April 2012 – RI Future

April 30, 2012May 1, 2012

Providence Poised for Annual May Day Holiday

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May Day, it’s the original Labor Day and it’s been celebrated with direct action since the first one in 1886 when more than a quarter million workers across the country went on strike to fight for an eight-hour workday. Tomorrow in Providence, the numbers may well be smaller but the issues are no less important.

“The May Day celebration in Providence will highlight several key issues facing workers today: the ongoing foreclosure crisis plaguing not only Rhode Island, but the nation as a whole; the dismantling of our education system through closings of community schools and firing dedicated teachers; the constant harassment and criminalization of immigrants; the systematic attack on organized labor by corporations; and the senseless cuts to social programs due to harsh austerity measures locally and globally,” according to a press release announcing a march at 3:30 starting at the Dexter Street Training Grounds on the West Side.

Robert Malin, a spokesperson for Occupy Providence put this video together on the local struggle for workers rights:

Locally, there are several events going on:

There will be a march starting at 3:30 at the Dexter Street Training Grounds; Steve Early, a long-time labor activist and author, will be speaking at the Firefighters’ Hall, 90 Printery St., Providence, at 7:30 p.m.; and the Rochambeau Library on Hope Street is hosting a screening of Sergei Eisenstein’s 1925 labor classic “Strike!” projected with 16mm film. “The movie is silent and will be accompanied by LIVE SOUND from Bevin Kelley aka BLEVIN BLECTUM,” according to a press release.

Here’s the press release on the march:

On May 1, 2012, working class women and men will march in Providence to celebrate May Day, or International Worker’s Day. The march will commence at 3:30pm at the Dexter Training Ground between Cranston and Westminster Streets and continue throughout the city, stopping at locations that symbolize the struggles of working class people in Rhode Island and around the world. The May Day event is organized by a coalition of youth, labor, and other local community and faith- based organizations.

The May Day celebration in Providence will highlight several key issues facing workers today: the ongoing foreclosure crisis plaguing not only Rhode Island, but the nation as a whole; the dismantling of our education system through closings of community schools and firing dedicated teachers; the constant harassment and criminalization of immigrants; the systematic attack on organized labor by corporations; and the senseless cuts to social programs due to harsh austerity measures locally and globally.

May Day organizers in Rhode Island and throughout the country are calling for “A Day without the 99%,” asking people to take time during the day to show solidarity and participate in a May Day event. The march and subsequent celebration at Dexter Training Ground will feature speakers and performers. People of all walks of life will march to recognize the sacrifices that working people have made in the past, and to celebrate the hope for a better future through the struggles of today.

“Working people need this May 1st holiday more than ever — for both inspiration and solidarity.” says Mary Kay Harris, Direct Action for Rights and Equality lead organizer and May Day event organizer.

“May Day is a day for workers, a day to remind the banks and corporations that they are nothing without their workers. It is time for them to stop enriching themselves and their shareholders at the expense of workers.” states Martha Yager of the American Friends Service Committee, and May Day organizer.

April 30, 2012April 30, 2012

New Leaders Council Hosts Progressive Meet Up

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The New Leaders Council is hosting a networking event for Rhode Island progressives on Friday, May 11 at the Alibi Cafe in downtown Providence.

According to its website, the NLC “works to train and support the progressive political entrepreneurs of tomorrow — trendsetters, elected officials and civically-engaged leaders in business and industry who will shape the landscape.”

Here’s their press release on the event:

Join progressive individuals and organizations from all over Rhode Island for an evening of networking and inspiring conversation about the bright future of progressive leadership in the Ocean State. The New Leaders Council – Rhode Island will host this networking event on Friday, May 11th from 5 to 8PM at the Alibi Cafe.

Connect with fellow progressives, learn about the good works of a few youth organizations (including Riverzedge Arts Project and Young Voices), and hear about the New Leaders Council, a non-partisan progressive leadership institute, all while eating and drinking delightful victuals from Amos House’s More than a Meal and Alibi Cafe.

Our keynote speakers are John McDaid, hyperlocal progressive blogger from Portsmouth and Woonsocket Police Chief and New Leaders Council, Rhode Island board member, Thomas Carey. To join the event, please register at: new.lc/newleaderssummit; or show up on the 11th. Tickets are $20 ($10 for students). Friday, May 11th from 5 to 8PM at the Alibi Cafe, 18 Bassett St., Providence.

To learn more about the New Leaders Council, please visit: http://newleaderscouncil.org/.

April 30, 2012May 1, 2012

Reed, Cicilline Speak Out on Student Loan Debt

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Rhode Island’s congressional delegation is getting in on the ground floor of the fight over student loan interest hike. Last week, the House passed a bill that would keep interest rates low but at the expense of health care programs for women.

Sen. Jack Reed, author of a bill that would prevent Stafford Loan interest rates from doubling this summer made these statements last week:

And Congressman David Cicilline will be meeting with Rhode Islanders tomorrow in a “call to action” on the “threat posed by escalating student loan interest rates.”

Here’s the full press release:

U.S. Congressman David Cicilline (D-RI) will host a call to action along with Rhode Island students, parents, stakeholders, and business leaders to highlight the threat posed by escalating student loan interest rates. The call to action will take place next Tuesday, May 1^st, at Rhode Island College, Student Union, Room 307, 600 Mount Pleasant Avenue, in Providence at 10:00 AM.

With interest rates scheduled to double from 3.4% to 6.8% on July 1^st, if Congress does not act, more than 7 million students are expected to incur an additional $6.3 billion in repayment costs for the 2012 – 2013 academic school year. These increased costs would make college access more difficult and impose an additional financial burden on many young people and families already struggling in a difficult economy.

Congressman Cicilline is a cosponsor of H.R. 3826, which would prevent student interest rates from doubling; he spoke at length about the importance of this issue, along with Congressman Joe Courtney and Congressman Tim Bishop, on the House floor last Wednesday; and, next Tuesday, Cicilline will be joined by a coalition of students, parents, stakeholders, and business to leaders who will urge Rhode Islanders to submit their stories about student loan debt through the Congressman’s website at http://cicilline.house.gov/share-your-story, as part of an ongoing effort to pressure House Republican leadership to take action to protect students from this doubling of interest on their loans. The freshman Congressman from Rhode Island plans to deliver these submissions to the House Republican leadership later this spring.

