Patrick Laverty

The Mind-Boggling Debate Answers

By Patrick Laverty | August 24, 2012 |

Have you been watching these RI Assembly debates put on by WPRI and hosted by Tim White? Fabulous stuff. So far, they’ve had three. The first was the battle for an East Providence seat where Roberto DaSilva is looking to oust current Senate Finance Committee Chairman Dan DaPonte. You can see the entire debate video…

How To Eliminate Straight-Ticket Voting

By Patrick Laverty | August 21, 2012 |

The straight-ticket, straight-party or master lever (just a line in Rhode Island) is an anachronism from long ago and its time has more than come to be eliminated. Each year, a bill is submitted to the Assembly to eliminate it, but you can probably guess what happens to the bill. Yep, held for further study.…

What Happens In A Good Economy

By Patrick Laverty | August 18, 2012 |

It’s not that often where I can find an article on CNN.com that has much relevance to Rhode Island, but this one caught my eye. It just shows what a little ingenuity and work can do when you actually have a thriving economy. Out in North Dakota where the unemployment rate currently sits at 3%…

If You Don’t Say You’re For It, You’re Against It

By Patrick Laverty | August 15, 2012 |

I think we’re seeing that the problem is more organizational. Or maybe it just starts at the top and filters down. Now even the Providence Journal is accusing the Cicilline campaign of umm, well, not exactly telling the truth. In today’s Politifact report, Cicilline earned a “False” rating. A David Cicilline campaign flier says Brendan…

Not The Most Qualified Pick for Vice-President

By Patrick Laverty | August 15, 2012 |

And he even said so himself. she’s (Hillary Clinton) easily qualified to be vice president of the United States of America, and quite frankly, it might have been a better pick than me. Then-Vice-Presidential Candidate Joe Biden September 10, 2008 Ok, the quote is four years old. I’m rehashing old stuff. I get that. But…

7 Assembly Debates I Want To See

By Patrick Laverty | August 13, 2012 |

I enjoyed watching the first two debates on Newsmakers. The first, between Senator DaPonte and Rep. DaSilva where I’m still trying to figure out whose pay grade it was that should have known about the $75M being intended for 38 Studios. If it wasn’t the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, then who? Then this…

What Cicilline Has Accomplished

By Patrick Laverty | August 8, 2012 |

I had to laugh when I read an excerpt on an On Politics post by Ian Donnis by Cicilline campaign manager, Eric Hyers: This is what they do. They distract, distract, distract. It is the Republicans who don’t stick to the issues and try to wave a shiny object in front of the voters so…

Budgeting and Spending

By Patrick Laverty | August 7, 2012 |

Stop me around the part that no longer makes any sense. Here are some values for you. This theoretical family nets $61,000 a year in income. That’s after taxes. However, they find that in spite of cutting everything they think they can cut and is unnecessary, and trying to bring in extra money through second…

The NASA Question

By Patrick Laverty | August 6, 2012 |

Is something in the water over there on the Wampanoag Trail at the WPRO studios? I’m amazed at what I’m hearing. First, today Dan Yorke was going on about how great the Mars landing was for NASA and his opinion that this is the kind of thing that we should be spending tax dollars on.…

State Agrees They Can’t Borrow Forever

By Patrick Laverty | August 6, 2012 |

Every two years, I’ve had this thought that the referenda on the ballot needs an “other side.” At least someone to explain what it means to the voters from the other point of view. Every time there’s a question about roads or bridges or buildings at URI or open space, every one of those questions…