A cove on Dutch Island. (Photo by Bob Plain)
First Brendan Doherty supported Paul Ryan’s draconian budget proposal; then he didn’t. First he wanted to foist anti-organized labor laws on Rhode Island; but he changed his mind on that one too. The Bush tax cuts? He changed his mind on that one during a single interview, so who knows what he’ll think by the end of the campaign. Really, there is only one thing we know for certain about his positions, and Ted Nesi nails it down in a piece about how Paul Ryan will change the CD1 race: “Doherty is about as close to a policy blank slate as you can get.”
This headline from the dept. of no duh: Pension vote key to unions’ support
But the Projo’s Randy Edgar throws in a very interesting graph down near the end of his story: “Meanwhile, state General Treasurer Gina M. Raimondo, the chief architect of last year’s pension overhaul, also plans to weigh in with “financial support” and “information for campaign material” for Assembly members who voted for the pension bill, a spokeswoman said last week.”
RIPR’s Kristen Gourlay reports on an interesting new compensation structure between Blue Cross and some RI hospitals: “The new arrangement moves away from paying the hospitals based on the volume of care it provides – like the number of procedures – toward paying them for better outcomes for patients.”
Speaking of health, did you know junk food subsidies costs Rhode Island taxpayers millions each year? Small government activists, we’re waiting to hear from you on this one … Or does government not need to be shrunk so much when its largess is going to corporate America?
Fellow kayakers, here’s a new map of some of the best waterways in the Ocean State to paddle. And here’s the existing one folks who like to get out on Narragansett Bay use. Me, if I can swing it, I’m going to pay Dyer Island a visit this weekend. And it seems like Tim Faulkner, over at EcoRI, recently paid a visit to Prudence Island.
Today in 1935, President Roosevelt signs the Social Security Act, one of the many ways America governed itself out of the Great Depression.
True that, Projo!
“Speaking of health, did you know junk food subsidies costs Rhode Island taxpayers millions each year? Small government activists, we’re waiting to hear from you on this one … Or does government not need to be shrunk so much when its largess is going to corporate America?”
The answer, of course comes from reading the report, rather than simply writing an ideological talking points.
The article is critical of junk food subsidies, which are really farm (not corporate) subsidies, flowing primarily to corn and soy (produced in “Battleground States” like Iowa). The subsidies come from the Farm bill, which President Obama has been urging congress to pass – and he has in fact been attacking republicans for holding it up. I wonder if our congressional delegation will be voting against it, or do they support tax breaks that cause child and adult obesity?
in reality, both Dems and Repubs benefit from the subsidies and other spending found in the Farm bill, as it has basically turned into a pork bill stuffed with reelection friendly goodies for all incumbents. A sound agricultural policy (not tax break based vote pandering) would a benefit to the country. Don’t hold your breath.
“Small government activists, we’re waiting to hear from you on this one … Or does government not need to be shrunk so much when its largess is going to corporate America?”
You keep kicking the small government activists off this blog and then ask to hear from them? Cute. I’m sure those that spoke up here before would do away with farm subsidies by any name.
“You keep kicking the small government activists off this blog”
Really? Who else got kicked off?
The report about the “junk food subsidies” is really weak.
If apples were heavily subsidized, as the report suggests, don’t you suppose that industry might figure out a way to use that newly cheap commodity?
If people are going to buy bad food, someone will sell it.
“Small government activists, we’re waiting to hear from you on this one … Or does government not need to be shrunk so much when its largess is going to corporate America?”
I’d love to see subsidies like these go the way of the dodo, for what it’s worth.