Privatization of Higher Ed Violates State Constitution
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 [...]
Bishop Tobin and His ‘Wizard of Oz’ Logic
John DePetro has long referred to Governor Lincoln Chafee by the insulting and disrespectful name of “Governor Gump.” DePetro has taken the name “Gump” from the 1994 Tom Hanks movie Forrest Gump, the implication being that Chafee is in some way as mentally handicapped as the titular character. But there is an older use of [...]
Drinking Liberally Hosts “Sock It to Homelessness”
In a fitting follow up to Bob Plain’s five part series “Homeless Like Me,” Drinking Liberally Providence will showcase the important work of the RI Coalition for the Homeless tomorrow night, Wednesday November 28 from 7pm – 9pm at Wild Colonial Tavern. Participants are encouraged to bring new pairs or packages of socks to donate [...]
Reflection and Thanksgiving
At this time of year it’s only natural to stop, look back and assess the recent past and give thanks for all the positive things in our lives. Since I get to post here regularly as a contributor, I’d like to say thank you to Bob Plain for giving me a forum. A lot of [...]
Voters Reject Libertarian Lie of Self-Made Millionaire
The 2012 elections have been seen by many as a bold refutation on the part of voters to extreme religious conservatism: marriage equality made big strides in four states, women’s rights took a small step forward as the Senate is now comprised of 20% women and reproductive rights were supported as voters saw fit to [...]
Heartfelt Sympathies to Laid-Off ProJo Employees
The big local story of the day will be neither the 2012 election or the Son of Sandy, as the Providence Journal cleverly called it this morning … rather it will be the employees of said newspaper who lost their jobs yesterday. I hear 26 people were let go – 16 union and 10 non-union [...]
RI’s Gambling Addiction: Vote No on Questions 1, 2
Every couple of years someone in RI has the same brainstorm: “Let’s balance the budget by increasing state gambling revenue!” There is often some time-critical imperative requiring that we do it immediately if not sooner. This election cycle it’s the threat/certainty of gambling casinos going up across the border in Massachusetts: our addicted gamblers will [...]
RI Future, Gordon Fox Serve Those in Charge
Maybe Gordon Fox was a progressive once, and certainly every so often he throws out something that seems progressive, and yes, he’s kept anti-abortion legislation from coming to a vote, but really his reign is all about the money and the power.
Town to Address Road Named After KKK Leader
Tonight the Smithfield Town Council gets to take up, for a third time, the issue of Domin Ave., named for John Algernon Domin, Exalted Cyclops of the RI KKK in 1928. When Colonel Roger Schenck pointed the history of Domin Ave. to the Town Council in a letter, he suggested the name be changed, because, [...]
Planned Parenthood Endorses Candidates
Planned Parenthood Votes! RI PAC is pleased to announce its 2012 state legislative PAC endorsements. PPV!RI PAC supports its candidates by educating voters through phone calls and social media to ensure Rhode Islanders know what is at stake for women and women’s health ahead of the September 11th primary and the November 6th general election. [...]
Gilding the Ghetto: George Romney Knew Better
Nationally, black and Hispanic/Latino public school students are now more segregated from whites than at any point in the last four decades. Most policymakers and activists on all sides accept the fact that our metropolitan areas are segregated by race as well as class, and work within its confines. In this age of greatly diminished expectations [...]
Why America Is Screwed, but How RI Can Help
I’m in a particularly foul mood this evening, so I thought I’d share. And I’ll get right to the point: America, you’re screwed. With growing frequency, I’ve heard or read conversations between people of opposite political philosophies that go something like this: Sap #1: X is bad and ruining the country. Sap #2: Yeah, well [...]
Carcieri Always Represented Conservatives, Not RI
It should come as no surprise to see former Governor Don Carcieri, the architect of the 38 Studios fiasco, yucking it up at the Republican Convention even though he has yet to answer questions about his role in state’s biggest economic blunder in a generation. After all, Carcieri always represented conservatives first and then Rhode [...]
RISC-y Spending
In my last installment, I examined how the Rhode Island Statewide Coalition structured itself to gain political power and, as a surprise side bonus, serve as a tax shelter for some of its wealthy leaders. I ended that installment with a general overview of how RISC uses a non-profit foundation, the RISC Foundation, as a way [...]
Unsubstantiated Allegations
After all that hype, there was nothing particularly game-changing about Anthony Gemma’s announcement that he found some people willing to accuse his political opponent of voter fraud. There wasn’t even anything substantiated. I would imagine most candidates could dig up similar accusations regardless of whom their opposition is. The difference is most know not to [...]
Projo Botches Facts in Editorial on Legislative Races
How can we trust their opinions if they can’t even get the basic facts right? The Projo editorial board was so overzealous in its attempt to slam organized labor and the candidates that support them in an editorial on General Assembly campaigns today, it botched several facts. Here’s the list I could come up with, [...]
DePetro Courted CoWorker While Defending Christmas
The first time WPRO’s John DePetro propositioned a co-worker who filed a sexual harassment suit against him was in a bus on the way to a rally to defend Christmas at the State House, according to an amended complaint filed today in Superior Court. According to the complaint, the bus – like the Barrington vacation [...]
Jill Stein, Green Party Candidate for President, Comes to RI
In the most exciting news, our very dynamic Green presidential candidate, Jill Stein, will be in Rhode Island today and wants to meet you personally, to talk about the “Green New Deal,” and hear your views on solutions for America. You may have heard Jill’s incredible interview on National Public Radio, or seen reports of her recent arrest at a housing foreclosure [...]
DePetro Barrington House Owned by David Caprio
The Barrington house where radio shock jock John DePetro allegedly sexually harassed WPRO coworker Dee DeQuattro is owned by former state Rep. David Caprio. Sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity confirmed the address of the house in question as being 32 Lorraine St., a very high end vacation rental known as Beach House, [...]
WPRO’s John DePetro: ‘I Have Been Suspended’
John DePetro said he was suspended until Monday for talking to me about the sexual harassment lawsuit brought against him, he said in an email to me today. Here is the email he sent me in its entirety: I have been suspended for my part in the story that appeared about me this morning. I [...]
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