April 30, 2012April 30, 2012

RI Progress Report: ALEC, Kellogg, Zurier, Raimondo

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“Should Rhode Island taxpayers be footing the bill for lawmakers’ membership dues to the American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC, a national, business-backed conservative group that has come under fire this month?” asks the Providence Journal in its first print article on ALEC. On Friday, they reported on the web that Sen. Walter Felag, a Warren Democrat, wants out of ALEC.

A Portsmouth grocer has started a national movement against Kellogg and Kashi cereal, calling attention to the fact that the supposedly “all natural” cereal uses Round-Up ready soy, a Monsanto Frankestein-esque strain of soybean that, through genetic engineering, protects them from chemical weed killers.

How Providence City Councilor Sam Zurier netted an extra $6 million for the Capital City by taxing the rich.

Speaking of taxes, Treasurer Gina Raimondo paid a 24.5 percent tax rate on her and her husband’s $440,722 of income in 2011. But what if the Buffett Rule had passed? Would she be paying more if capital gains were taxed?

This page may be updated throughout the day. Click HERE for an archive of the RI Progress Report.

April 30, 2012April 29, 2012

Carcieri Passes Buck for Stiffing Cities and Towns

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With former Gov. Don Carcieri now being blamed for the fiscal mess Rhode Island’s poorest communities find themselves in because of his starve the beast policy towards state aid to cities an towns, the retired Republican took to the friendly airwaves of WPRO recently to defend his decisions.

“You said it very well,” he said to Steve Kass – the former full-time-now-fill-in talk radio host who gave Carcieri such favorable attention at the time that the governor finally just dropped the pretense and made Kassman his communication director in 2005. Seriously, that’s who was conducting the interview – the guy’s former communications director.

“Every business person I knew was looking at their business an seeing sales decline and figuring out how they could reduce their costs and be more efficient and it was pretty obvious government needed to do the same,” Carcieri continued. “We couldn’t say we need the same amount of money or more when all of our citizens and all of our businesses are hurting.”

Kass’ probing follow up question? “And also deliver quality services as well,” he tacked on to Carcieri’s defense. To which the former governor added, “Well of course that goes without saying.”

Riveting radio, indeed. Nothing more interesting than listening to a politician make unchallenged talking points.

But then it got, if not interesting, at least bizarre when Kass actually blamed the legislature for his former boss’ crowning fiscal legacy. Carcieri, knowing he would be tossed only softballs, played right along.

“You kind of get painted with whatever happens out of the legislature it’s something you have to live with,” he said.

Yeah, you especially get painted with that brush when it’s your legislative proposal that the General Assembly passes. Never mind that later in the conversation, when Kass tried to blame Congress for the nation’s deficit, Carcieri kept the onus on the executive at the helm.

“It takes leadership,” he said. “You know that.”

Kassman knew that, of course, after Carcieri told him he did.

April 29, 2012April 29, 2012

The Not-So-Curious Divide

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A few days ago, David Scharfenberg of the Phoenix wrote a blog post entitled “The Curious Divide” noticing the distinct difference between Rhode Island’s liberal federal delegation and its state legislature, which skews moderate (and as one reader has pointed out, significantly to the right of most Democratic state legislatures, with some Democrats more conservative than some Republicans). Mr. Scharfenberg explains his view:

the split vote – elect a moderate local rep and a liberal federal one – seems to perfectly capture Rhode Island’s deep unease with its own politics: it is a liberal state uncomfortable with its liberalism.

I’d agree, but I don’t think it’s exactly right. Take the last election. In the race for Governor, Lincoln Chafee’s advantage mainly came from two places; the cities of Providence and Pawtucket and a group I like to think of as “Bay Progressives” (though there were probably liberal Republicans in there as well). These are also places where David Cicilline did extremely well against John Loughlin II, though he was weaker in the Narragansett Bay communities than Mr. Chafee. Mr. Cicilline’s advantage in Providence and Pawtucket overcame the lion’s share of his deficits elsewhere and pushed him to victory. These are also the same places where David Segal performed well in the CD1 Democratic primary.

Basically, the central urban areas, with their minority and working class populations, tend to be strongest for liberal voters, and they can push elections to liberal candidates. The bay area also attracts large concentrations of well-off, highly-educated elites (as do the well-off portions of Providence and Pawtucket). They tend to be strong on green issues and liberal on social issues. This Urban-Bay coalition is a key part of the progressives who dominate federal politics. Their enthusiasm can make or break a liberal candidate running for statewide or federal office.

This isn’t to say there aren’t urban progressives in Newport or Woonsocket or North Providence, nor that there aren’t equally important progressives in the more woodland areas of South County. But their margins of support are less overwhelming, and there are fewer of them. Providence tends to make up the deficit.

Boss Brayton — Charles R. Brayton, founder of Rhode Island's machine politics

There’s the actual tension. It’s not that the state is uncomfortable with its liberalism, it’s the historical tension that’s existed between urban core and country since the Industrial Revolution poured Italian, Irish, Portuguese, and Quebecois into the cities. It’s where Rhode Island’s corrupt political machine politics got their foundation; then under the control of Republican “Blind Boss” Charles Brayton, the countryside prevented the working poor and immigrants in Rhode Island’s cities from getting the amount of political representation they deserved. This is not a secret, the General Assembly’s own history makes this pretty clear (and is a pretty amazing narrative of that body until about 1994).

Now, of course, Providence’s representation is roughly proportionate to its population; but that tension lingers. The well-off countryside can easily view the urban areas as basically a charity basket-case. No wonder they vote for more conservative legislatures. The problem is exacerbated by the largely assimilated white countryside and the as-yet unassimilated immigrant and second-generation Americans who inhabit the cities.

Taken collectively, our state skews liberal; both because it actually is (even our Republicans are more liberal than their peers in other states), but also because the cities have a powerful voting constituency. In the General Assembly, the towns and villages have more distinct representation, the conservative ones can largely counterbalance the liberalism of the urban core. Their own progressives can be outvoted by the larger numbers of conservative voters. When progressives and liberals unite across the state, they’re a very powerful constituency.

