Rhode Island Politics

Spotted Today During Lunch

By Justin Katz | May 19, 2009 |

How Economic Development Should Work

By Justin Katz | May 19, 2009 |

Brian Bishop takes up the appropriate call to government when it comes to economic development: just get out of the way. The last thing we need is a government-run Chamber of Commerce, a retread bureaucracy of fortune tellers picking winning businesses or sectors that will be offered state loans and regulatory absolutions. Rather, we should…

Moving Independent Candidates to a Different Spot on the Ballot?

By Carroll Andrew Morse | May 16, 2009 |

Take a look at the sample ballots that TPublico has mocked at up over at RI Future. Start off with this one, laid out according to how the law now reads.Either laugh or scream, depending on your temperament, especially after reading the choices under Governor and Lt. Governor.Then return to pondering the serious issue that…

This Would Certainly Save Him the Trouble of Having to Ask for Investigations of Voters of Who Vote Against Democratic Incumbents…

By Carroll Andrew Morse | May 15, 2009 |

…because he could move right to ordering them instead! From Katherine Gregg in today’s Projo…Disappointed in his quest to become U.S. Attorney for Rhode Island, state Democratic Chairman William J. Lynch says he is considering whether to run to succeed his term-limited brother, Patrick, as attorney general.

A Problem of Remuneration Strategy in Education

By Justin Katz | May 14, 2009 |

We on the right understand, of course, the concept of paying a premium for quality executives and administrators, but there seems to be something of, well, an employer’s vanity in paying our new, relatively young Education Commissioner Deborah Gist substantially more than her predecessor, who had logged nearly two decades in the position: Rhode Island’s…

E-Verify in the Senate Judiciary Committee (and Some Blog-Lobbying on It)

By Monique Chartier | May 14, 2009 |

The Senate Judiciary will hear Senator Cote’s e-verify bill this afternoon at the Rise of the Senate in Room 313. Employment is the biggest draw to the United States. Legal immigration is a wonderful thing. But illegal employment encourages illegal immigration. A simple, highly accurate tool, E-Verify discourages illegal employment. E-Verify passed the RI House…

A Fair Hearing for E-Verify in the Senate?

By Justin Katz | May 14, 2009 |

A comment from Joe Bernstein: E-verify will not make it through the Senate. It is “inexplicably” being scheduled for hearing before the Judiciary instead of Labor. Why? Because Paiva-Weed knows she can’t any longer just bury it, so she wants to make damn sure it gets voted down in committee. That won’t happen in Labor.…

Painful Glimpses of the Rhode Island Way

By Justin Katz | May 14, 2009 |

There was an air of exasperation as Monique and Matt Allen discussed tax breaks for political supporters and threats from teachers. On a separate issue, hope remains that the General Assembly will pass E-Verify. Stream by clicking here, or download it.

Tabbing Goldberg Would Look Bad

By Marc Comtois | May 12, 2009 |

Dan Yorke was all over the ProJo expose on potential RI Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen McKenna Goldberg and her husband, super-lobbyist Robert Goldberg. Mr. Goldberg has his hands in so many cookie jars that it would seem impossible for potential Chief Justice Goldberg to be able to rule on any number of potential cases…

The Budget Hole Rhode Island’s In

By Justin Katz | May 12, 2009 |

Sympathy is in order for the state’s lawmakers, although not of the exculpatory kind. It must seem to them that, no matter what they do, the economic dirt keeps falling in on them in the economic hole that they’ve dug: Rhode Island government’s budget deficits have grown by $200 million over the last six months,…