Rhode Island Economy

Palatable Decline

By Justin Katz | May 26, 2008 |

It’s a small thing, to be sure, but a comment that Ian Donnis made to his own recent post on economic development in Rhode Island points to an increasingly sore spot: … hopefully the effort to promote “green jobs,” which I’ve written about previously in the Phoenix, will also yield dividends. It is not my…

A Dark Cloud on a Sunny Day

By Justin Katz | May 25, 2008 |

So didja see the Providence Journal jobs section, today? Perhaps it might be more accurate to say, “the near-lack of a jobs section.” I have two words for the state of Rhode Island: cut taxes… now… drastically. (Well, hey, if the Projo can double the size of its job section by plugging in two full-page…

Anchor on the Air

By Justin Katz | May 15, 2008 |

As those who listened already know, Don switched with Andrew for this Wednesday’s segment on the Matt Allen show. His commentary related to his post on Rhode Island’s failure to address its current crisis can be streamed by clicking here (or download). Next Wednesday at 6:50 p.m., Andrew will have his moment in the spotlight.

What, Me Worry?

By Justin Katz | May 15, 2008 |

Anybody who doesn’t see what the big deal is when Don laments our state’s lack of a sense of urgency need only read through yesterday’s business pages. The values of assets are plummeting: The median price of a multifamily house in Rhode Island during the first quarter declined about 39 percent, to $161,000, compared with…

Sinking Rhode Island Like a Lead Anchor

By Justin Katz | May 15, 2008 |

Maureen Martin’s got it right: If the [lead-paint] verdict is upheld, every dwelling in Rhode Island constructed before 1978 (about 240,000 total) will have to be inspected for lead-based paint, regardless of whether the owners agree to that inspection. Residents will be forcibly relocated if their homes need an “extreme makeover” to remove and replace…

Meaningless talk and inaction in a crisis: Why Rhode Island’s crisis will get worse before it gets better & what to do about it

By Donald B. Hawthorne | May 14, 2008 |

The state of Rhode Island is in a deep financial crisis. Resolving its large budget deficits will require real and significant structural changes to the status quo. The status quo was best summed up in a passing comment by Representative Gorham last night on the Matt Allen show: Gorham talked about how the state budget…

Rhode Island Persuades My Skeptics

By Justin Katz | May 7, 2008 |

Well, it took some time, but apparently, Roland Benjamin’s been persuaded: The info on shrinking tax receipts was predictable given Justin’s demographic research here. Because we have replaced around 29,000 people from above 3x FPL (about $60k in household income) with 25,000 below that threshold, the tax receipts should follow that. And they did. Above…

RI Revenues Down Again

By Carroll Andrew Morse | May 6, 2008 |

Steve Peoples of the Projo reports that Rhode Island’s economic condition is amongst the region’s and the nation’s worst…Economists reported last week that Rhode Island is one of nine states across the country and the only one in New England experiencing an economic recession. State Tax Administrator David M. Sullivan supplied data yesterday detailing the…

Indicative of Obviousness

By Justin Katz | May 1, 2008 |

Times are so dark — and the general thrust of the solution so obvious — that special interests and other general-revenue soakers can’t even escape to the Lifebeat section for relief. Credit goes to Rita Lussier for using her influence for the cause of sanity: Not to alarm you, but this situation is a ticking…

Voting for Your Family

By Justin Katz | April 30, 2008 |

I’ve been saying for years that we with eyes to see should attempt to explain to our fellow Rhode Islanders that their voting habits must change if they wish to keep their families together. A vote for the same old legislators is a vote for your son or daughter to move out of state in…