And that’s why I think our federal politicians are so different from our state politicians.

P.S. This analysis has missed moderates, and that’s largely because moderates don’t pull the Assembly one way or the other.

April 27, 2012April 27, 2012

The Democrat in Name Only State: Rhode Island

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Ask any conservative and they’ll tell you that the state’s problems are inextricably linked to the dominance of Democrats. This is not untrue, but what they aren’t telling you is that many of the Democrats in the General Assembly are more closely aligned with their own ideology than that of the party’s typical platform.

Our reporting on ALEC this week brought that rarely-mentioned truism to the center of debate this week. Not only is ALEC’s lone Democrat on its board of directors Woonsocket’s own Jon Brien. But for a supposedly liberal state, ALEC has no small toe hold on our General Assembly – more than 20 percent of legislators are members, and half of them are Democrats.

Ian Donnis, of Rhode Island Public Radio, picked up on the theme writing, “Rhode Island might rank among the most bluest states, but you wouldn’t know it from the General Assembly.”

By way of example, he cites our ALEC reporting, last year’s voter ID bill (not surprisingly, that effort was spearheaded by Brien) and the legislative leaderships’ reluctance to embrace income tax increases as a way to get out of debt, noting that, “Speaker Fox and Senate President Paiva Weed seem in tune with Chamber of Commerce types.”

David Sharfenberg of the Phoenix compared Smith Hill legislators’ stance on tax policy to that of their congressional counterparts, writing:

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse got all kinds of attention for his “Buffett Rule” push, calling on the wealthy to “pay their fair share.” Meanwhile, on Smith Hill, the General Assembly seems all but certain to kill legislation that would raise taxes on the rich.

It’s as good an illustration as any of the striking gulf between state- and federal-level politics in Rhode Island – the former rather conservative, the latter pretty liberal.

While Sharfenberg notes that this phenomenon is particularly acute in Woonsocket, Pawtucket and Tiverton, I would add all of Rhode Island save for South County and the West Bay to the list – though Woonsocket is certainly ground zero for conservative Democrats.

Consider this comment posted by Jef Nickerson, who blogs at Greater City: PVD:

“Is there a decoder-ring for the different flavors of “Democrat” in this state,” he wrote. “Moderate-Democrat, Conservative-Democrat, Rightwing-Democrat, Woonsocket-Democrat.”

And similarly, a nonpartisan State House insider, who asked not to be identified, said to me earlier in the week, “In Woonsocket, Democrat is French for Republican.”

But while Woonsocket is the poster child for DINO’s (Democrats in name only), it by no means lays the only claim to a share of this market.

There’s also Karen MacBeth, of Cumberland, who is sponsoring the ultrasound bill that would make it both more onerous for women to get an abortion, and more humbling. And who can forget Rep. Peter Palumbo, who called Jessica Ahlquist “an evil little thing” for sticking up for the Constitution rather than religion in the case of the Cranston prayer banner.

Or how about House Speaker Gordon Fox, who is openly gay, and didn’t fight for marriage equality last legislative session. He’s only slightly less conservative than Senate President Teresa Paiva-Weed, who is well known for valuing Catholics more than constituents.

And these are just the most vocal and recently public examples; there’s also: Doc Corvese of North Providence, Peter Petrarca of Johnston, John Edwards of Portsmouth, Peter Martin of Newport and, of course, Nick Mattiello of Cranston … the list goes on and on…

Anyone who tells you this state is controlled by the political left or organized labor may as well be trying to sell you swampland in Florida. It’s simply not true anymore. For evidence of as much one need look no farther than most popular politicians in the state – Providence Mayor Angel Taveras and Treasurer Gina Raimondo – both of whom are most well known for taking on the unions. And in case you haven’t noticed, it’s been years since organized labor won a meaningful battle at the State House.

So while conservatives scoff at the notion that there is any relationship between tax cuts to the rich and the Rhode Island’s high unemployment rate (even though the correlation completely undercuts the job creator myth that so many of them espouse), it’s getting harder and harder to ignore the simple fact that as Rhode Island moves to the right it’s economy keeps getting weaker and weaker.

April 27, 2012April 27, 2012

Netroots Offers 10 Scholarships to Annual Conference

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Looking for an affordable and socially responsible way to attend the annual Netroots Nation conference this June in Providence? If so you’re in luck because the conference of progressive bloggers and activists is teaming up with Rally.org to offer 10 scholarships to this year’s confab for those who show a prowess for progressive fundraising.

See below for details:

Netroots Nation is teaming up with Rally.org for the first-ever Raise the Future contest, which invites people from around the country to fundraise for progressive causes for the chance to win an all-access pass to Netroots Nation this June in Providence. Ten winners will receive an all-access pass to the conference, hotel accommodations and invitations to VIP events (a $1200 value).

Sign up at rally.org/raisethefuture.

It’s easy to participate: just recruit the most donors for one of the six featured causes—or choose one of your own—using the Rally.org fundraising platform. This contest is unique because its not about how much money you raise, but the number of donors you engage.

The featured causes include Elizabeth Warren for Massachusetts, National Wildlife Federation Action Fund, NARAL Pro-Choice America, Washington United for Marriage, Truman National Security Project and New Leaders Council.

There’s still plenty of time to sign up (and win!). The contest runs through May 15, with finalists announced May 17th.

It takes less than four minutes to get started. Sign up at rally.org/raisethefuture.

April 27, 2012April 27, 2012

Who’s the Knucklehead in Woonsocket Cross Flap?

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While reasonable people can disagree about whether a religious symbol belongs on a war memorial on public property, most would agree that politicians should not call their constituents knuckleheads. Woonsocket Mayor Leo Fontaine seems to be the outlier here though.

Earlier this week he levied that insult at Freedom From Religion Foundation, an atheist group from Wisconsin, that is challenging the city’s war memorial at the fire house because it features a Christian cross. Yesterday, when I asked him about it, he extended the smack down to the Woonsocket resident who brought the issue to their attention.

