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Board of Regents say AF isn’t good enough for Cranston…but it’s fine for Providence?

It’s amazing how much you can learn about people–and the system they represent–by reading between the lines of their decisions. I was at the Board of Regents meeting today, and what I saw there taught me a lot about the different levels of value those in power assign to the different communities they are supposed to represent equally.

For those of you who haven’t heard yet, the BOR voted to deny Achievement First’s application to open their schools in Cranston, following the request of Governor Chafee, who advised the Board to take into account the opposition by the Cranston community over the past few months.

The governor then, a mere sentence after validating the concerns of the hundreds of Cranston parents and community members who have been protesting the AF proposal on the grounds that it could be damaging to the Cranston community (protesters have cited the financial ramifications of taking that much money out of the district, the loss of public accountability inherent in allowing a private board to take governing authority from public institutions like a school committee, and worries about the organization’s discipline policies which many believe to be excessive) made a recommendation that the Board instead explore bringing the charter management organization into Providence. And the Board, mere seconds after voting to keep Achievement First out of Cranston–presumably because they agreed with the Cranston community’s claims that it could, indeed, damage their district in all the ways cited above–wholeheartedly passed a motion to begin the process of looking into creating an AF district in Providence.

Wait…how does that work?

Now, there are a couple different ways to read the governor’s advice and the Board’s actions. But as someone who was there, listening to the debate, I can tell you that it seemed pretty clear to me that Governor Chafee and the Board of Regents made a simple decision, and one that those in power have been making regarding those who aren’t for centuries: what’s not good enough for us is good enough for them. Specifically, an organization that the clear majority of white, middle-class parents in Cranston don’t believe to be good enough for their students is just fine for all those low-income students and parents in Providence.

It’s hard for me to understand their line of reasoning. How can they recognize Cranston’s concern about AF’s military-like discipline and history of excessive punishment scandals, but still think this set of values is fine to inflict on kids in Providence? (I’m not a big fan of PPSD’s discipline policies, but I don’t think they’re comparable to those of Achievement First.) How can they agree that Cranston’s parents are right not to accept a disempowering administrative system in which they have little or no say in how their children get educated, but still think such a system should be acceptable to parents in Providence?

I don’t know how to answer these questions without going back to that same fundamental perspective: what’s not good enough for us is good enough for them. It boils down to nothing more than inequality of the worst kind.

Of course, there are already immense inequalities between Cranston and Providence schools. And I’m certainly not arguing that PPSD is a haven of perfect pedagogy and policy; on the contrary, I work with students in Providence–at times organizing against the school district–so I know very well the deep problems in our school system. We need to think creatively about how we can have better parent engagement, because our schools will never improve until parents are involved, and what we’re doing now clearly isn’t working; we need a curriculum that students find relevant to their lives, because what we’ve got now consistently alienates kids into boredom and apathy; we need to improve support systems for students and create more secure cultures of learning, because now those are few and far between; and, in the long-term, we need to change the way low-income communities are short-changed out of resources for their schools, because without more resources much of the above list won’t be possible.

These are not easy problems to solve. But they are solvable. And they are only solvable if we put all of our public attention, energy, and efforts on public education, rather than diverting these resources into creating a new, private district with even less public accountability and an even dimmer community focus. The people of Cranston have made clear that their students deserve better than Achievement First. Why should Providence’s students deserve any less?

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Let Me Help You: Pull Down Your Pants and Pee

Florida Gov. Rick Scott signed TANF Drug-Screening into Law – May 31, 2011

Welfare. While a beneficent word, one found in the Preamble of the U.S. Constitution, many Americans shutter at its mention. Why? It is most closely associated with the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. In other words, it has to do with that unpopular issue of poor people and helping them.

There’s a new law on the books in Florida and two other states that mandate mostly single mothers be tested for drug use in order to receive support through the TANF program.

I can hear the Florida legislature cheer, “Finally! We’re not going to have to help so many poor families! They’ll be dropping from the TANF rolls like flies!”

