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Gary Sasse Op-Ed: Not Only Wrong, Not Constructive


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Gary Sasse is generally an honest actor and sometimes a smart economist, but his piece in today’s Providence Journal displays neither of these attributes.

Sasse argues that because the governor did not follow the bad advice of right-wing think tank he used to lead that, “Rhode Island leaders are denying economic reality.”

Not only is this not true, it’s also a deconstructive way to conduct public discourse.

One can completely accept economic reality AND think that RIPEC’s report on why we should dismantle the EDC and replace it with an “commerce czar” is a bad idea. First off, Sasse falsely claimed that Chafee asked RIPEC to author this report when, in fact, the opposite is actually true. This was a project RIPEC wanted to take on, not one the governor asked them to take on. It may seem like a trivial point, but I think it matters much to the framing of the issue.

Moreover, he neglects to mention that a component of the switch was to make the Department of Environmental Management a subsidiary of the proposed commerce czar – an idea that had exactly zero chance of becoming reality in Rhode Island and, furthermore, isn’t rooted in any sort of economic wisdom whatsoever … other than that the interests of the environment should be subservient to those of business owners!!

Indeed, one might argue just as easily that such a policy is to deny economic reality.

Sasse’s track record here in the Northeast is anything but stellar. His claim to fame, other than running RIPEC, is being Governor Carcieri’s chief economic adviser, whose tenure had no demonstrable positive effects on Rhode Island’s economy. Unless, of course, you consider tax cuts for the wealthy and cuts to the poor as positive economic effects in and of themselves.

In spite of these blunders, Sasse is a good guy to have in the debate about how to improve Rhode Island’s economy. But he does himself and the state a disservice when he pretends that to disagree with him is to deny economic reality. Rhode Island needs to work together to improve our economy, not bully around those with whom we disagree.

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2012: My Year in Pictures


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Here are some of my favorite pictures from 2012, mostly in chronological order and all taken with my iPhone … Here’s hoping you enjoy looking at them as much as I enjoyed taking them…

When 2012 started, I was still on the West Coast for my Occutour project. This picture was taken January 1, 2012 on a train going from Portland, Oregon to Los Angeles.
I took this picture from the train, just north of Santa Barbara, California.
There are pelicans all over the boardwalk in Santa Barbara.
And I met Eddie on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles. He was an early inspiration for my Homeless Like Me project. You can see me taking his picture in the window reflection.
From Southern California, I went to Tucson, Arizona – one of my favorite cities in America. This is the view from the backside of Mt. “A” which overlooks the town.
On my way back East, I got to spend Martin Luther King Day in Atlanta, outside the Ebenezer Baptist Church where he was the minister.
When I finally returned to Rhode Island, it was time to take over RI Future. This was Mayor Angel Taveras’ State of the City address, my very first assignment for the blog. Brian Hull was still the publisher!
The State House session was in full swing too. In this picture, Pawtucket Mayor Don Grebien pleads with the Senate Finance Committee to pass Gov. Chafee’s municipal aid relief package as Linc looks on.
Downtown Providence from the roof of the old Narragansett Electric Building.
Ray Sullivan, of Marriage Equality Rhode Island, and Gov. Chafee celebrate his executive order recognizing same sex marriages from other states.
Of course, the big story of the year in Rhode Island was the collapse of 38 Studios, and Lux Burger got about as close as anyone in the Ocean State to Curt Schilling with this sign.
Ah, Rhode Island in the springtime…
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse was one of the biggest stars on the political stage as he introduced the Buffett Rule bill and kept the pressure high on Obamacare.
Those who follow me on Twitter have to endure a lot of picture of Greenwich Cove.
Downtown Providence is another favorite subject of mine. This picture is from the Point Street Bridge.
The deck of the Ocean Mist in Matunuck.
A rainbow over Greenwich Cove.
The Superman Building.
The State House in the springtime.
Teresa Tanzi, Pat Crowley and George Nee look over the first clues of what is included in the House Finance Committee budget proposal.
John Joyce campaigns for the Homeless Bill of Rights.
Waterplace Park and downtown Providence at night.
Rep. Lisa Baldelli Hunt and Jon Brien on the last night of the legislative session.
Liz Warren, before she was a Senator, at Netroots Nation in Providence.
Southeast Light, Block Island.
Before an early morning kayak trip on Narragansett Bay.
A fisherman nets some baby squid in Greenwich Cove.
Dutch Island.
Anthony Gemma ran one of the dirtiest campaigns in Rhode Island history. I took this picture of him right before the Gemmapalooza press conference.
An osprey in a tree above Greenwich Cove.
Bill Rappleye, Stephanie Mandeville DaSilva and Bill Fischer are engrossed in the campaign via their smart phones.
Ft. Wetherill in Jamestown at sunrise.
Greenwich Cove in the fall.
A fitting end to Mike Riley’s failed campaign for Congress.
Hurricane Sandy slams into Jamestown with the Newport Bridge in the background.
Joe Borrasi reads by the light of a soda machine at Harrington Hall.
Downtown Providence.
The nativity scene outside of the Amicable Congregational Church in Tiverton.
Greenwich Cove sunrise.
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Privatization of Higher Ed Violates State Constitution


