Silent spending
Tax breaks, or expenditures, are the entitlement programs that nobody seems to complain about. Though maybe we should, given they cost Rhode Island more than $1.7 billion a year in 2009. That same year the state took in just over $3 billion. In other words, we gave away more than half as much as we [...]
EPI on Gov’s Budget: Right Problems, Wrong Solutions
The Economic Progress Institute, Rhode Island’s lone progressive economic think tank, has released a report that is largely critical of Gov. Chafee’s budget proposal. Like our analyses of Chafee’s speech and proposal, it acknowledges that the governor has identified the right problems, but not the right solutions. According to the Institute’s report released this morning: [...]
Welfare Program Stat More Misleading than Wrong
Good for Politifact for calling foul on Rep. Patricia Morgan’s misuse of the old talking point that welfare programs account for more than 40 percent of the state budget. First of all, her numbers were flat our wrong. As Politifact points out, her definition of welfare programs is quite broad. It includes “such spending as [...]
Flight of the Earls Mythology Debunked
You can bet that as the General Assembly debates raises taxes on Rhode Island’s richest residents, we’re sure to hear much about the “Flight of the Earls.” In fact, almost any time you talk taxes with a local conservative you are bound to hear a story about someone moving out of state because of the [...]
Poverty Institute Becomes Economic Progress Institute
The name changes, but the mission will stay the same. Over a year ago I (and many others) had conversations with a consultant who was working with the Poverty Institute to rebrand their image. And today, in coordination with the annual Budget Rhode Map, the Poverty Institute is officially changing its name to the Economic [...]
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