But wait. Hold your applause. Only about 4% of TANF recipients actually have a drug problem that would negatively affect successful employment (National Poverty Center, 2004; Pollack, Danziger, Jayakody, & Seefeldt, 2001).

“Eh, well this program is going to SAVE taxpayer money!” Not exactly. Under the law, recipients of cash assistance pay upfront for their drug test and when it comes back negative, the state issues a refund. The state ends up spending MORE than it saves (ACLU Utah, 2011; Greenblatt, 2010). For example, TCPalm (2011) reported that piloting this program cost Florida taxpayers $2.7 million back in 1998 because just 4% of people popped positive and actually paid for the test. As the authors ask, if the average assistance per month is $240.00, how many folks would have to be kicked off the program in order to recoup the $2.7 million in losses?

It doesn’t add up. So if drug testing doesn’t actually save money, then it helps the poor stay off drugs, right? Wait, I just implied that most of the poor in our country are drug abusers. Stereotypes are persistent little buggers. I meant to say drug-testing helps those with substance abuse problems get the treatment they need. Because of course, the goal of temporary assistance is to eventually support TANF recipients returning to full-time, competitive employment healthy.

Nah. The community mental health clinics that folks might go to are swamped and lack adequate funding. And the legislators who want to reduce drug use aren’t championing more mental health resources in our communities anytime soon.

In fact, Pollack et al. (2001) confirmed that mental health disorders are far more prevalent than drug dependence among TANF recipients. Yet, a drug test isn’t going to screen for depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, or the host of other mental health challenges impacting folks’ ability to find and keep a job. We might be looking at the wrong thing here.

If taxpayer money isn’t being saved, if the prospect of helping families find and excel in competitive employment isn’t being enhanced, and if other factors like poor education, lack of transportation, and physical/mental health problems aren’t being addressed, then what is?

Greg Matos is a Clinical Psychology doctoral student in Boston and author of “Shattered Glass: The Story of a Marine Embassy Guard.” You can visit his web site: www.GregMatos.com or Twitter: @GregMatos.

Resources

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Miguel Luna – Friend and Ally

I remember when Miguel and Shaun Joseph went to Honduras as part of international solidarity with the resistance to the coup that ousted democratically elected President Zelaya. They brought back dramatic footage and pictures of truly mass mobilizations by the people against the golpistas and in support of democracy – very inspiring. When they returned, we held a public meeting in Rev. Duane Klinker’s church where they reported on their experiences.

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A Progressive Hero Falls: RIP Miguel C. Luna

Yesterday, we at RIFUTURE learned the news of the passing of one of our progressive leaders in our state: Providence Ward 9 Councilman Miguel Luna.

The City of Providence sent out a moving tribute of his life’s work which includes information about his wake and funeral.

A true giant has fallen in Providence.

And the people of Providence are worse off as a result.

Councilman Miguel C. Luna passed away yesterday at Rhode Island Hospital, surrounded by his family.  He is survived by his three children, Dante, 13, Sofie, 11, and Omar 9; his mother Mireya; his four sisters, Ysa, Belkiss, Josefina and Teresa; his brother Antonio; and 17 nieces and nephews.

Councilman Luna was an extraordinary humanitarian and humble public servant who identified with those most in need and dedicated his life to promoting workers’ rights and economic justice.

“I am deeply saddened by the untimely passing of my friend and colleague Miguel Luna,” said Mayor Taveras. “Councilman Luna was a great man who made a difference in many people’s lives. I join with everyone in my administration and the City of Providence in mourning his passing. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family during this very difficult time. We will honor Councilman Luna’s memory by following his example and continuing his lifelong commitment to advocating for justice.”

Councilman Luna broke down racial and economic barriers when he earned a seat on the City Council in 2003 by beating an incumbent with nearly two thirds of the vote. He was the second Latino Councilman in Providence’s history and the first Dominican American ever elected to the Council.

