Thus far but no further on voter ID law
It was never fully implemented, and it won’t be fully repealed either. Instead Rhode Island will keep its controversial Voter ID law as it is now: identification is needed but it doesn’t have to have a picture. As a result, the Ocean State remains one of the 19 states that require a non-photo id to [...]
With Gist, it’s public sector enemies against the rest of RI
There’s something – if not good, at the very least honest – in getting to see the politics of public education play out publicly this week. As educators, activists and parents across the state are deriding Deborah Gist, the business community has her back. The so-often-called education reform movement – what progressives know as education [...]
A closer look at the Center for Freedom and Prosperity
The debate continues here in Rhode Island. How do we repair our sluggish economy and begin the process of putting our citizens back to work? How do we collectively regain the vibrant economy which at one time was the pride of New England? There is no shortage of ideas, strategies and recommendations coming from elected [...]
Fontaine On Fox News: Blames SNAP Not CVS
It isn’t just progressive news outlets like RI Future who are shining a light on the alarmingly high percentage of Woonsocket residents who can’t afford to feed themselves without public assistance. Fox “News” interviewed Mayor Leo Fontaine about the national spotlight the city finds itself in.
Washington Post: Deborah Gist, Jeb Bush and ALEC
Rhode Island Education Commissioner Deborah Gist has sought several reform-oriented grants through a group closely connected with ALEC, according to the Washington Post. The Post reported Wednesday on the connection between Jeb Bush’s Chiefs for Change, a conservative education group of which Gist is a member, and the Foundation for Excellence in Education, which has [...]
ALEC: Bad for the Economy
Last year, there was a lot of talk here about ALEC, the American Legislative Exchange Council. This corporate-backed “research” group produces model legislation for the states and recruits and promotes legislators who are likely to introduce it. It’s a pretty slick outfit, well-funded, with lots of opportunities for travel, and lots of opportunities to make [...]
ALEC Membership in RI Reduced by a Third
Is the era of ALEC in the Ocean State coming to an end? It certainly looks like it. It may have seemed for a short while that 2012 was going to be a banner year for American Legislative Exchange Council here. Rep. Jon Brien, a Democrat and a member of the House leadership team, was [...]
Progress Report: 38 Studios Scoop; Localvore Recipes; Banksters vs. Liz Warren; Thanks, ALEC and Earned Media
It’s amazing some of the things we’re willing to believe … Jesus was born to a virgin, Thomas Jefferson thought all men were created equal, Reaganomics works and, the perhaps the biggest doozie of them all, that Rhode Island did its due diligence in assessing the 38 Studios deal. For anyone still hanging onto that [...]
Huge Night for Rhode Island Progressives
Brendan Doherty, Mark Binder and even, to some extent, Mitt Romney, all made Rhode Island progressives nervous throughout the 2012 campaign season. But once the campaign was over and the votes were counted, it turned out to be a great election day to be a local liberal. Easily the biggest victory was Congressman David Cicilline [...]
RI Small Businesses: Beware of ALEC’s Minions
Jon Brien recently announced that he would be running a write-in campaign to retain his seat in Rhode Island’s House of Representatives. At a press conference to announce the egotistical continuation of his campaign on September 20, Brien was surrounded by owners of local business including Pepin Lumber, The Burrito Company, and American Beauty Signworks. [...]
I Learned It By Watching You, Jon!
State Rep. Jon Brien blames his recent defeat on “outside influences” – my union among them – who were “spending a lot of money” against him. Here’s why he is partly right, partly wrong, and partly to blame.
Jon Brien: Personal Friend and Political Adversary
I’m probably the only progressive in Rhode Island who didn’t break out in celebration upon learning that ultra-conservative Woonsocket state Rep. Jon Brien had been knocked out of his State House seat in Tuesday’s primary. Not that progressives don’t have good reason to celebrate his political demise; they do. Though Brien calls himself a Democrat, [...]
ALEC’s Parent Trigger Laws
After reading about how ALEC could enter the education debate in Rhode Island, I read this headline with particular interest: “U.S. mayors back parents seizing control of schools.” Hundreds of mayors from across the United States this weekend called for new laws letting parents seize control of low-performing public schools and fire the teachers, oust [...]
Coming Soon: ALEC Enters the Ed Reform Debate
Now that the American Legislative Exchange Council is distancing itself from Stand your Ground voter ID laws, the next area of policy we are likely to see it rear its ugly head might well be what is alternatively described as either the education reform movement or the education privatization movement – pick whichever monicker suits [...]
GTech Hasn’t Paid ALEC Dues Since 2009
It turns out, now that CVS has dropped its membership with the American Legislative Exchange Council, there are no more Rhode Island corporations involved with the far right wing bill mill. GTech, the other Rhode Island company that was once an ALEC member, hasn’t paid membership dues since 2009, said Bob Vincent, a senior vice [...]
CVS Drops Out of ALEC
CVS, Rhode Island’s biggest local corporation, has dropped its membership with American Legislative Exchange Council, the controversial “right wing bill mill.” The Woonsocket-based company put out this statement today: “Over the last few weeks, we have closely followed the issues surrounding the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and have heard from numerous stakeholders expressing their [...]
Progress Report: Celebrate Homeless Rights, NK Janitors Fired, Govt by Fear in Woonsocket, Public Records
Come celebrate today at the State House an area of public policy in which Rhode Island is leading the nation: protecting the rights of homeless people. That’s right, as the rest of the nation moves toward outlawing homelessness and sleeping in public places, the Ocean State is the first in the country to pass a [...]
Me, Jon Brien Talk ALEC, Woonsocket on WPRO
I have to hand it to Rep. Jon Brien – while I think his politics are repugnant, he’s always a good sport about answering my questions when I ask him about either his involvement with ALEC or his decision to bring his community to brink of bankruptcy. So last week, when he asked if he [...]
ALEC Praises Rhode Island’s 2011 Pension Cuts
While Rhode Island debates if ALEC has its hand in our local politics, a new report indicates the right wing group is at least happy with the results. In its 2012 annual “Rich State, Poor State report,” the American Legislative Exchange Council praises Rhode Island for its efforts to pare back public sector pension benefits [...]
Forget Model Bills, It’s About the ALEC Mindset
It’s great to have the conversation turned toward the conservative forces at play in Woonsocket, but it’s unfortunate that the concern seems to be getting lost in a search for something that doesn’t exist: secret ALEC model legislation that tells its members what to do when their city has a choice between bankruptcy and raising [...]
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