Monique Chartier

Status Report on RI Gov’t: Beaux Arts But No Budget

By Monique Chartier | April 5, 2010 |

The temptation to contrast this RFP by the State of Rhode Island [PDF] RFP # 7323535 GENERAL DESCRIPTION The Rhode Island State Council on the Arts (RISCA) requires a fiscal agent to administer the timely payment of honoraria, fees and travel expenses, under the direction of the State Arts Council. with this report by the…

For the Sake of the Environment: Drill, Baby, Drill! (It Reduces Natural Oil & Gas Seepage)

By Monique Chartier | April 3, 2010 |

… okay, possibly not everywhere. But definitely in one of the many, many areas – California – that President Obama has just ruled off limits to exploration and drilling. One of the side affects of offshore oil production has been the reduction of oil and gas seepage due to decreases in subsea oil-reservoir pressure. Seep…

Compounding Rhode Island’s Pre-Existing Condition: Impact of Health Care Reform on the State Budget

By Monique Chartier | March 31, 2010 |

So here’s the deal. When “reform” kicks in, best estimates are that 50,000 people will be added to Rhode Island’s Medicaid rolls. Amy Kempe at the Governor’s office advises that, after federal matching funds go away, this will cost Rhode Island taxpayers $100-$150 million. Further, Ms. Kempe goes on to point out that We also…

Ray “Fastlane” LaHood Wants to Build Up the Slow Lane

By Monique Chartier | March 28, 2010 |

On his ironically titled blog, US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has announced … a sea change. People across America who value bicycling should have a voice when it comes to transportation planning. This is the end of favoring motorized transportation at the expense of non-motorized. We are integrating the needs of bicyclists in federally-funded road…

Images from the Tenth Amendment Rally Today

By Monique Chartier | March 27, 2010 |

So Earnest and So Misinformed: “Tom Brady of Boston, Massachusetts” Urges Us to Participate in Earth Hour 2010

By Monique Chartier | March 27, 2010 |

H/T Michael Graham. The main goal of Earth Hour is to raise awareness about man’s purported role in global warming. However, there have been some developments in the theory of anthropogenic global warming that Mr. Brady and others may not be aware of. * The theory itself has already proven to be badly flawed. The…

“Free” Speech and “Positive Spaces” in Canada

By Monique Chartier | March 25, 2010 |

A rowdy crowd (notice that, in the interest of avoiding “hate” speech, I didn’t say “mob”) succeeded in preventing Ann Coulter from speaking at the University of Ottawa Tuesday evening. Is it too obvious, by the way, to point out the irony that “hatred”, the offense that Ann Coulter is purportedly guilty of, was not…

The Fraudulent Assumptions of the Dems’ CBO Report

By Monique Chartier | March 24, 2010 |

One of the selling points of healthcare reform, repeated yesterday by President Obama when he signed the bill into law, is that it will reduce the federal deficit. To bolster this statement, which is absurd on its face, they point to the conclusion of a CBO report promulgated at the request of and with the,…

At Some Point After Healthcare Reform Kicks In

By Monique Chartier | March 22, 2010 |

Not understanding this. Long waits and worsening care. Costs increasing – strange, why didn’t price controls take care of that? Looks like we’re gonna need to do some more revenue enhancing. Doctors dropping out. (Huh. Wonder if that’s related to the price controls.) Most doctors have stopped taking Medicare patients? Well, a “universal coverage” addendum…

Re: Pensions; Why Should Healthcare Be the Only Calamity on Your Mind, Today?

By Monique Chartier | March 21, 2010 |

Further to Justin’s post, in the matter of the Chapter 9 bankruptcy by the City of Prichard, Alabama, a judge ruled ten days ago that public employee retirees do not have any greater standing than other creditors. A bankruptcy court judge denied a motion Tuesday that would force Prichard to pay its pensioners, saying they…