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These sentiments from two prominent Rhode Island progressives are worth noting: “Harmful practices.” “Punish children.” They’re talking about demerits for things like being late or unprepared for class. Notice that they don’t care whether these policies could help some children. Either in their arrogance they think they know better or in their malice they want to…
Rich Weinstein’s quip, here, exposes a deadly serious problem with the progressive style of governance: Rhode Island jumped into ObamaCare with both feet, and not only are our hospitals struggling, but people are having a terrible time finding primary care doctors. Maybe those two things are cause-and-effect, maybe they’re loosely related, or maybe there’s no…
This incident, highlighted by John DePetro, is a few weeks old, at this point, but it’s worth noting nonetheless. Democrat Governor Dan McKee and Democrat East Providence Mayor Bob DaSilva were supposed to meet with businesses affected by the Washington Bridge closure. DaSilva has been adamant that people should not avoid his city out of…
I agree with Mickey Kaus, here: Under President Trump, our dip was shallower than the comparison countries in the chart, and the economy was roaring back by the time Biden took office. If anything’s notable, it’s how hard Biden put the brakes on within months of being in office, with continued slowing in improvement thereafter. …
Brandon Busteed’s argument in Forbes well taken: U.S. teachers are dead last among all occupational groups and professions in feeling their opinions count at work, that their supervisor creates an open and trusting environment and that they are treated with respect each day. Teachers are also the highest of all professions in experiencing burn-out and…
Whatever one’s political leanings, the incentives of government must be understood as simply reality. Government agencies don’t have to create a product or service that people will voluntarily purchase. Rather, they must find activities for which they can justify forcing people who are not the direct beneficiaries to pay. This model is justified, in some…
This is an interesting bit of data, and Frank Fleming’s response is humorous, but a question of causation and another bit of information are relevant: The bit of information that’s missing is the percentage of each group who’s asked a healthcare provider to diagnose a mental health condition. No doubt, psychologists and psychiatrists could find something…
It’s hard to believe this is the conclusion of the CEO of the “business-backed” Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council (RIPEC): The state should consider alternatives pursued by other states like road usage charges, electric vehicle charging fees, increased registration fees for hybrid/electric vehicles, or tolls (especially if the state is unsuccessful in its appeal of…
By its nature, advocacy journalism glosses over the details that many would consider crucial. Headlines from a pair of such articles by Katie Mulvaney in the Providence Journal illustrate the point: Six months pregnant with nowhere to go – an unhoused woman’s plight on RI’s streets After months of sleeping on the street, pregnant woman finally…
These stories come much too quickly to keep up, digest, and consider, but Mel’s review of Letitia James’s campaign finance reports a few weeks ago is worth a look: What might we find in RI, if we looked?