Monique Chartier

H.R. Clinton: The Massive Debt is Bush’s Greenspan’s Fault (But is She Also Sandbagging Obama?)

By Monique Chartier | February 27, 2010 |

Reuters. “It breaks my heart that 10 years ago we had a balanced budget, that we were on the way of paying down the debt of the United States of America,” [Secretary of State Hillary Rodham] Clinton said. “I served on the budget committee in the Senate, and I remember as vividly as if it…

Stop Me if You’ve Heard This One: School Department Overspends Budget

By Monique Chartier | February 25, 2010 |

… by millions more than the millions some people initially suspected. The Valley Breeze has obtained a copy of the preliminary version of the school performance audit which says school administrators have been overspending taxpayer dollars by at least $10.4 million per year. The performance audit (apparently and inexplicably long delayed) was conducted as a…

The Price of Education Labor Peace in Rhode Island

By Monique Chartier | February 24, 2010 |

Addressing the prospect (now a reality) of the firing of all Central Falls teachers, former Senator Linc Chafee said Monday, It would be a step back to have labor unrest in our schools It is quite possible that former Senator Chafee – along with many other people – is truly unaware of the price that…

“Rally For Fairness” – Solidarity to Descend on Central Falls

By Monique Chartier | February 22, 2010 |

[This fascinating e-mail was forwarded to me tonight. It has presumably been circulated to all members of NEARI.] As you are aware, Commissioner of Education Gist and Superintendent Gallo of the Central Falls School District are set to fire all 74 of the district’s high school teachers tomorrow. In one of the most blatant acts…

Treasury @ Haute Couture: Geithner to Have a Layout Be Profiled in Vogue

By Monique Chartier | February 22, 2010 |

One question. Why?? [H/T the Fred Thompson Show.] If last year’s bailout of the financial industry caused you to start muttering words like investment banker and robber baron in the same sentence, it may cheer you to know that Timothy Geithner, the man responsible for crafting much of that bailout, agrees with you. “I am,”…

Rhody Highway Dollars: Little (Too Much?) Bang for the Buck

By Monique Chartier | February 18, 2010 |

As a function of compiling a snapshot of the condition of the state so as to enlighten the House Senior Deputy Majority Leader, I went looking for an update on the highway situation. This analysis popped up, a state ranking by the Reason Foundation of highway conditions, efficiency and cost-effectiveness. They looked at state highway…

Unabashed Plug of a Rescuing Providence Post

By Monique Chartier | February 17, 2010 |

It didn’t make me cry, dammit. By the way, as Michael will soon be going Hollywood, he needs to begin assembling his entourage. Let’s see. A makeup person, a hair person, a wardrobe consultant. A scheduler and a couple of gophers. An agent, back in a glass-and-chrome office, making rapid fire phone calls and chain…

So AG Holder is Backing Away from Civilian Trials for Terrorists?

By Monique Chartier | February 16, 2010 |

Seven paragraphs into this New York Times article about US Attorney General Eric Holder once again finding his political voice (and, as someone who very much wants a change of administration in three years, I say, let the man speak) comes this. “I have to do a better job in explaining the decisions that I…

Why Has the RI AG Waited Until the End of his Tenure to Implement an Electronic Centralized Case Management System?

By Monique Chartier | February 15, 2010 |

As a function of one of my jobs, I review state RFP’s to see if the state needs anything that my employer can supply. It’s an interesting task, in part, because it’s a way to see first hand what various state departments are spending tax dollars on. Most of the time, expenditures seem pretty straight…

“Touching Base” “Outside the Box” and Other Office Irritations

By Monique Chartier | February 14, 2010 |

Actually, the Reuters list via Yahoo News is broken down into Top Ten Annoyances and Top Ten Annoying Phrases. What surprised me about the biggest office annoyance 1. Grumpy or moody colleagues (37 percent) is that it didn’t also include perky or cheerful collegues. In fact, such people don’t appear to have made the list…