With shocking regularity and little sanity, our grand spectator sport-cum-soap opera akin to professional wrestling that is the Rhode Island legislature has continued to pump out hilarious moments that should be making us weep if it were not for the fact this is oh-so-typical. Not since Gibbon profiled the latter days of Rome has a corrupt, bloated, under-financed and over-romanced city-state with delusions of grandeur produced this much copy.
First there was the news that Sen. James Sheehan, in a letter he wrote to Senate President Theresa Paiva Weed that he said was not meant to become public (gee I wonder who leaked it then?), expressed dismay that Speaker Nicholas Mattiello had called any effort to enact ethics reform “an act of war”. Within a few days of that, Mattiello allegedly reshuffled those reps who voted against the controversial RhodeWorks bill out of key committee appointments. Et tu Brute?
Then came the news that Republican Sen. Nicholas Kettle had submitted a bill to require photo identification with purchases using EBT Food Stamps cards. Obviously Kettle, who at age 26 probably feels like everyone else should be carded as he is when he goes to purchase a drink, may be a little wet behind the ears and has no grasp of how being poor works. But the reality is that this bill would be quite problematic not for “the illeegullz” he thinks are committing Food Stamp fraud but the thousands of Rhode Island-based homeless and impoverished who cannot afford to get such a picture ID easily. Getting to the DMV by bus is itself an act of gymnastics, thanks in no small part to the measly budget Kettle’s colleagues gave RIPTA this year, and then obtaining the ID can be time consuming and costly. It bears mentioning that the state merely administers the Food Stamps program that is funded by the federal government, which itself is one of the paltry few elements of a social safety net that is demonstrably the most miserly in the northern hemisphere.
It is likely that most of the Democrats on the Hill will find this bill tasteless even with their standards being what they are and our young Republican will find little to no support for this. As a result, he will have created what amounts to a glamour bill that gives him fifteen minutes of fame on talk radio and actually costs the taxpayers more for us to give this bill a hearing than is actually lost in this alleged Food Stamp fraud. It is worth nothing here that we tried to reach out to Kettle for comment several times by telephone and got no reply but that he was able to be heard the morning of February 16 on WPRO. In other words, the Kettle is calling the pot black.
Finally, the February 16 editorial page of the Providence Journal featured a letter from Jeremiah T. O’Grady where he explained the inner mechanics of the RhodeWorks bill. There are already some grumblings to be heard over the tolls bill due to the recent hirings of middle managers who materialized as quickly as the funding did. What struck me as so interesting, however, was how he framed the piece, using the pension heist that we have been covering here over the last few weeks as a frame of reference.
As I walked into the House chamber last Wednesday to vote on the revised RhodeWorks infrastructure funding bill, I was struck by a sense of déjà vu and transported back to November 2011 when I walked into that same chamber to vote on then-General Treasurer Gina Raimondo’s pension reform proposal. The similarities between the two issues, and the solutions proposed to address them, are striking.
This speaks further to my own theory, that there may be a few more politicians than Gina Raimondo who take a fall when the feds come knocking regarding the letter Ted Siedle sent them last month regarding the various criminal elements involved in the scheme. Would this perhaps be the thing an ethics bill would address, thereby terrifying Speaker Mattiello?
Knowing how the fireworks continue to be launched, all we can say is “stay tuned, sports fans!”
Ahead of yesterday’s finance committee votes in both houses of the General Assembly approving RhodeWorks, the truck toll plan, a press conference was held at the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce (GPCC) featuring some of Rhode Island’s most powerful political, business and labor leaders. They were there to present a unified message in support of the tolls, despite vocal opposition.
As I said before, 
A new report calls into question many of the job growth strategies being pursued and implemented by our state leaders. “To create jobs and build strong economies,” say economists Michael Mazerov and Michael Leachman in their new report, “states should focus on producing more home-grown entrepreneurs and on helping startups and young, fast-growing firms already located in the state to survive and to grow ― not on cutting taxes and trying to lure businesses from other states.”
About five minutes before Senate President Teresa Paiva-Weed, as per tradition, lead Governor Raimondo to the House Chambers, English for Action, a group dedicated to improving the lives of immigrants and undocumented workers, entered the State House to stage their own protest. Candidate Raimondo had promised this group that she would issue an executive order, within her first year in office, allowing undocumented workers to get driver’s licenses.
The Rhode Island Progressive Democrats voted to endorse David Norton in the race for State Representative, Pawtucket District 60, at our January meeting. David has long been a hardworking, dedicated member of the progressive movement, and we are excited that he is running for this seat.
Those interested in helping to get Bernie Sanders on the presidential ballot here in Rhode Island should consider heading out to 
RI Future’s Bob Plain was on Wingmen discussing the Presidential race with John Brien and Bill Rappleye.
The first week of the 2016 legislative session of the RI General Assembly was filled with high aspirations and low comedy. Here are some of the “Highs and Lows.” From passing the Good Samaritan Act to the fawning flattery of courtiers, we ran the gamut this week. Plus, a frying pan to the head for a prominent Trump supporter.
“We applaud, and are deeply grateful to, the Senate for its quick action today in making the reinstatement of the [Good Samaritan Overdose Prevention Act of 2016] the legislative priority of the first week,” said Steve DeToy of the Rhode Island Medical Society, Rebecca McGoldrick of Protect Families First and Steven Brown of the ACLU of Rhode Island in a joint statement.
As a candidate, Jorge Elorza promised that tax deals would not be given out unless Providence could profit from the deal in some way. Mayor Elorza, however, seems intent on perpetuating the kinds of bad practices that lead inevitably to higher tax rates for home owners.
Bernie TV had Steve Ahlquist on to discuss some video he took of Bernie Sanders arriving at his rally in Worcester, Mass. Sanders can be seen shaking hands and greeting his way through and the line of people waiting to get in for over six minutes, solidifying his reputation as a man of the people.
Bernie Sanders spoke to an overflow crowd of hundreds in Worcester, Massachusetts Saturday afternoon. The crowd was enthusiastic, and rocked the gymnasium of North High School with thunderous applause. Sanders delivered a populist message, telling the crowd that in his “political revolution” will not “allow Donald Trump and these other people to” divide working people. There will be no more living in fear and desperation.
