Burrillville boondoggle supporters still loyal to failed business model

The June 5, 2016 op ed by Laurie White and Michael Sabitoni “Poison pill aimed at power plant” is a commentary by two people who have lost sight of where the Rhode Island economy is going.  The Chamber of Commerce and the construction unions have chased after every boondoggle they have ever seen, offering us projects like the Quonset container port that was offered by con artists and would have opened just as the economy crashed in 2008. They have not shown good judgment.

They offer a program of let the rich do anything they want even if everyone else knows it is a very bad idea that will hurt the community and needlessly damage the planet and the climate. The power plant is a very short term fix and a very bad investment for Rhode Island.  By the time the plant reaches the end of its useful life, much more of Rhode Island will be under water and the people will have demanded that the damn thing be shut down.

The politicians, the Chamber, and labor unions have to understand the economy has changed and the way forward for our communities is ecological healing and economic justice.

Right now the only difference between authoritarian states and democracies is that in democracies the people can stop the corporate raiders with their votes and demand rules that keep the planet and their kids healthy.

That you call out against democracy and for special interests shows what this struggle is really about.

Ed. note: This piece was originally published on ProsperityForRI.com, the author’s blog. He shared it with both RI Future and the Providence Journal.