“I said that they were so…” Fontaine said, not quite finishing the sentence, when I asked him if he thought residents who agree that the cross violates the separation of church and state clause of the Constitution are also knuckleheads. “For them to go forward surreptitiously to try to file a complaint over a monument that has been there for over 90 years yeah my belief is that there is a better avenue to try to resolve their differences.”

On the other hand, Annie Laurie Gaylor, the co-president of Freedom From Religion, seems to think it’s somewhat knuckle-headed for a mayor to not see merit in her complaint.

“It’s like saying the Founding Fathers are knuckleheads because they created a secular government,” she told The Associated Press.

Not surprisingly, Fontaine doesn’t see it this way. “There is core foundation that this country was founded on our judeo-christian values.”

He’s wrong actually. While our founding fathers may have held judeo-christian values, those are not the values they based our democracy on. In fact, in their infinite wisdom, they made certain to keep their private beliefs separate and distinct from the kind of government they created. To confuse the two is, well, knuckle-headed.

April 27, 2012April 27, 2012

RI Progress Report: Arbor Day, Netroots Nation, Medical Marijuana, Muslim Brotherhood, Maria Cimini, ALEC

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Happy Arbor Day, Rhode Island! Hug a tree today. Or, even better, plant one.

Don’t expect much protest at Netroots Nation here in Providence in June, says Ted Nesi, but do expect a visitor from the White House. Meanwhile … Netroots Sweeden starts today.

In the federal governments’ latest attempt to trample state’s rights and squash the will of Rhode Island voters, US Attorney Peter Neronha told Gov. Chafee that landlords who rent to medical marijuana dispensaries could risk having their property taken away.

I’m not saying foreign policy expertise is the most important qualification for a senate candidate, but Rhode Island deserves one that knows the difference between Egypt and the Muslim Brotherhood.

Rep. Maria Cimini, the House sponsor of a bill to return some tax equity to Rhode Island, gets a nice nod from Dan McGowan. She sure does deserve it.

Here’s hoping this trend continues.

It’s not just here in Rhode Island that ALEC is being exposed. It’s actually a nation-wide trend.

April 27, 2012April 27, 2012

Millennials Will Be the Optimistic Generation

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The Great Recession, spiraling debt crises, suicidal austerity, roads falling apart, the war on women, Wall Street bailouts, anti-immigrant sentiment, greater political power to religious zealots, global warming, etc., etc. I look at these and think; I can’t wait for the future.

That’s because I’m a Millennial, and in case you don’t know, despite having the highest unemployment rate of any generation, we’re also the most optimistic. And we should be. We’re a Hero Generation.

There’s a whole generational theory that says each one views life through certain patterns. I haven’t the space to go into it now, but essentially, both the Millennial Generation and the G.I. Generation (aka. the “Greatest” Generation) have similar life events; born in a period of laissez-faire society (’20s & ’80s), come of age during a crisis where we learn teamwork (the Great Recession & Great Depression), and then go on to build great societal institutions. Between our two generations, we’re the most left-wing generations this country has ever had. The Silent Generation, the Boomers, and Generation X are all far more conservative in their outlooks and their politics.

My personal feeling is that this has to do with the Cold War. Think Glenn Beck or Allen West these days, railing against President Obama and the Democrats as believing in socialism or communism. This works for Boomers and Silent Generation types, even Generation X to some extent. Those generations all grew up in an era when the United States was in a global war against communism. Drills demanded that children hide under their desks in the event of nuclear attack (a completely useless measure). Contrast that with the Millennials, the oldest of which would’ve been eight (depending where you say the first Millennial was born) when the Berlin Wall was knocked down. The worn nuclear bomb shelter signs in my middle school were odd curiosities, as outdated as a transistor radio or pagers.

Without the threat of the Cold War, Millennials have been allowed to flourish ideologically. How different are our beliefs? If you ask Millennials about capitalism and socialism we have a slightly more favorable view of socialism. Every other generation is locked into this Cold War struggle. And for those saying Occupy Wall Street is totally socialist, guess what? Those who support Occupy Wall Street hold more favorable views of capitalism. In general terms, Millennials genuinely want government to do more. We believe it can. We have faith in it, a faith that just isn’t matched by older generations.

But that’s to sell ourselves short. It’s not even as simple as socialism vs. capitalism. That’s a Cold War mindset, something which Millennials are escaping from. What Millennials are waking up to is a whole set of ideas that veer away from that simple dichotomy. Copyright laws are running up against the impracticality of enforcement. The internet has shown us just how constructed rules are. Markets, government, etc., even these are socially constructed. Millennials are going to ask the question “why?” in ways which will be disturbing to older generations.

My generation is America’s great divergent generation. We’re the most diverse generation in U.S. history, we’re the most educated, we’re the most optimistic, we’re the most tolerant, we care more about being a good parent than having a successful marriage. But beyond that, we got into less fights with our parents, and we respect our elders more, two-thirds say that personally taking care of an elderly parent is a responsibility we have; far more than Boomer or the Silent Generation types who’ve long since shipped their parents off to assisted living facilities.

There is a generational struggle going on. On one side you have the Cold War Generations; fitfully trying to come to terms with a world in which there is no great enemy, no terrible threat of total annihilation. And on the other you have the Millennials; optimistic, happy, filled with new ideas. We will see the generations before us buried. But we’ll do our best to see that you have good lives before we do.

Consider this before you leave. Half of the recent college graduates in the Millennials are either jobless or underemployed. Interest rates on student loans is about to double (and we have on average over $24,000 in debt). So you’ve got well-educated people facing an enormous debt increase combined with a lack of resources to address that debt. Now think about the possible outcomes.

April 26, 2012April 27, 2012

Taxpayers Are Funding Legislators’ ALEC Memberships

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Rhode Islanders taxpayers are funding legislators’ memberships in ALEC, the American Legislative Exchange Council, said House spokesman Larry Berman. He said the state paid $800 in January for eight new members (more than 20 percent of the legislature are members) that Rep. Jon Brien, a conservative Democrat from Woonsocket who was recently put on the group’s national board of directors, recently signed up.

