Patrick Laverty

Representative Bob Watson Not Seeking Re-election

By Patrick Laverty | June 13, 2012 |

According to multiple sources, State Representative Bob Watson will not be seeking re-election in November. Watson has been in the General Assembly for 20 years, and served from 1998 to 2011 as the House Minority Leader. Representative Watson was always known to be very vocal on many issues and was never afraid of a fight…

It’s Not Quite A Media-Savvy Assembly

By Patrick Laverty | June 12, 2012 |

I’m not expecting much from these people, our General Assembly, but is it really too much to ask to have them be aware of the media around them? I don’t think anyone expects to be treated like Mick Jagger or something, but a minimal understanding of who media members are would be nice. It would…

Do As I Say, Not As I Do

By Patrick Laverty | June 11, 2012 |

A few nights ago, I just happened to be reading through David Cicilline’s twitter feed and stumbled across this one: David N. Cicilline ‏@davidcicilline In the Wisconsin recall, Walker outspent Barrett seven to one. Another reason we need to get corporate money out of politics. Great! Cicilline is opposed to corporations giving money to campaigns.…

Cicilline, Langevin Tried to Increase Health Costs on Thursday

By Patrick Laverty | June 9, 2012 |

I remember seeing all those senior citizens during the election cycle two years ago. That David is such a sweetheart. David will protect Social Security. David is looking out for the seniors. I don’t remember seeing anything similar from Langevin, but he wasn’t campaigning quite as hard. So exactly how are Cicilline and Langevin looking…

House Democrats Opt For The Money

By Patrick Laverty | June 9, 2012 |

One of the underreported stories from Thursday night/Friday morning’s General Assembly budget session is how House Minor Leader Brian Newberry attempted to prevent the new tax on dog grooming and taxi rides. Any time a legislator wants to amend the budget in a way the removes taxes (income), the budget becomes unbalanced unless they can…

How to Fix the RI Economy

By Patrick Laverty | June 7, 2012 |

I’m sorry, I’m having a hard time writing this as I’m still laughing after reading the article. In the software development field, we often have a joke that any time the Quality Assurance department slows down development due to finding too many bugs in the software, the suggestion is that we should shut down the…

Legalize It

By Patrick Laverty | June 6, 2012 |

First, let me get this off my chest. Decriminalize and legalize are not the same thing. I’ve seen numerous news reports talking about how the General Assembly voted to legalize marijuana yesterday. That’s not true. They voted to decriminalize it. Think of it this way, if you park your car next to a fire hydrant,…

The End of Democracy

By Patrick Laverty | June 6, 2012 |

Yep, democracy is over. Scott Walker won by ordering the Wisconsin National Guard to stand in front of the voting booths and shoot any likely Tom Barrett voter who entered. Yes, democracy is dead. Wait, what? Walker won because the opposition successfully pulled off getting a recall vote but then more voters sided with Walker…

Now Who’s “Created This Problem?”

By Patrick Laverty | June 3, 2012 |

Did you catch the article this week by Tim White on pension averages and this other great nugget called “Option IV”? Of course we all remember a few months back when the Cranston firefighters’ union President Paul Valletta accused Treasurer Gina Raimondo of “creating this problem.” Valetta charged that there is no pension problem as…

Moving Forward in Central Falls

By Patrick Laverty | June 1, 2012 |

According to the AP’s Erika Niedowski, Robert Flanders has been removed from his position as the receiver in Central Falls. However, he has been replaced by a new receiver, John McJennett. Governor Chafee mentioned that Central Falls is ready for a “new phase”, which I guess is just a nice way of saying that he…