NBC 10 Wingmen: The PawSox belong in Pawtucket


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wingmenI’m sad as hell Pawtucket might lose the PawSox. It’s where I witnessed my first pro baseball game and dozens more since then – highlight: Pedro on a rehab assignment or getting Steve Lyons autograph right from the dugout.

Nostalgia aside, it’s hard to resist the allure of watching the next generation play in downtown Providence. I could take the train up from Wickford, stop downtown for dinner and then watch the sunset on the water from the cheap seats while young adults play a kids game, vying for spots in my memories. It sounds idyllic, and very easy to confuse with economic development.

Rhode Island’s economic needs really have very little to do with where the Red Sox AAA affiliate will play their future home games. That privilege goes to Mr. James Skeffington and the new PawSox ownership group. At the end of the day, those very successful businessmen will be locating the team where they can make the most money – and that has much more to do with where I’d like to watch a baseball game than what’s best for the state’s economy.

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NBC10 Wingmen: Is the General Assembly corrupt?


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Is the Rhode Island General Assembly hopelessly corrupt? This is the question former Woonsocket legislator Jon Brien, Bill Rappleye and I debate this week on NBC 10 News Conference’s Wingmen segment this week. Rep. Joe Almeida aside, some of what I see as corruption is “all perfectly legal,” says Brien, who gives us a great look behind the State House curtain this week as we discuss Speaker Mattiello, payday loan reform and former Speaker Bill Murphy and how “politics as usual” works on Smith Hill.

“Bob wants to speak logic,” says Brien. “This isn’t logic this is politics.”

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NBC10 Wingmen: Jon Brien defends Deborah Gist


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brien plainState education Commissioner Deborah Gist is leaving Rhode Island for Tulsa, Oklahoma and former Woonsocket state Rep. Jon Brien, my latest NBC 10 Wingmen adversary, says her departure is the fault of the teachers’ unions.

Blaming organized labor for getting rid of Gist is like blaming vaccines for getting rid of the measles. There’s always a few that think the solution to a problem is a bigger problem than the problem.

As Brien, a Woonsocket native, a lawyer and a parent, blames teachers and their unions, his hometown school district sued Gist and the state for not ensuring an adequate education. Meanwhile, during Gist’s tenure in Rhode Island, the graduation rate in Woonsocket dropped 6 percent – from 64 percent of high school seniors in 2009 to 58 percent of high school seniors in 2013.

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NBC 10 Wingmen: Why are so many RI kids in poverty?


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With one and five Rhode Island children living in poverty, we discussed why this week on NBC 10 Wingmen.

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Speaker Mattiello: ‘There haven’t been tax cuts for the rich’


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mattielloIn a wide-ranging interview with NBC 10 Bill Rappleye, House Speaker Nick Mattiello said taxes were not reduced for Rhode Island’s richest residents.

“There haven’t been tax cuts for the rich,” Mattiello said. “When folks refer to that I’m not sure what they are referring to. If you can point to the tax cuts to the rich I’ll be happy to consider that.”

At 8:00 minute mark:

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In a follow-up interview with me, I guess that maybe Mattiello thinks the income tax rate cut to Rhode Island’s highest earners has been offset by the fewer exemptions they can claim. These were changed when the rate was lowered.  I also point out that raising the estate tax exemption is a tax cut for the rich.News, Weather and Classifieds for Southern New England

I also point out that there are better ways to have a positive impact on jobs and economy than slashing taxes on retirement income – such as legalizing marijuana and increasing the earned income tax credit.

NBC 10 Wingmen: Ferguson


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In the most heated NBC 10 Wingmen segment in some time, Rob Paquin and I debate the Ferguson protests with Bill Rappleye.

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NBC 10 Wingmen on immigration reform


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wingmenEver seen a group of guys standing outside a Home Depot when all of a sudden a pickup truck drives by and picks up one or two of them?

Those guys and that contractor are cheating us out of money. This is how the under-the-table day labor economy functions, and it’s largely fueled by undocumented immigrants – people who came here for a better life and have no legal way of contributing to the services the rest of us fund.

Prior to President Obama’s confrontational speech on solving America’s immigration reform last night, this was one of the reasons I cited for why the US needs to act now:

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Wingmen: Climate change, renewable energy, wind power


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bob_wingmen“We’re trying to save this world on this one,” I tell Bill Rappleye on NBC 10 Wingmen this weekend in a discussion about climate change, renewable energy and offshore wind power.