“A payment is made annually,” Berman said.

Brien said he doesn’t have an issue with taxpayers funding legislators’ membership in the group that pairs corporate interests with state lawmakers.

“Why is this any different than paying for a membership to the NCSL,” Brien said.

The National Conference of State Legislatures, according to it website, “is a bipartisan organization that serves the legislators and staffs of the nation’s 50 states. NCSL provides research, technical assistance and opportunities for policymakers to exchange ideas on the most pressing state issues.”

According to ALEC’s website, the group “works to advance the fundamental principles of free-market enterprise, limited government, and federalism at the state level through a nonpartisan public-private partnership of America’s state legislators, members of the private sector and the general public.”

Two of the new ALEC members said they didn’t sign up for ALEC. Rep John Edwards, a moderate Democrat from Portsmouth, said Brien signed him up and Rep. Sam Azzinaro, of Westerly, said he didn’t know he was a member of ALEC, even though he was on a list provided by Brien. Brien said he would provide their membership forms that will show otherwise.

John Marion, of Common Cause Rhode Island, said taxpayers shouldn’t be funding ALEC memberships.

“There is no reason the General Assembly should paying for these memberships in the first place, and paying for people who may not even want to have joined is almost comical,” he said. “Clearly there need to be better controls in place for these sorts of requests from legislators.”

April 26, 2012April 26, 2012

Chafee, Brien Explain Need for Municipal Aid Bills

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Gov. Chafee and Rep. Jon Brien, chairman of the House Municipal Government Committee, kicked off the House Finance Committee meeting by addressing the need to pass the governor’s municipal aid package.

Brien, from Woonsocket, has a particular interest in the bills’ passage as they would greatly benefit his community.

In this video, they both explain why the bills are so important to the poorest communities in Rhode Island.

April 26, 2012April 26, 2012

RI Progress Report: ALEC, Knuckleheads, ‘Legislation Last’

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The Projo editorial board weighs in on the ALEC controversy. Though they say nothing about the issue on a local level, they write: “The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) offers a case study in how corporate money can be used to distort democracy.

Ted Nesi also chimes in saying that, despite his claims to the contrary, Rep. Jon Brien has in fact put forward ALEC model legislation.

And Ian Donnis writes that it’s one more piece of evidence that Rhode Island Democrats aren’t as liberal as some would claim.

WPRO has taken to defending a cross on a war memorial in Woonsocket and Mayor Leo Fontaine called the group leading the fight against the religious symbol on public property “knuckleheads.” There are sure to be no shortage of knuckleheads in this controversy as John DePetro has “volunteered to emcee” an upcoming rally and it’s hard to argue that those who don’t want a religious symbol on public property are more knuckle-headed than a mayor who insults people based on their beliefs.

I’ve never seen the State House as jam-packed as it was yesterday for a rally to restore cuts made to services for those with developmental disabilities.

There’s a great feud going on between Gina Raimondo and Gov. Linc Chafee over municipal pension fixes and Ed Fitzpatrick quotes the treasurer as passive aggressively saying, “It’s great the governor is continuing the work I started a year ago around pensions, and we absolutely can’t wait. That is why I’m spending time working hand-in-hand with municipal leaders with pension problems.” Okay, Gina … why don’t you try working with the governor, like he did with you? And keep in mind, for as much credit as you’ve received for your work on pension reform, having the weight of the governor’s office behind you was no small thing, as it’s a much bigger deal than the treasurer’s office. But she knows that…

April 26, 2012April 26, 2012

CRMC Issues Eleventh Hour Decision

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The Coastal Resource Management Council (CRMC), after another evening filled with heated testimony, issued its decision on a request by the Town of South Kingstown to reclassify a portion of shoreline along Matunuck Beach Road. CRMC would not be forced to make a potentially precedential decision based on an eleventh hour situation being put before them for resolution.

In a 6-2 vote, the Council voted no, voicing concern with reclassifying the existing shoreline designation of “Coastal Headlands Bluffs and Cliffs” to that of a “manmade shoreline.”

Anthony Affigne, CRMC member, made his feelings clear from the moment he took his seat.

“I want to indicate a great deal of frustration with the 11^th hour situation. “I went to Matunuck Beach Road. It is clear that the erosion has continued,” he said. Having conducted a site visit just prior to the meeting, Affigne was adamant in his contempt for the lack of prior mitigation sources.

“Town officials have known for decades and been aware for decades. We have our backs against the wall and [we] are being forced to make a decision,” argued Affigne. “We are here in a situation of imminent peril.”

The Town’s case, presented by Steve Alfred, who holds the titles of Town Manager and Public Safety Director, is also premised on imminent peril. The road leading into Matunuck is in danger of failure. The Town has been before the Council on several occasions concerning the Matunuck Headlands issue. The last on April 10, requesting approval for the construction of a sheet pile wall along a 202 ft. stretch of Matunuck Beach Road is pending reconsideration. The section of road in question housing the community’s water line is being compromised by storm surge and coastal erosion.

The April 10 hearing also ended in the Town’s application being struck down. Many residents, property owners and environmental watchdog agencies who testified in opposition, also opposed the reclassification. Some, represented by counsel, lent their support with limitations on restrictions and stipulations. The Town’s petition for reconsideration of the sheet pile wall application was tabled in light of the reclassification hearing and will be heard on May 8.

The reclassification to manmade shoreline, proposed for an approximately 1400 ft. stretch of coast, represented the Town’s efforts to assist property owners and residents attempting to erect protective measures along the southerly, seaward side of 11 affected parcels.

The current natural designation, usually attached to coastline along Type I waters, affords less opportunity for the placement of permanent protective structures for private property owners. The Coastal program specifically prohibits “construction on or alteration of coastal cliffs and bluffs and contiguous areas where such construction or alteration has a reasonable probability of causing or accelerating erosion or degrading a generally recognized scenic vista.”

Supportive of previous discussions with property owners, the Town adopted the posture that the change to “Manmade Shoreline” properly reflected the “historic character of portions of the Matunuck shoreline.” Manmade Shoreline is not typical of Type I water designation, another issue to be considered by the Council as the Matunuck Shoreline is Type I. The new designation, if approved, would have provided property owners an administrative vehicle providing for the construction of protective structures.

