exultant last week about Paul Ryan’s proposals to modify Social Security and Medicare. “It’s interesting,” Cicilline said Tuesday during a half-hour interview with WPRI.com in his Pawtucket district office.…

Bringing the Cost-Saving Power of Competition to the Salary Bracket of the Senate Majority Leader’s Special Assistant: “Qualified Young Republicans Will Work for Half-Salary”

By Monique Chartier | April 28, 2011 |

As you know, it has come to light that the salary of the Special Assistant to Senate Majority Leader Dominick Ruggerio, Stephen Iannazzi, is $88,000+ a year (presumably not including health care, pension, vacation time, sick days, personal days, May Day, etc). This is a respectable level of remuneration for a position which apparently does…

H’mm, What’s Steve Laffey Up To?

By Monique Chartier | April 26, 2011 |

The following press release materialized in my in-box this afternoon. With regard to the location – Fort Collins, CO – note that Colorado is the state to which the former Mayor of Cranston Steve Laffey and his family have relocated. “Fixing America” The Movie Fort Collins, CO – April 26, 2011 Stephen P. Laffey and…

Facebook Facilitates the Preamble to Fraud

By Monique Chartier | April 23, 2011 |

For 20+ years, especially on the right, Dave Talan has been a bit of a celebrity in Rhode Island politics. I first encountered him in 2000 as a volunteer for the McCain campaign. One of our tasks was to collect signatures to get him on the Republican primary ballot. Dave did not support McCain (if…

“By-Passing” the Qualifications for RI Social Service Benefits?

By Monique Chartier | April 17, 2011 |

First of all, kudos to Terry Gorman of RIILE for obtaining the information contained in this post under Rhode Island’s Access to Public Records law (“RI Gen Law 38-2-1 et seq” for other curious folks). When someone goes to the State of Rhode Island and applies for social services, one of the first pieces of…

Sales Tax “Modernization” Gaffed: Gordon Speaks; Gov Backs Away; All Eyes Turn Keenly to the G.A.

By Monique Chartier | April 13, 2011 |

The Pawtucket Times’ Jim Baron reports. Gov. Lincoln Chafee’s plan to radically overhaul the state’s sales tax structure is effectively dead. After more than six hours of nearly unanimous testimony denouncing Chafee’s proposal to lower the state sales tax from 7 to 6 percent and broaden it to a vast array of goods and services…

The Insidiousness and Destruction of Decades of Incremental Tax Increases

By Monique Chartier | April 13, 2011 |

In response to the protest rally held by the business community yesterday at the State House, the governor asked for proof that his proposed massive broadening of the sales tax will damage Rhode Island businesses. Rhode Island currently has the fifth highest state and local tax burden. It also has one of the worst business…

First Fallout of the Chafee (Not Even Anywhere Near Implemented) Sales Tax: Taco Suspends Expansion Project

By Monique Chartier | April 12, 2011 |

The Providence Business News broke this a little earlier. Groundbreaking for a $15 million to $18 million addition at Taco Inc., originally scheduled for the end of April, has been delayed while company officials assess the impact of proposed state tax changes on the manufacturing business. According to Kyle Adamonis, senior vice president of human…

On When a Raise is Not a Raise

By Monique Chartier | April 10, 2011 |

When renegotiating our compensation packages, those of us in the D.P.S. (Dreaded Private Sector) will undoubtedly have far greater success if we are careful to invoke Speaker Fox’s definition and ask for a “longevity increase” rather than a raise. Fox disputes that the pay increases reported by the Journal were all due to raises. In…

Earth Week: Hands-On Motorheads, Hearken to Iowahawk

By Monique Chartier | April 9, 2011 |

A lovely way to celebrate. Yes friends (in case you had not already marked your calendar), 2011 Earth Week is officially slated to take place April 17-23. And, for the 6th straight year, I will be opening this space for our annual Earth Week Virtual Cruise-In, where Iowahawk readers around our fragile planet gather, share,…