Rob Paquin of the RI GOP didn’t seen to disagree. “People that will flat out deny that it is taking place, they’ve missed the boat at some point,” he said. “It’s happening, I think a little more slowly than people want us to think.”

We also spoke about why climate change is a particularly vexing problem for the Ocean State and our tourist economy – and why we need to do more to protect both coastal wetlands, and the Ocean Mist!

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NBC 10 Wingmen: election postmortem


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wingmenDoes the success of the ballot measures mean Rhode Islanders don’t believe in austerity? Can libertarians and progressives work together to make Rhode Island the first east coast state to legalize marijuana? Will the new crop of Democrats be much different from the old bosses?

NBC10’s Bill Rappleye and the GOP’s Rob Paquin and I discuss here:

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Langevin, Reis at odds on Iraq, minimum wage, Ebola, term limits


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langevinriesCongressman Jim Langevin, the Democratic incumbent in the second congressional district, and his Republican challenger Rhue Reis disagree on a terms limits and boots on the ground in Iraq during their NBC 10 News Conference debate.

(You can watch the David Cicilline v. Cormick Lynch CD1 debate here)

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In the second segment, Langevin and Reis disagree on the minimum wage. Langevin says he’s open to lowering the corporate tax rate, but would like to see other reforms as well. Reis says Rhode Island doesn’t need to increase workforce training.

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RI GOP’s Rob Paquin and I discuss:

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Cicilline, Lynch debate: long on one liners, loud voices


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cicillinelynchCongressman David Cicilline and his Republican challenger Cormick Lynch win the prize for the most spirited debate of the 2014 election cycle.

Twice did NBC 10 News Conference host Bill Rappleye ask Congressman David Cicilline and Republican challenger Cormick Lynch not to touch each other during the shouting match, as well as one phrase (“BS”) perhaps not suitable for children (it airs at 11:30 Sunday morning).

And, oh yeah, one unicorn reference.

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“People are sick to death of the Democrat and Republican BS.” said Lynch. Which is certainly true, but this was his response to Cicilline talking about raising the minimum wage, bringing manufacturing jobs back to Rhode Island and the United States, rebuilding roads and bridges and lowering the cost of higher education.

When asked, pretty directly, why he is opposed to raising the minimum wage, Lynch began, “It’s not the liberals aren’t intelligent….” but eventually got around to indicating Rhode Island should model its economy after North Dakota rather than raise the minimum wage. He stressed working with the state leaders to lower the corporate tax. “We need to attract businesses here.”

Cicilline: “Raising the minimum wage is going to help lead to job growth because what happens, Bill, is that when people have more money in their pocket who are minimum wage earners they spend that money.”

Lynch: “Congressman what color was the unicorn you rode in on? And what planet did it take you here from. There’s no customers coming into anyone’s business in Rhode Island. That’s why we are in the state we are in.”

All that, just in the first segment. Here’s the second:

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I think it’s fair to label Lynch a hawk. “I think it’s not politically correct to say, stop trying to democratize countries and kill the enemy. These guys gotta go. I wouldn’t rule boots on the ground out. If you need someone to board a flight and go over there, I’d be more than happy to go over there myself.”

Based on the way he debates, ISIS should be afraid.

Rob Paquin and I discuss here:

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NBC 10 SoS Debate: Gorbea, Carlevale, voter ID, Con-Con


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wingmen2First Secretary of State hopefuls Democrat Nellie Gorbea and Republican John Carlevale, who this time is running as a Republican, debated on NBC 10 News Conference.

Then Rob Paquin, self described “second in command of the super minority party” in Rhode Island fills in for Justin Katz on Wingmen and we talk about the issues that contrast the two candidates: voter ID and a constitutional convention.

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You can watch Gorbea and Carlevale debate here:News, Weather and Classifieds for Southern New England

Who should be the next lt gov?


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lt gov nbc10There are no fewer than four candidates from four political parties running fot lt. governor: Democrat Dan McKee, Republican Catherine Taylor, Moderate William Gilbert and unaffiliated Libertarian Tony Jones. There is no liberal in this race.