A mixture of business and residential concerns, two of the parcels of immediate concern house the Ocean Mist and Tara’s Pub, small businesses, whose owners are concerned not only for their properties and livelihood, but for that of their employees. In May 2011, the two businessmen submitted Preliminary Determination requests for construction of a combined sheet wall and riprap structure, seaward of their properties. Coastal storms and the combined efforts of all interested parties in reaching viable solutions had those applications tabled.

Represented by William Landry at the latest hearing, the business owner’s presented a case more supportive of beach nourishment, replenishment and conservation. “We ask that we be given the opportunity to present an appropriate solution within the next year that involves beach replenishment and addresses compliance issues,” provided Landry, referencing the outstanding issue of coastal compliance violations.

Several environmental agencies came forth to testify in opposition to the reclassification. Calling forth visions of the Great Wall of China, each presented the issue of precedential caution. A decision in favor of reclassification would bring forth property owners up and down the coastline.

Brian Wagner, representing the Surfrider Foundation, Rhode Island Chapter, spoke against the erection of seawalls in general and opposed reclassification of shoreline in favor of private construction concerns. Wagner made it clear that the foundation was opposed to the reclassification and reconsideration requests, cautioning the Council. “It’s the first step down a very slippery slope.”

Tricia K. Jedele, representing the Conservation Law Foundation, cautioned the Council about making decisions not provided for in the CRMC Red Book. “Who has the ability to request a reclassification? Can the Town request it? Can any individual who owns coastal property request a reclassification?” she asked. “Your program is not clear.”

What was clear, was the report prepared by CRMC staff in advance of the Council’s reclassification decision. A change to manmade shoreline would have to include stipulations concerning any subsequent construction and Army Corp of Engineers involvement.

The Council, now faced with a reclassification request absent the proposed hard structure wall, replaced with a beach replenishment proposal of sorts – a flip-flop on issues, seemed perplexed. “Had a request for replenishment been submitted, it would have been signed the next day,” responded Grover Fugate, CRMC Director.

Was there ever a Great Wall of China on the table or was there actually a Chinese Wall – a veritable lack of connection put in place by opposing side’s inability to communicate? The turnout of residents, Town officials, environmentalists, conservationists and the litany of attorneys tells the story. Place the Great Wall proposal on the shelf and consider the Chinese Wall breached. There has been a call to the table.

Open for discussion are many questions concerning the future of the seaside community of Matunuck. Is there an issue of imminent peril? Will the road fail? How does the Town provide for public health and safety, absent the ability to protect Matunuck Beach Road? When and how will beach replenishment be accomplished?

Perhaps the most important question is one without immediate answer. “Will New England’s changing weather patterns afford Matunuck the benefit of a year’s time?”

The seaside community escaped the wrath of a harsh New England winter. Time and weather, as virtual unknowns for the future, a decision has to be made.

“You’ve got everybody’s attention,” said Landry. “Golden moments fly.”

April 26, 2012April 26, 2012

Political Parties Should Invite Voters into Process

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2008 DNC Roll Call (800px) — The 2008 Democratic National Convention

In case you hadn’t heard, 3% of potential voters turned out in Rhode Island’s presidential primary on April 24th. Rhode Island runs open primaries, where unaffiliated voters can temporarily affiliate on primary day with the party of their choice, so virtually every voter but those registered as Moderates had the ability to vote. The two primaries were different affairs, though, so each has their own issues.

On the Democratic side, only Barack Obama was available (or no one/write-in). But all the available delegates were pledged to Obama. This means that all delegates were going to vote for Obama anyways. So in this case, why care who goes? Since 1968, Democrats have ensured that they wouldn’t ever have to face the chaos of a brokered convention again, de-emphasizing the importance of the delegates.

On the Republican side, the math has essentially made Mitt Romney the victor this primary season. Though Ron Paul managed to pick up some delegates, even RI GOP chair Mark Zaccaria was worried at the low turnout.

It appears to me that the parties are facing a lack of enthusiasm, though RI Tea Party founder Colleen Conley assures me on Twitter that the Tea Party (not really a political party) will crush the Democrats in November. I’m skeptical.

There’s not much to get excited about this election season. My college broke out into a spontaneous celebration in November 2008, and I remember thinking, finally, we won. Now that just seems naive. Neither base can be truly energized when it’s essentially to go vote against someone. We need to want to vote for something.

I think part of the problem is that parties aren’t really distinct parties anymore. If you register as a Democrat, are you actually involved in the Democrats? Do you get to set the platform of your local party? Do you elect the party leadership? Do you decide who will become Speaker of the House if they’re in the majority? Of course not. Only two types of people make those decisions in a modern American political party; party apparatchiks and political candidates.

So when you register as a Democrat, you’re not actually a member of the Democratic Party, you are a voter affiliated with the Democratic Party. Yes, you can select its candidates (a privilege made less relative by open primaries), but you’re essentially powerless over the operations of the party. This is why organizations like the Progressive Democrats of America exist, to counteract the party establishment. This is also why some states have moved towards the jungle primary, essentially making parties vestigial organs.

Parties don’t have to be organized like this. It would be perfectly possible to make a political party function as a democratic organization; where the chair and the leadership are elected by all of the party’s members. The same thing could happen for legislative delegations; the Rhode Island Democrats could be allowed to select who they want to be Speaker of the House or President of the Senate in an election, choosing between candidates from among the Democratic representatives and senators. Party platforms could likewise be suggested and voted upon by party members in the same way a ballot question appears; “would you like the Democratic Party to include in its values a commitment to the equal rights of LGBTQ citizens, including the right of marriage?”

So yes, the criticism that political parties don’t represent the people is accurate; they don’t even represent the people who are registered as their voters. Because those aren’t their members. Their members are the networkers and the political players who really burrow deep inside of the party. And yes, they get paid poorly and have pretty crappy jobs. They get to inhabit these positions because they step up to the plate.

