wingmen – Page 3 – RI Future

January 25, 2014January 26, 2014

Wingmen: Justin Katz just doesn’t trust The Man

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Right after Neil Steinberg finished filming with Bill Rappleye he noted that throughout the Make It Happen process led by the Rhode Island Foundation that no business owner cited taxes as being a difficulty to doing business in Rhode Island. So maybe, just maybe, that’s a bit of a canard being bandied about by anti-government activists like my frenemy/weekly NBC 10 Wingmen colleague Justin Katz.

Watch us discuss that, the Senate’s Rhode to Work plan, the Economic Intersections report and Justin’s seemingly deep distrust of chambers of commerce acting in cahoots with government. And we get into his sales tax/government elimination proposal.

News, Weather and Classifieds for Southern New England

January 18, 2014January 18, 2014

Wingmen: Why did Chafee call out the tea party?

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This week on NBC 10’s web-exclusive Wingmen segment – starring me, Rapp and Justin Katz – we discuss the tea party’s influence on state government and why Governor Chafee called them out in his State of the State speech.

I do think the tea party has an outsized influence on state politics and public debate. (They have their own radio station, for crying out loud!) I also think Rhode Island gave austerity a pretty fair shake and it hasn’t served us very well.

News, Weather and Classifieds for Southern New England

December 13, 2013December 14, 2013

Wingmen: Should DePetro be fired?

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“John DePetro is not fair, he’s not honest, he’s not respectful. It’s time for him to go,” I said on NBC 10 Wingmen segment this week as Justin Katz, Bill Rappleye and I debate whether it’s okay for politicians to boycott the local radio station because of the uproar against the notoriously nasty shock jock under fire for calling labor activists whores.

News, Weather and Classifieds for Southern New England

November 27, 2013November 28, 2013

Wingmen: Catholic Katz claims Pope is wrong

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Earlier today I made the point that the Pope is a progressive. On NBC 10 Wingmen this week, Justin Katz doesn’t disagree. Instead the devout Catholic blogger says the Pope is wrong!

“I’m saying that’s a potential error on his part, that he’s misunderstanding how the economy functions as a practical matter. Which you’re allowed to say the Pope misunderstands a science.”

Note: Katz agrees with Pope Francis that free market economics dehumanizes people and turns them into commodities. “That’s true. That has to be tempered by social structure.” Me: “That’s what us progressives believe.”

News, Weather and Classifieds for Southern New England

November 24, 2013November 25, 2013

Wingmen: The struggle’s in the cities not the suburbs

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Is Rhode Island’s entire economy struggling? Or is the hurt pretty well contained in our urban areas? Are the people living in the affluent suburbs suffering under the strain of high taxes or is it the working class city folk who can’t afford to fund their communities?

On NBC 10 Wingmen last week, Bill Rappleye, Justin Katz and I debate the issue.

News, Weather and Classifieds for Southern New England

November 3, 2013

Wingmen: When is civil disobedience worthwhile?

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It’s well worth noting that I, for one, was really looking forward to hearing Ray “Stop and Frisk” Kelly defend his deplorable practice of what he calls “proactive policing” earlier this week and I didn’t get to because of the widely-reviled Shoutdown at Brown.

But I don’t believe it is the only thing worth noting about the incident.

Another is there is a fairly large, very ad hoc and relatively politically-powerless coalition of activists in Rhode Island that are extremely fed up with institutionalized racism, or what has been called the new Jim Crow. Public policies like the war on drugs, proactive policing, high stakes testing and voter ID that on their face address social problems and in the process disproportionately target poor and minority populations.

I had the great but thankless honor of defending the agitators/organizers who shouted down Ray Kelly this week on NBC10 News Conference.

Watch the online-only Wingmen segment here, in which me, Bill Rappleye and my made-for-TV-arch nemesis Justin Katz debate the efficacy of such political tactics:

News, Weather and Classifieds for Southern New England

October 25, 2013October 27, 2013

Wingmen: Put your money where your mouth is

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Should the public sector invest its savings based on our social values?

Of course we should! That such a question can even be debated speaks volumes about what our values are: making money. Though, as my TV arch nemesis Justin Katz points out, it would be a great follow up if that gun stock turns out to be a real dog!

