RI Political Corruption

Not Much Farther to the End

By Justin Katz | February 12, 2010 |

Giving the increasingly leftward shift of the editorials and Rhode Island’s slow grind to a halt, Ed Achorn must find his role on the Providence Journal editorial board frustrating. It makes for some good truth speaking, though: The voters share the blame, of course. They have rewarded this behavior, blindly returning the same people to…

Lobbyist Information Best Digested Near the Vomitorium

By Justin Katz | February 1, 2010 |

Who would have thought of gigs teaching college courses as political patronage? Yet, it’s surprising to see such second incomes so prominent among the special interest salaries drawn by state legislators: Some — but not all — of this information is available in the disclosure reports filed in recent weeks with the secretary of state’s…

A Quiet Revolt Put Down… Barely

By Justin Katz | January 21, 2010 |

Judging from a note in my email box, one of Rhode Island’s procedural travesties almost went the way of double-Democrat Senators in Massachusetts: Something unusual happened in the R.I. House of Representatives this week. A proposed critical rule change failed by the thin margin of 30 to 33 despite opposition by the House leaders. The…

Re: Is a New Way for Labor to Limit the Options

By Justin Katz | January 3, 2010 |

Turning on my home computer after a weekend on the road, I was relieved and concerned to see the legislative bomb that Andrew has spotted. Relieved that we’ve come across this in time to shine some light. Concerned because I recall glancing at these bills back when they were on the agenda and making the…

Business Associates and Classes

By Justin Katz | December 11, 2009 |

Larry Valencia and John Marion (of Operation Clean Government and Common Cause Rhode Island, respectively) are exactly right about union members’ being “business associates” who should be barred from self-dealing (or associate-dealing) as public officials: First, [the RI Ethics Commission] is not making a change to the code itself, but rather in a “General Commission…

Roundtable Redux

By Justin Katz | November 30, 2009 |

Anybody who missed my appearance on WRNI’s Political Roundtable on Friday can find the audio here. There were two points that I didn’t manage to work into the extremely rapid format: In response to Scott MacKay’s suggestion that the Roman Catholic Church would find its pews empty were it to be as intransigent on every…

Where Even the Watchdogs Are Corrupt

By Justin Katz | October 29, 2009 |

WPRI’s been promoting its newest Target 12 investigation as “The Biggest Yet”; reporter Tim White sends along some specifics in advance of the official revelation: CRANSTON – The Rhode Island State Police have opened a criminal investigation following a Target 12 Investigation into government waste. The investigation, which airs tonight at 11 p.m., reveals four…

Perpetual Contract: Making a Spark in a Gunpowder Factory

By Justin Katz | October 29, 2009 |

Andrew’s news might explain the lack of the usual angst from the state’s unionists over legislative assurances that binding arbitration is dead, for the time being: The unions’ first choice — perpetual contracts — is alive and well. You’ll recall that the deadly bill, S0713, passed the Senate and the House Labor Committee and then…

Send the State to the Dump and Rebuild

By Justin Katz | October 25, 2009 |

Some explanation may lie with the crappy discount coffee that I bought in a pinch at CVS, Friday night. I’d forgotten to pick up my usual brew on the way home, and because the cold snap and the replacement of heavy winter socks in my work-clothes dresser bring the threat of rapid defeat in my…

Rhode Island Sleaze Brings Left and Right Together

By Justin Katz | October 21, 2009 |

You know the Rhode Island way of doing government is sickly when the habits and practices of elected officials drive the political left and right so close as to leave no space whatsoever between them. Witness Bob Kerr‘s suggestion that the state replace its current system of selecting its Speaker of the House through back-room…