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As reported  here and here, the University of Rhode Island has spent close to $500,000 on repairs of its president’s tuition-funded home, which is among the fringe benefits that come with the president’s job, such as a car, an expense account, and club dues.

Excessive administrative spending is but one of many results of nationwide privatization of public education.  Particularly distressing in this context is the root cause of this development, namely the decline of the fraction of the URI budget that comes from the Rhode Island general revenue, a percentage that has dropped from 60% in the 1950s to less than 10% currently.

Privatization has resulted in an explosive increase in tuition.  As documented in Trends in College Pricing 2012, a College Board publication, inflation-adjusted tuition and fees have increased by more than 350% since the early 1980s. Excessive spending on presidential perks, in particular at URI, typifies a litany of deplorable policy decisions that coddle university and college administrators at the expense of public education.  Recent examples are:

  • URI’s previous president got a 14 percent raise in 2008-09.
  • The previous president cashed in with a retirement incentive of 40 percent of the $183,000 “faculty” salary he earned after his resignation as president ot the university, a salary which happens to roughly 80 percent higher than full professor faculty salaries.
  •  URI’s current president started his tenure at a salary about 25 percent above what his predecessor ever made.
  • A study performed for the American Association of University Professors found that between 2004 and 2010 spending on instruction and academic support at URI declined by 10 percent; while spending on administration increased by 25 percent.

In spite of all of these excesses and skewed priorities, the almost defunct Board of Governors of Higher Education routinely justifies the tuition hikes and administrative bloat it authorizes by claiming concern for quality education.  Of course, the ultimate responsibility for the neglect of public education rests with the Rhode Island legislature.  The legislature and its serial enablers of the Board of Governors for Higher Education, which is tasked with oversight of public higher education, are duty bound to uphold the Rhode Island Constitution and pertinent statutes.  Their collective failure in this respect is monumental. As Sections I and IV of Article 12 of the Rhode Island Constitution state:

  • […] it shall be the duty of the general assembly to promote public schools and public libraries, and to adopt all means which it may deem necessary and proper to secure to the people the advantages and opportunities of education and public library services.
  • The general assembly shall make all necessary provisions by law for carrying this article into effect. It shall not divert said money or fund from the aforesaid uses, nor borrow, appropriate, or use the same, or any part thereof, for any other purpose, under any pretence whatsoever.

 Title XVI [of the Rhode Island General Laws] adds:

  •  […] the purpose of continuing and maintaining the University of Rhode Island […] in order to promote the liberal and practical education of the industrial classes in the pursuit and the professions of life […]

Privatization is sold as if it provides better services at a lower cost to the taxpayer, but the real costs to Rhode Island and its citizens are hidden.  In education, chief among those hidden costs are increased tuition and interest on student loans, which exclusively benefits moneylenders.  The examples listed above are just a small sample of the many symptoms that characterize a society unable to keep in check the predatory impulses of a small minority.