Category: RI Progress Report

Get ready for the conservative crying that the sky is falling because Cranston decided not to have gender-specific after school events for parents and students. It’s important that moms and dads model appropriate date behavior for their sons and daughters, but what we call such opportunities does not. If your child requires gender to be in the name of the dances they attend, you might consider going to one that isn’t publicly financed.

Soon enough the Providence Journal will become editorially weaker and, according to company predictions, financially stronger. Another example of Wall Street winning at Rhode Island’s expense.

This while our economy continues to falter.

But Rhode Island will move another step closer to developing a health benefits exchange today, reports Kristen Gourlay of RIPR. “What’s the story line in Rhode Island?,” she writes. “Well, we know some of the basic elements: it’s tough out there for people with no health insurance, and getting tougher for people who have it, financially speaking. There are nearly twice as many uninsured Rhode Islanders today than there were in 1999.” Tell me again why this isn’t one of the best things Rhode Island can do to improve its economy?

RI Future hopes to see you at Mccoy Stadium tonight where the local team will be broadcasting the Triple A championship game between the Pawtucket Red Sox and Reno Aces. We’re thrilled with the Pawsox’s success as minor league baseball is a great progressive alternative to those who love the game of baseball: it’s local and it’s way less about money and ego than the major league version.

Gov. Lincoln Chafee, a longtime Republican who left the GOP during the neo-con days of the George W. Bush era, hasn’t become a Democrat yet, but he is going to the Democratic National Convention this year in Charlotte.

Imagine the three-way Democratic primary for governor if Chafee did join with Democrats and runs again in 2014? But having nothing to do with the gubernatorial race in 2014, we hope Chafee doesn’t join with Democrats for two reasons. One is that, all things considered, his politics are pretty centrist; he’s socially very liberal but fiscally he’s moderate-to-conservative. While this is pretty much the definition of a Rhode Island Democrat, we’d like to see the D’s move to the left and Chafee would move the party right. The other is that Chafee’s one true political gift is his independence. Say what you will about his social skills, but he’s unafraid to do what he thinks is right regardless of which political allies or enemies he burns or helps.

Our economy in a nutshell: “Indicators show R.I. stalled, no relief soon.”

Speaking of the shit hitting the fan, was this song prophetically written for Rhode Island’s ailing economy or what?

Thanks to Marc Comtois for weighing in on whether we should be more concerned with a public sector thieves than a public airwaves creeps. Good points!

Good luck to Jesse Jackson Jr. as he works his way out of his post mania depression. It’s a long, lonely road but it seems like, thanks in part to Patrick Kennedy, yours will be paved with the most important thing in life: good friends.

Here’s what Ronny Reagan’s budget director thinks of Paul Ryan’s budget plan.

Meanwhile, our dependence on Saudi Arabian oil is growing again.

The Occupy Wall Street movement will celebrate its one-year anniversary on September 17, one month from today.