But at the end of the day, if you want your voters to have enthusiasm for their party, if you want them to turn out to the polls no matter the situation, you have to give them agency. It’s the same reason that the Green Bay Packers have their seats sold out for a century; by making the team owned by the fans, they gave their fans agency in their organization. Political parties need to demand participation, open discussion, and activity from their members. They cannot afford to take them for granted.

April 25, 2012April 26, 2012

Dem. Lawmakers Distance Themselves from ALEC

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Democratic legislators distanced themselves from involvement with ALEC, the far right wing group that acts as a stealth lobby organization to state legislators, saying they signed up because Rep. Jon Brien asked them to do so.

Many said they didn’t know much about the organization, even though it has been all over the news as of late, and that they would be taking a closer look to see if it jibes with their politics.

“I was asked to sign up,” said Rep. Peter Martin, a conservative Democrat from Newport, saying Brien asked him to join. “Now, I’m questioning why I did. I’m learning more about it and thinking I better learn a little more. I like Jon Brien but sometimes he’s a little more to the right than I am.”

Brien, a conservative Democrat, recently joined ALEC’s national board of directors. He said ALEC is actively trying to recruit more Democrats. A list of local members of the American Legislative Exchange Council indicates that more than 20 percent of the General Assembly belong to the group.

Rep. John Edwards, of Tiverton, said he didn’t join ALEC.

“Someone signed me up,” he said. “I thought it was more like the [National Conference of State Legislatures].”

The NCSL is a bipartisan group that helps state lawmakers share ideas. ALEC, on the other hand, supports only conservative ideology and is backed by corporate America. Edwards said being aligned with corporate America isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it can be he added.

“Sometimes corporate America is aligned with my values and sometimes it isn’t, like when they are sticking it to the middle class,” he said. “I’m a moderate Democrat. I’m not one of those far-right Democrats.”

Rep. Sam Azzinaro, a conservative Democrat from Westerly, said he knew nothing about ALEC, even though he was on a list of members provided by Brien.

Rep. Lisa Baldelli-Hunt, a Woonsocket Democrat, said her membership in ALEC does not necessarily imply that she supports the group.

“If someone joins an organization, it’s not always because they are an advocate for that organization,” she said. “It might be just that they are looking for more information.”

Rep. Michael Marcello, a Scituate Democrat, echoed this sentiment, saying, “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with trying to get more information. It doesn’t mean I support 100 percent of what they do.”

In fact, Marcello distance himself from many of ALEC’s legislative priorities, saying he doesn’t support voter ID as well as other ALEC initiatives. “I didn’t join as a form of support, I joined to get more information.”

He said he and Brien attended an ALEC reception at G-Tech earlier in the year. Brien was an attorney for G-Tech from 2002 to 2007, and said he attended his first ALEC reception at G-Tech years ago when his wife was a member of the General Assembly, at the request of former Woonsocket legislator Jerry Martineau, who was convicted on corruption charges in 2009 for his cozy relationship with CVS and Blue Cross.

Brien, one of the more conservative members of the state legislature from either party, said he signed up most of the House members during the special pension session in November.

“They all thought it sounded good when they signed up,” he said. “My goal is to sign up as many new members as I can.”

Brien said the special pension session came on the heels of ALEC’s annual meeting last summer, at which he said he spent four days focusing on education reform. He described ALEC as being nonpartisan.

“I don’t find education reform to be a divisive or partisan or ideological issue,” he said. But, of course, in Rhode Island it is – and during the summer Brien almost got into a fight in an elevator with an official from the NEARI after the two exchanged words outside of a courtroom when another union official was on trial for cyberharassing an anti-union Democrat during the 2010 election season.

He said his politics are closely aligned with ALEC’s legislative agenda, but that he will not do its bidding.

“Is my goal to have ALEC have influence at the State House? No,” he said. “My goal is to bring together politically like-minded representatives and senators when we believe in the same issues and ideas. If we do that, ALEC will by osmosis have influence at the State House.”

April 25, 2012April 25, 2012

Ring in Spring with Green at Drinking Liberally Tonight

The trees are budding, the grass is growing and the bees are buzzing.

What better way to kick off Spring than to recognize Earth Day and slip in a mid-week sip? We hope to see you tonight from 7 to 9pm for our monthly gathering at Wild Colonial.

This month’s DL program will RING IN SPRING WITH GREEN ADVOCATES. On the docket are two extraordinary environmental gurus:

Dave Fisher, ecoRI

Abel Collins, Sierra Club RI

Amelia Rose, RI Environmental Justice League

April 25, 2012April 25, 2012

Budgeting for Disaster: How Budgets Are Cut

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I was at the hearing at House Finance last night, talking about tax cuts for rich people. The remarkable thing about all the tax cuts we’ve given over the past 16 years is not that we’ve given them, but how we’ve paid for them.

As we saw in the last installment, the story of the past 16 years has been relentless cuts in state income taxes on the top 1% of taxpayers. The cuts have come in several different forms, but the result has been the same: dramatically lower taxes on the top end, much smaller changes for everyone else.

That’s bad enough, but the real tragedy of the tax cutting of the past 16 years is that not a single one of the tax cuts passed by the General Assembly was paid for. The income tax cut of 1997, the car tax cut of the same year, the capital gains tax cut of 2001, and the flat tax cut of 2006 were all “phased in” to avoid having to make the tough decisions people are always talking about.

But the reduced state revenue had to be made up somehow. How did we do it? Over that time, we haven’t cut any major programs. So does this mean that government was too fat? Do we owe a debt of gratitude to the Almond and Carcieri administrations for finally starving the beast down to an affordable size? I’d like to share with you my observations of the five different ways to cut a budget, only the first of which has any claim to being a hard choice:

Terminate a program or benefit.
Supply a program or benefit in a more efficient fashion.
Supply a program or benefit in a shoddier fashion.
Borrow to hide the shortfall.
Foist the cost onto somebody with another source of income.

In my review of state budget cuts over the past decade, I find very few examples of the first method, though there are some. Certainly the Medicaid program is somewhat less generous than it was a decade ago. We cut services for legal immigrant children and pregnant women, for example. But how many other examples are there? I don’t support Governor Chafee’s proposal to terminate funding of WSBE television, but I applaud him for having the temerity to actually propose ending a fairly popular program.

