Written

Shadowy RI State House

The General Assembly should pay much less… or much more.

By Justin Katz | July 16, 2021 |

Katherine Gregg reminds Rhode Islanders, via the Providence Journal, that representatives and senators in the state General Assembly get a raise when the country experiences inflation: On July 1, their annual salaries went up by $199.63, from $16,635.74. to $16,835.37 a year. (The House speaker and Senate president make double that amount.) And no, they did not…

Hospital beds

With 40% of COVID deaths being among diabetics, forcing everybody to do (or not do) things is not justified.

By Justin Katz | July 16, 2021 |

There is a very strong case for diabetics to be vaccinated against COVID-19, as Dennis Thompson reports for HealthDay News: About 40% of deaths from COVID-19 in the United States were among diabetics, a “really quite sobering” statistic that should prompt people with the ailment to get vaccinated, said Dr. Robert Gabbay, chief scientific and medical…

WalletHub map of best states for doctors

Now’s the time to start addressing doctor shortages in RI, before it’s an emergency.

By Justin Katz | July 15, 2021 |

G. Wayne Miller’s headline in the Providence Journal tells you about all you need to know about the article: “‘People are burned out’: RI faces a doctor shortage that could get worse.” Rhode Island is facing a shortage of doctors, which has made finding a physician in some specialties more difficult and could inhibit easy access…

Clothes display in a retail store

Psst, Democrats: the key to higher wages is a strong economy and domestic workforce.

By Justin Katz | July 15, 2021 |

Of course, then government can’t take direct credit for handing out money. Newsmax reports that employers across the country are thrilled to be finding teens willing to take entry-level jobs: As the U.S. economy bounds back with unexpected speed from the pandemic recession and customer demand intensifies, high school-age kids are filling jobs that older workers…

For Hire sign

Seasonally adjusted employment shouldn’t be going down in Rhode Island, but it is.

By Justin Katz | July 15, 2021 |

As you see headlines today and tomorrow about how Rhode Island’s unemployment rate went down a tenth of a percentage point, keep this in mind, from an RI Dept. of Labor and Training press release just out this morning: The number of employed Rhode Island residents was 506,600, down 500 from May. Last June there…

Eugene Delacroix Fanatics of Tangiers

Progressives continue to use “conversion therapy” bans to convert our country into a theocracy.

By Justin Katz | July 15, 2021 |

Back when the Democrats of Rhode Island imposed their radical religion on the people of the Ocean State in 2017 with a “conversion therapy” ban, I pointed out that it didn’t just affect the therapy of children, but adults, as well.  I went on to emphasize exactly how this was the state government imposing a religious…

Silhouette of a stickup

Progressives don’t want more information about the weapons used in crimes.

By Justin Katz | July 14, 2021 |

Anita Baffoni reports for WPRI on the decision of Democrat Governor Dan McKee to take the middle path between vetoing a bill and signing it — allowing it to become law without his signature — on a bill that modifies what must be reported when guns are used in crimes.  Most notably, the bill, which…

Prolife prayer in NYC

It’s not difficult to see where the urge for fascism really is on the American political spectrum.

By Justin Katz | July 14, 2021 |

Nobody should ever accuse progressives of spending too much time on self reflection.  Consider the following, from an article for Catholic News Agency by Joe Bukuras about pro-abortion protesters’ blocking a Catholic pro-life procession: “Violence can look like a man throwing punches,” a copy of a [New York City for Abortion Rights (NYCFAR)] flyer says.…

Vincent Van Gogh Tree Roots

Elorza’s view of poverty perfectly encapsulates progressives’ error.

By Justin Katz | July 14, 2021 |

No doubt many smart progressives would spot Democrat Mayor of Providence Jorge Elorza’s error in thinking, but this statement, as quoted on GoLocalProv, perfectly summarizes the progressive approach to policy: “If there’s one thing that causes poverty, it’s the lack of money,” said Elorza of the program that is currently funded through private donations —…

BLM t-shirt of Sayles St instigator.

Wokism is creating terrible, terrible incentive to undermine communities.

By Justin Katz | July 13, 2021 |

John DePetro reports that one of the families involved in the Sayles Street neighbor dispute a few weeks ago is nearing the $15,000 goal of its GoFundMe campaign.  Give some thought to the process by which they’re monetizing debate. Without assigning blame for who started it, we can state as fact that this family was…