On NBC 10 News Conference with Bill Rappleye, the four debated, among other things, whether charter schools or vouchers are a better way to fix education. Two of the candidates want to eliminate the office altogether. And none mentioned anything that would make the progressive left pleased.

Watch their debate here.

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McKee is the best known, but it’s mayoral academies he’s known for. Mayoral academies are a kind of charter school created by local executive branches (mayors or town administrators). This could win him some conservative support, but it also will cost him a good deal of votes from the liberal left. Taylor, on the other hand, worked in Linc Chafee’s administration. This may endear her to some progressives, but probably not to her party base.

My read: there’s no good option for liberals in this race and Taylor has the clearest path to victory. And if Taylor wins and Democrat Gina Raimondo becomes the next governor, it would be pretty great if Rhode Island has two females from different political parties in the state’s two highest offices.

Justin Katz and I discuss here:

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Wingmen: Three-way races and instand run-off voting


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wingmenThree-way races seem to dominate gubernatorial elections in Rhode Island.

Current Governor Linc Chafee won a three-way race in 2010 with just 36 percent of the vote – almost twice as many people voted against him as for him. In the Democratic primary this year, Gina Raimondo won 42 percent of the vote while 58 percent of voters opted for someone else. In this year’s general election, Republicans fear Bob Healey will peal votes away from Allan Fung, making it even harder for him to compete against Raimondo.

So on NBC10 Wingmen this week, Justin Katz, Bill Rappleye and I debated the merits of instant run-off voting – an electoral system in which voters can prioritize their choices in a field of more than two candidates. Watch our conversation about IRV and then lean even more about it here.

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NBC 10 Wingmen: The primary elections, and more


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This week on NBC 10 Wingmen, Justin Katz, Bill Rappleye and I talked about the primary elections. And, yes, we managed to squeeze in some anti-union rhetoric, as well.

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You can also watch the lt. governor’s debate here:

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Wingmen: Should PVD implement an income tax?


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Would an income tax on people who work in Providence help the local economy by replacing a regressive tax with a progressive one? Justin Katz and I debate the merits and drawbacks to the idea on this week’s episode of NBC 10 Wingmen.

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Wingmen: How to fund transportation


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wingmenCongress should make a long term commitment to funding transportation, especially given that Rhode Island has the worst infrastructure and unemployment in the nation, I argued on Wingmen last week. Meanwhile, Justin Katz suggests we forgo federal money and fund transportation locally, which doesn’t seem like a serious solution to me.

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Wingmen: Should RI be a sanctuary state?


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wingmenWith immigration in the news, Rapp, Katz and I took up the issue on NBC 10 Wingmen last week. For me, human safety and compassion should generally always trump financial concerns. “Do we want to be the kind of country that says to children, sorry stay in your war-torn country, we don’t want to raise taxes,” I asked, I thought rhetorically.

But of course, that’s the exact society Katz would like to foster. “Rhode Island can’t handle an influx of illegal immigrants at this point,” he said, noting that Rhode Island is attracting immigration here with certain progressive policies. He thinks illegal immigrants will put a burden on schools and other social services.

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NBC 10 Wingmen: Hobby Lobby vs. Obamacare


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wingmenWhat would happen if a practitioner of Scientology (who doesn’t believe in vaccinations) bought a big company like, say, CVS? According to the SCOTUS Hobby Lobby decision, the new owner could refuse to cover childhood vaccinations for some 200,000 people across the country.

Given that, was the Supreme Court correct to allow an employers religious beliefs to dictate an employees health care coverage? Is Obamacare working? Does the government belong in the health care industry? Justin Katz, Bill Rappleye and I debate these questions and more this week on Wingmen.

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One question Katz seems loath to answer is whether he believes a fully-privatized health care market would provide care for poor people. I’d love to read an Anchor Rising post on how fully-privatized health care market would somehow trickle down health insurance to poor people.

NBC10 Wingmen: Bell and Morse spar on Cianci


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bell wingmenCan Buddy Cianci really win an election, or will he simply garner a lot of media attention? Sam Bell, of the Rhode Island Progressive Democrats, and Andrew Morse, of Anchor Rising, tackle these questions with Bill Rappleye on NBC 10 Wingmen this week.

“Don’t underestimate the importance of the Democratic primary,” said Bell in closing. “We’re going to have a fresh face and someone who can beat Cianci.”

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