Patrick Laverty

Toning Down the Rhetoric?

By Patrick Laverty | September 7, 2011 |

On Monday, Teamsters President Jimmy Hoffa, Jr, urged labor to “win the war” on the Tea Party, told the President “we are your army” and “let’s take these son of a ****** out” amid cheers from the crowd. Just your usual Teamster rally? Not exactly, not when the President then follows those words with a…

Whitehouse/Langevin Profiting From Wall Street Banks

By Patrick Laverty | September 6, 2011 |

If you read things from the progressive caucus and others who follow it closely, big business, big banks and Wall Street firms are the devil. You can also read about some of their darlings like Sheldon Whitehouse and the now-near-untouchable Jim Langevin. However today, GoLocalProv.com has a front page article on the worth of Rhode…

Flipping Rhode Island Red…Or At Least a Shade of Purple

By Patrick Laverty | September 5, 2011 |

I have a friend who is a Pittsburg Pirates fan and I’m constantly shaking my head at the lack of effort that franchise makes to become a championship contender. The reason for this is the Pirates play in the National League Central division, which with its six teams is actually one of the weakest in…

An Accidental Disability Pension for Leukemia?

By Patrick Laverty | September 2, 2011 |

I appreciate firefighters for the job they do. I have friends who are firefighters on various departments around the state and I try to ask them lots of questions to better understand their job. I can also appreciate the fact that it is a job that can lead to permanent disability through injuries sustained on…

Cicilline Votes To Not Allow Soldiers to Defend Themselves

By Patrick Laverty | September 1, 2011 |

We’re going to send you to war in hostile territory. We’re going to put you in the line of fire with your life on the line. Will we let you defend yourself when the enemy is shooting at you? No. Or at least so says Congressman David Cicilline. (h/t Helen Glover) An amendment numbered 38…

NP School Committee Doesn’t Understand the Pension Mess?

By Patrick Laverty | September 1, 2011 |

While this doesn’t rise to the level of corruption recently seen in North Providence, one has to be left wondering if the North Providence School Committee “gets it”. Time and time again, we see where local school committees and town councils will negotiate contracts that are just unsustainable and unaffordable in the future. In North…