For the second method, there are a few good examples. The recent reorganization at DMV might qualify. Though it also required some new personnel, they are now providing better service with not too many more people. DOT’s proposal to get designs and buildings from the same contractor has promise in this regard, and the construction of the new train station in Wickford seems to have turned out well.

Unfortunately, too many of these border on examples of the third category: just doing a shoddier job. The General Assembly has, over the years, been not at all deferential to the judgment of department heads and experts about what is actually possible within the budget constraints presented, with disaster or shoddy service frequently resulting. The transfer of 17-year-olds from the Training School to the ACI a few years ago is an example, and last year’s cut to BHDDH funding is another. A couple of years ago, delays in food stamp processing were so great that the state lost a class-action suit on the issue.

The Department of Transportation’s shameful neglect of maintenance is still another example. Seventeen homes and four businesses in Tiverton are gone today because DOT didn’t maintain the Sakonnet Bridge adequately and they were in the way of the replacement bridge. Nor are they alone in their neglect of maintenance, as any visit to a state facility will attest. A few years ago, URI estimated the cost of deferred maintenance on their campus to be over $400 million, not so much less than a year’s budget.

Category four is excessive borrowing, and DOT has been a prime offender in the category, and so have the colleges, creating fancy new buildings while cutting back on the staff and projects that should be filling them. Governor Chafee has proposed cutting back the DOT borrowing.

It’s probably the fifth category that has seen the most exercise. In the drive to cut taxes on rich people, the state has cut funding to: municipal governments and school departments who have to make it up with property taxes; to colleges who have to make it up with tuitions; to Medicaid recipients who have to make it up with co-pays; to everyone who fishes, drives, or runs a hospital who have to make it up with increased license fees, and to many more. We’ve even taken it from prisoners, for heaven’s sake, with parole fees, home confinement fees and medical co-pays. Property tax payers, students, poor people, and prisoners have paid for the tax cuts of the last 16 years.

One important point about these categories, is that numbers three and four are only the illusion of cutting costs, and generally make things more expensive in the long run. And number five doesn’t cut costs at all, either. If you want an explanation of why government in Rhode Island is expensive, look here.

Let’s be clear: courage is not foisting costs off onto others, nor is it insisting the state do its job badly. It is not borrowing to hide shortfalls or pushing costs into the next year. Calling for efficiency is laudable, but it is not courage, either. (Nor should it be confused with actually finding efficiencies.)

Courage means honesty. It means assessing with honesty our past policies, and not hiding behind some claim that we have to wait and see the effect of tax cuts we’ve been waiting for over a decade to see. It means honestly assessing claims that rose petals will fall from the sky if only we can avoid asking rich people to pay their fair share. It means honestly assessing what our state needs to do and finding a fair way to raise all the revenue with which to do it. Honesty is hard, the reason it’s equivalent to courage.

So listen skeptically when you hear someone — a member of the legislature, an anti-tax activist, or a friend — talking about making those tough choices. Are they talking about categories two through five? Those aren’t tough, so don’t let them hide there.

April 25, 2012April 25, 2012

Democrats Send Progressives To Convention

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Congratulations to the delegate candidates who won an opportunity to go to the Democratic National Convention in yesterday’s primary. While overall turnout may have been low, it seems as if progressives got out the vote as all but two of our endorsed candidates prevailed.

Anne Connor, whom we profiled, received more overall votes than former Providence Mayor Joe Paolino, who took out an ad in the ProJo (though he did spell the president’s name wrong in it). She even got more votes than him in his hometown of Providence – and she lives in suburban Barrington.

Conservative, anti-union Democrat Doug Gablinske received the fewest votes in CD1

In CD2, the three progressive members of the General Assembly – Josh Miller, Frank Ferri and Teresa Tanzi netted nearly 1,000 more overall votes than the three Weiner candidates, an affluent family from East Greenwich known for being political insiders and regulars at the party convention.

For a complete list of results, click here.

The winners are below, including total number of votes they garnered and percentage.

UPDATE: RI Future Publisher Emeritus Matt Jerzyk writes that our delegate results isn’t accurate because Democratic rules for the representing candidates at the convention employ a sort of affirmative action in which the top 5 men and top 6 women from each district are chosen. As such, these are the results according to Jerzyk:

The top 5 men and top 6 women in each CD are elected – not just the top 11. That would mean the following won yesterday:

CD-1

Myrth YORK
Julie E. MEYERS
Anne W. CONNOR
Joseph R. PAOLINO, JR.
Onna A. MONIZ-JOHN
Mary A. GASBARRO
June S. SPEAKMAN
Brett P. SMILEY
Tom CODERRE
Gerald Pedro CARVALHO
David A. SALVATORE

CD-2

Joshua MILLER
Patrick T. FOGARTY
Teresa TANZI
Frank G. FERRI
Elaine PRIOR
Michael A. SOLOMON
L. Susan WEINER
Mark S. WEINER
Elisa M. POLLARD
Helen S. TAYLOR
Zoe I. WEINER

CD1

Myrth YORK	2831	10.4%
Julie E. MEYERS	2153	7.9%
Anne W. CONNOR	2061	7.6%
Joseph R. PAOLINO, JR.	1986	7.3%
Onna A. MONIZ-JOHN	1880	6.9%
Mary A. GASBARRO	1833	6.7%
June S. SPEAKMAN	1776	6.5%
Brett P. SMILEY	1763	6.5%
Rebecca Kim MEARS	1694	6.2%
Tom CODERRE	1640	6.0%
Gerald Pedro CARVALHO	1369	5.0%

CD2

Joshua MILLER	1313	7.8%
Patrick T. FOGARTY	1272	7.6%
Teresa TANZI	1233	7.3%
Frank G. FERRI	1137	6.8%
Elaine PRIOR	1131	6.7%
Michael A. SOLOMON	1109	6.6%
L. Susan WEINER	1033	6.1%
Mark S. WEINER	1007	6.0%
Thomas J. IZZO	990	5.9%
Ryan Patrick KELLEY	986	5.9%
Elisa M. POLLARD	972	5.8%

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