Basic Government Functions

Three Communities Work Towards Consolidation

By Marc Comtois | January 6, 2009 |

In anticipation of the Governor’s address tomorrow, in which it is likely he’ll announce some pretty deep cuts in aid to cities and towns, it seems like a good idea for communities to embark on the sort of potential cost-saving projects that Warwick, East Greenwich and North Kingstown appear ready to try (couldn’t find link…

Re: Gas Tax Increases Are Coming Down the Road

By Justin Katz | January 3, 2009 |

I think what I find most distressing about the reports of potential transportation-related tax increases that Marc mentioned this afternoon is that nobody is even hinting at the possibility of increasing money for such a basic government function as transportation infrastructure by taking it from less fundamental government functions. (Pick your favorites.. or rather, your…

The Land of All or Nothing

By Justin Katz | December 19, 2008 |

So we’re within a couple of hours of the end of the normal school day, and I haven’t seen a snowflake yet. It seems that there ought to be a middle ground between utter calamity during a snowstorm and unnecessary public panic. Would it be too much to orchestrate for early releases to be played…

Embrace Your Inner Underfunded Pension!

By Carroll Andrew Morse | December 1, 2008 |

According to RI Future contributor Pat Crowley, if your pension plan is underfunded don’t think of it as a bug, think of it as a feature…An unfunded liability may in fact enhance the security of the plan because it requires more caution, therefore, more long term thinking.I wonder if progressives will apply this line of…

How Much is $800,000,000?

By Carroll Andrew Morse | November 12, 2008 |

According to Steve Peoples‘ report in the Projo, Rhode Island needs $800,000,000 more in revenue than it expects to collect through fiscal year 2010, to provide 1) all of the services budgeted for in this fiscal year and 2) approximately the same level of spending in the next fiscal year. To understand how big this…

Efficiency Shock

By Justin Katz | September 22, 2008 |

Just a reminder that such things are possible (emphasis added): The old bridge fell Aug. 1, 2007, killing 13 people and injuring 145 others. The sudden collapse of steel and concrete jolted Minnesota and other states into taking a harder look at the safety of thousands of aging bridges across the country. The state put…

Poll Numbers and Government Priorities

By Carroll Andrew Morse | July 10, 2008 |

Two recent newspaper articles have suggested that the results of the Rhode Island College Bureau of Government Research and Services poll released on July 1 imply that immigration enforcement is not an issue of interest to Rhode Islanders; one article was from a source with an established track record of writing thoughtful, long-form news-analysis pieces,…

Rain on Me

By Carroll Andrew Morse | May 6, 2008 |

We interrupt this broadcast for a moment of hyper-local blegging… Would anyone with a measure of civil engineering experience care to comment on whether the permanent shower occurring beneath the new overpass between Route 95 exits 18 and 19 is something Rhode Island drivers (or taxpayers) should be concerned about? We now return you to…

National Day of Silence

By Monique Chartier | April 26, 2008 |

Yesterday, students across the U.S. and in Rhode Island participated in National Day of Silence, taking an oath of silence for a day or part of a day to bring attention to the harassment of gays and lesbians. From the Providence Journal: … at least 29 public and private high schools participated in Rhode Island.…

As Rhode Island Crumbles

By Justin Katz | March 13, 2008 |

See, this sort of thing ought to be a state government’s first priority: After reexamining the condition of Rhode Island’s bridges, the state Department of Transportation has identified the need for “approximately $600 million in bridge repair and replacement projects” over the next five years, Governor Carcieri told a press conference today. But the money…