News, Weather and Classifieds for Southern New England

October 18, 2013October 18, 2013

Wingmen takeover of 10 News Conference

Andrew Morse, of Anchor Rising/Ocean State Current, and I square off for the full half hour on 10 News Conference. Moderator Bill Rappleye moderates us through a wide-ranging discussion on everything from guns permits in Exeter, hedge funds in pension investments to the 2014 governor’s race.

News, Weather and Classifieds for Southern New England

Best part, in my opinion, is the last 30 seconds when Rapp asks me if I think Clay Pell will run for governor. “I hope not. I think that’s the worst thing about American democracy that rich kids with famous last names can declare that they are running for government.” Just to clarify, I actually love that anyone – rich or poor – can declare they are running for government or governor. What I hate is that it’s easier for rich kids to do than poor kids.

A couple important corrections:

Of course we do know who gives significant political donations directly to Gina Raimondo. And there is no reason to suspect the Manhattan Institute would be among them.

Also, Ted Cruz is a Senator, so he doesn’t have a district other than the great state of Texas.

Sorry readers, viewers, WJAR and marketplace of ideas.

October 11, 2013October 12, 2013

Wingmen: Who caused the government shutdown?

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Last night Sheldon Whitehouse took on Ted Cruz about the government shutdown on CNN Crossfire. Today Justin Katz and I took on the same topic on 10 News Conference’s Wingman segment.

Me: “It’s not true that the Democrats didn’t negotiate on Obamacare. In fact, most of America wanted a single payer system and the system that we have is because Democrats compromised with Republicans. so it’s not the Democrats refused to compromise it’s that Democrats refused to constantly compromise until Republicans get their way. Obamacare is the compromise.”

News, Weather and Classifieds for Southern New England

October 4, 2013October 6, 2013

Wingmen: Obamacare

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Like most of Rhode Island, I wish we were debating a single payer health care system. But instead Justin Katz and I debate Obamacare and the new health insurance exchange in Rhode Island. As they used to say in Brooklyn, wait ’till next year…

Here it is – an extended 10 minute version of NBC 10 Wingmen – exclusively for the web. I hope you enjoy watching Katz and I disagree more than either of us enjoy actually doing it!!

News, Weather and Classifieds for Southern New England

September 27, 2013September 29, 2013

Is school asking students to worship government?

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“That doesn’t really seem to make much sense to me,” Steve Ahlquist said to Justin Katz’ frankly ridiculous notion that Cranston West is asking students to worship government rather than God with its replacement for the prayer banner.

Here’s the video … and god bless you if you know what Katz is talking about:

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Sometimes I wonder if Justin Katz would argue that the sky was yellow and the sun blue if he thought it might advance the conservative agenda.

September 21, 2013September 23, 2013

Wingmen: Should child care providers unionize

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To organize or not to organize, that is the question before Justin Katz and I on NBC 10 Wingmen this week.

I can hardly think of any sector of the Rhode Island economy that needs a raise more than the childcare providers who take care low-income children while their parents go to work. They make about $20,000 a year.

Katz, on the other hand, thinks it will be some sort of economic catastrophe if these 600 people can bargain collectively. At least he didn’t call them babysitters! Watch this week’s episode of NBC 10 Wingmen to see our relatively contentious debate on the issue:

News, Weather and Classifieds for Southern New England

September 14, 2013September 15, 2013

Wingmen: What’s wrong with the NECAP test?

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Should Rhode Island use the NECAP test as a high school graduation requirement? We know Eva Mancuso and Deborah Gist don’t want to have this debate, but 10 News Conference does.

I argue that using a one high stakes test as a graduation requirement for the entire state is patently unfair after generations of inequity in education experiences. “We’re having a race to the top here in Rhode Island and towns like East Greenwich and Barrington are starting on third base and towns like Central Falls and Pawtucket are starting with two strikes against them.”

Meanwhile, Justin Katz argues that high stakes tests are good because it treats students more like Pavlov’s dogs. No wonder Mancuso and Gist don’t want to have this debate….

News, Weather and Classifieds for Southern New England

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