Rhode Island Politics
Travis Rowley has an op-ed in today’s Providence Journal responding to Bill Lynch’s attempt to redirect blame for Rhode Island’s economic collapse from his astonishingly dominant political party. Rowley makes one point that is critical to understanding the state’s predicament: There is not a conservative reform that a Republican governor can recommend without causing the…
Marc took the air with Matt Allen, last night and talked straight ticket voting. Stream by clicking here, or download it.
I’m a little delayed in posting it, but during last week’s Anchor Rising spot on the Matt Allen Show, Andrew explained just how daunting is the problem of bringing the Rhode Island government within its budget. Stream by clicking here, or download it.
As a follow-up to my appearance on Matt Allen tonight, I thought it worthwhile to provide a link to VotersUnite.org, which I mentioned to Matt. As I said, they indicate that there are only 15 states that provide the straight-party option, though there are some caveats. For instance: [1] North Carolina: A straight party vote…
[Yesterday, the Governor settled an ethics complaint about the hiring of his niece-in-law. My post below first appeared on June 1, shortly after the ethics complaint was filed.] Under my post “I Am Your Father’s Brother’s Nephew’s Cousin’s Former Roommate” about Turn To 10’s Bill Rappleye “uncovering” the hiring of the Governor’s niece-in-law, commenter Citizen…
Brendan Miniter of the WSJ: Several years ago Christie Todd Whitman, former governor of New Jersey and EPA administrator, wrote a book called “It’s My Party Too.” She used that treatise to argue for the party to abandon its conservative roots. Even after two serious GOP drubbings at the polls, she has found no takers.…
The ProJo’s Ed Achorn used some of my data in his latest column in which he explains why the straight-party vote option in the Rhode Island is a stumbling block towards a two-party state. This scheme…gets pernicious…farther down the ballot, in legislative races with lesser-known candidates. Minus the straight-ticket option, many voters who are ignorant…
If, indeed, the referenced law is being correctly interpreted and executed, it needs to change. Any information pertaining to the dispensation of tax dollars cannot be withheld from those who supply those dollars. The Carcieri administration is refusing to disclose the number of unused vacation and sick days it awarded recent state retirees who, in…
Charlie Hall sent over this cartoon: Now, now, Charlie, I know for a fact that our own Andrew Morse was in attendance, as well!
East Providence School Committee member Anthony Carcieri makes an interesting observation to the Providence Journal: Along with the skirmishes over ground rules, the negotiators also have disclosed their ultimate goal. The committee wants $3 million in annual concessions from the teachers, Carcieri says, adding that they aren’t bluffing or backing down. “The NEA has experienced…