bruce springsteen – RI Future

Foliage Reflection — Autumn foliage is reflected in the waters of Greenwich Cove. (Photo by Bob Plain)

The Atlantic may think Gina Raimondo is a brave thinker for slashing the retirement security of state workers, but it seems to me the political popularity of pension reform is waning … consider this page A1 quote in today’s Projo on Cranston Mayor Allan Fung’s attempts to cut local pension benefits: “This problem was created by the city, not by the retirees.”

And consider also that both David Cicilline AND Brendan Doherty both said the state would have done well to negotiate pension reform rather than act unilaterally … but then again Doherty is a pension recipient, reports RIPR. The state pays him $97,859.44 annually to be a retired cop.

On Smith Hill, it turns out, transparency and open government tend to have a liberal bias. I’m not surprised.

Speaking of government secrecy, Bob Kerr offers some sage words for any public official who wants to keep something on the quiet: “…as long as the details are kept under wraps, questions will remain. And those questions will be answered at the bar and on the radio and in all kinds of places where people have nothing to go on but their belief of how things work in Rhode Island.”

Again, the typically conservative ProJo editorial board endorses a progressive for U.S. Senate; today it’s Rhode Island’s own Sheldon Whitehouse.

FYI: the bear seen in Cranston probably wasn’t the same one that was seen in the EG/NK area. For one thing, there is virtually no way for wildlife to commute between the two areas in question. For another, it’s not like we are talking about a singular Sasquatch here folks. It’s a bear, they live here and look for food this time of year. Secure your garbage cans, be prepared to take their picture from a safe distance and get on with life…

Things are looking pretty good for Democrats’ chances of taking control of the Senate, says the NYTimes … but native Rhode Islander Jennifer Duffy is quoted as saying not to count out the GOP yet…

I have to disagree with the Romney logic that microwave ownership is a sign of wealth … to the contrary, I’d argue that microwave ownership is a sign of poverty.

And here’s an indicator in the presidential campaign: Bruce Springsteen endorsed Obama in Ohio this week while Mitt Romney won the coveted endorsement of Meatloaf. In case you’re keeping score at home, Springsteen is famous for singing about the plight of the working class … Meatloaf, on the other hand, is best remembered for signing about indiscretion and regret.

Today in 2001, George W. Bush signs the Patriot Act into law.

Shaping up to be one of the most interested races for a State House seat, author and RI Future contributor Mark Binder’s challenge to Gordon Fox is attracting a lot of media attention. Fox is more conservative than we’d like in a Speaker and Binder is less experienced than we’d like in a state Representative. Practically speaking, when factoring in both of these circumstances, the House of Representatives probably moves to the right if Binder were to upset Fox.

No one sums up progressive values quite like the Dalai Lama. The Associated Press quotes him as saying, “We are part of humanity. Their problem is my problem. Their happiness is my happiness. We have to look to the interests of others.’’ You can read Steve Ahlquist’s story here.

Another well-spoken progressive, Bruce Springsteen, says conservatives will try to suppress people’s right to vote in an attempt to get Obama out of the White House. The Boss writes in his endorsement of Obama, “I believe that all of us, of whatever views, should be opposing these anti-voter, anti-citizen efforts.”

Speaking of being a well-spoken progressive, the Dalai Lama does not curse when speaking in public.

Abel Collins’ campaign must be fuming about this one: the two WPRI employees most responsible for keeping him out of its debate both got promotions this week, according to RIPR.

Here’s an interesting dilemma: should convicted murderers be allowed to vote? Pressing the issue this campaign season is Rhode Island’s most despised child killer Michael Woodmansee, reports the ProJo.

Tiverton Patch picked up on my post about Justin Katz being too religious and right-wing to be relevant on the Tiverton School Committee.

From the files of etch-a-sketch politics, former Providence Journal reporter Steve Peoples, who now covers the Romney campaign for the Associated Press, writes, “On immigration, taxes and women’s issues, Mitt Romney is abandoning his “severely conservative” talk of the Republican primary season and moving sharply to the political center as he looks to sway on-the-fence voters in the campaign’s final three weeks.”

And this, from the files of deregulation is dangerous.

Today in 1988, sit-com “Roseanne” debuts on ABC. Was this the last time a TV show featured a working class family? Here’s how History.com describes the half-hour comedy:

The show was considered groundbreaking for its realistic portrayal of a working-class family and the issues they faced. Barr’s portrayal of the loud, abrasive, overweight Roseanne Conner was a sharp contrast to the stereotypical TV housewife in the mold of Leave It to Beaver’s June Cleaver and The Brady Bunch’s Carol Brady.

Tag: bruce springsteen

Progress Report: Pension Politics; Transparency’s Liberal Bias; ProJo for Sheldon; Meatloaf for Mitt; Microwaves

Progress Report: Binder vs. Fox; Dalai Lama, Springsteen on Progressive Values; WPRI Debate Snobs Get Promoted