Samuel G. Howard
Moody’s to Rhode Island: protect stupid investors
Moody’s (the Wall St. ratings agency) has downgraded the R.I. Economic Development Corporation bonds that funded 38 Studios; and has issued further warnings that the rest of Rhode Island’s bonds are under review, what WPRI’s Ted Nesi called a “sharp rebuke” to the state. The threat is loud and clear: fail to pay bondholders for [...]
Not everything in US politics needs to be founder approved
The background of this post is that the General Assembly passed the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC) for the second time since 2008 on Thursday, June 13, 2013 (then-Governor Donald Carcieri vetoed the legislation). I outlined my feelings about NPVIC last year when Senator Erin Lynch and Representative Raymond Gallison had bills out in [...]
Who Do We Pay?
With the House of Representatives bringing in its “neutral” expert on defaulting on the 38 Studios moral obligation bonds, the lingering question to me still remains. Why is it alright to unilaterally bail out on our pension obligations to state employees, but our “moral” obligations to bondholders who knew the risks must be honored at [...]
Bravery in a hard world
I came across a very good article by Maddy Myers, the former games critic for the defunct Boston Phoenix. Naturally, I found it when one of its subject, Anita Sarkeesian, a noted feminist games critic I’ve written about before, tweeted about it. Myers closes it out with this ending: Anita Sarkeesian isn’t the only woman [...]
Martyrs Wanted
Current-Anchor managing editor Justin Katz has a piece somewhat worth reading (the latter half of it is mostly an extended airing of his grievances about his own failed campaign for Tiverton school committee) titled “Whose Fault, RI?” In it, Katz examines the straits the Rhode Island Republican Party finds itself in. Ultimately, Katz settles on [...]
Caprio’s road back to office reasonably hazardous
Frank Caprio is beginning what will be his second act in Rhode Island politics. It’s actually a reasonably admirable move; after a stinging defeat in the race for governor, Caprio readjusted his sights and aimed lower. In a political world which seems to be completely about climbing the ladder of positions, Caprio’s decision to stay [...]
On the master lever, I am a hypocrite
On Monday morning, I argued that abolition of the single party option (SPO, better known as the so-called “master lever”) should fail, even though it’s good policy to abolish it. In it, I argue the opposite for what I’d argued about five months before: that regardless of the benefit abolition would accrue for proponents, it [...]
Why master lever abolition should fail, for now
About a month ago, Common Cause RI Executive Director John Marion wrote a great piece here on RI Future explaining exactly why the single party option (aka the “master lever” or SPO) on Rhode Island’s voting ballots is a bad idea, citing a 2006 study by researchers at the Universities of Maryland and Rochester that [...]
RI should be like Paradox Studios, not 38 Studios
You’ve probably never heard of Fredrik Wester or the studio he’s CEO of, Paradox Interactive. It operates mainly out of Sweden, a country slowly starting to exert more and more influence in pop culture. And, as Wester points out in this 26 minute talk entitled Using an Axe to Carve a Niche, Paradox Interactive makes [...]
What ‘Vikings’ Can Teach Us About Rhode Island Politics
The History Channel’s “Vikings” dramatizes the various sagas, chronicles, and skaldic poems about the Viking raider Ragnar Lodbrok into a weekly television show. It’s also the History Channel’s first scripted drama. In one way it’s a dramatic departure from the conspiracy theory “documentaries” and reality television that currently dominate the History Channel’s lineup. But “Vikings” [...]
RI state of mind and misleading headlines
“Rhode Island Most Miserable State” said numerous articles, as Gallup released its latest polling for the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index on stress levels and enjoyment in various states. The problem with the headline is that it misrepresented the data Gallup provided, which can be seen here. Sadly, The Providence Journal mistakenly reported that Rhode Island was [...]
Cynicism warps view of Senate GOP’s SSM support
Last night a lengthy Twitter discussion erupted about the Senate Republican Caucus unanimously supporting marriage equality which is a first among legislative caucuses; according to the Human Rights Campaign. It was about as substantive as one can be with 140 characters, including people’s handles. Mainly, it sought to suss out the reason why the Senate [...]
Man Arrested After 27 Years of Solitude, Burglarly
This is incredible. Christopher Thomas Knight went into the Maine woods in about 1986, two years after graduating high school, and wasn’t seen for 27 years. In that time, he committed over 1000 burglaries, according to his and police estimates. Seems like all of it was basically to survive. In fact, a legend was built [...]
State Bank Idea Is Back (As A Bill This Time)
Kim Kalunian writes that Rep. Charlene Lima has introduced legislation, at the request of Keven McKenna, to create a state-owned bank in Rhode Island – a movement that is gaining traction across the country. The bill states that the purpose of the bank would be “to protect the financial welfare and economic vitality of the [...]
Occupy Providence Featured In The Sociological Quarterly
The Sociological Quarterly has an entire section devoted to the Occupy Movement in its Spring 2013 volume. You can read it for free at the Wiley Online Library. While the whole section includes articles from the likes of former president of the American Sociological Association Frances Fox Piven and independent journalist Sarah Jaffe, and all [...]
2014 Election: More Important Than You Think
When the next gubernatorial inauguration takes place in January 2015, for preceding 30 years, a single Democratic governor will have reigned in Rhode Island for just 4 years and 2 days (barring any unforeseen circumstances leading to a Governor Elizabeth Roberts). Republicans will have ruled for 22 of those years. This is odd for a [...]
Chafeeshambles
Gov. Lincoln Chafee finds himself in trouble with the media again, but this time it’s not for keeping vague documents a secret from them. It’s for suggesting that they might have something to do with his low approval rating (possibly by reporting on him). You can find the comments at the end of this part [...]
Breakdown In RI GOP
In case you haven’t heard, the election for Rhode Island Republican chair has turned into a mess. And let’s remember, this wasn’t a paid position or even a position of much influence or power. After invalidating the 94-93 vote by the party’s central committee to make Warren Republican Town Committee chair Mark Smiley chair of [...]
Celebrate Rhode Island, Support Calamari Bill
Sometimes, a state legislator has an idea that brings a smile to my face. And sometimes, that idea is ruthlessly mocked. So I think it’s high time I said something about H5654; better known as the “Calamari Bill” which makes Rhode Island-style calamari (the kind with pickled hot peppers) our state appetizer (as well as [...]
The Value of Agency
A recent article in The Washington Post on the effects the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has on Woonsocket has once again placed the federal program in Rhode Island’s sights. Though the article is an indictment of our collapsed economy, a single part of the article focusing on the family’s finances seems to have caught [...]
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