“The entire Council is deeply saddened by the loss of our colleague and dear friend Councilman Miguel Luna,” said Council President Michael Solomon. “Throughout his life, Miguel displayed an unyielding commitment to community service. He was involved with many organizations dedicated to improving the lives of the less fortunate. Councilman Luna’s accomplishments – legislative, professional and otherwise – are truly without end, and it was his devotion to such causes that we will most recall and miss. At this time, our thoughts and sincerest condolences are with his family.”

Born and raised in the Dominican Republic, he worked minimum wage jobs and advocated for others seeking to improve the quality of their lives. Upon arrival in Rhode Island, he worked in factories and as a laborer during the construction of the Comfort Inn near T.F. Green Airport. He subsequently worked at the International Institute, at the Amos House, at AIDS Care Ocean State and in the full service of the residents of Ward 9 since January, 2003.

A longtime Elmwood resident, Councilman Luna was a constant presence at neighborhood organizations. He was a founding member of the community organization Direct Action for Rights and Equality and was heavily involved with the International Institute, Jobs with Justice and the Olneyville Neighborhood Association. He served on the board and volunteered for numerous other organizations in Providence, including Amos House, the San Miguel School, and the Center for Minority Advancement in the Building Trades.

“He was like a brother to me,” said Councilman Luis Aponte. “Miguel’s been on the front-lines of every important struggle in our great city and I am saddened beyond belief by his passing. He was a hero in the true sense of the word – unafraid of taking on the powerful and relentless in his commitment to winning justice and fairness for all.”

Councilman Luna was a passionate advocate for safe and affordable housing, police accountability and good jobs. Through his involvement with La Comunidad en Acción at St. Michael’s Church, he joined with public housing tenants in their fight for improved conditions. He helped to establish the Providence External Review Authority, the city’s first civilian review board.

As a Councilman representing the Ninth Ward, he sought to ensure that good, living-wage jobs were the foundation of the City’s economy through city tax stabilization polices and the First Source Ordinance. He pursued a progressive legislative agenda on the Council – championing efforts to protect affordable housing and create new jobs for Providence residents, and to make government more accessible to all residents, especially those who speak other languages. He was a strong proponent of renewable energy, encouraging homeowners to utilize solar panels and other energy efficient methods in their homes.

As Chairman of the Rhode Island Workers’ Rights Board, Councilman Luna stood up for janitors at Providence College, hotel workers at the Westin and the Biltmore and home-based child care providers across the state. Councilman Luna did not limit his fight for justice to the City of Providence. He advocated fiercely for fair international trade policies and fought for peace in every corner of the world. He advocated for the rights of farm workers in Ohio, tenants in San Francisco and community activists fighting for neighborhood investment in Los Angeles. He was a member of the U.S. Delegation of Election Observers in Venezuela during the 2006 election.

Councilman Luna was a voice for the voiceless. Wherever there was injustice, he was there. Our City mourns his passing.

A wake for Providence City Councilman Miguel C. Luna will be held on Sunday, August 21, from 6PM to 9PM at Bell Funeral Home, 571 Broad Street, Providence, RI, 02907.Councilman Luna’s funeral service will be held on Monday, August 22 at 10AM at Saint Michael the Archangel Church, 239 Oxford Street, Providence, RI, 02905. Interment will be held following the funeral mass at North Burial Ground on Branch Avenue in Providence. There will be a reception immediately following, at the Roger Williams Park Casino.

The public is invited to attend all services.

The family requests donations in lieu of flowers to:

Luna Children Educational Trust
167 Roger Williams Avenue
Providence, RI 02907

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Coming Up in the RIPTA Fight

Scheduled for Monday is the next public RIPTA board meeting, pushed back a week. With no commitments from General Assembly leaders yet for additional funding, cuts are still to be expected. The RIPTA Riders will be meeting with House Speaker Gordon Fox on Monday before the meeting of the RIPTA board. Thanks largely to the efforts of organizers Randall Rose and Abel Collins, the grassroots group has successfully raised the profile of the fight, evident by the long list of press coverage on their website.

What’s worth being hopeful about is the newly scheduled September 8th special hearing by the Senate Committee on Oversight. Chair Tassoni has asked RIPTA to attend to discuss cuts in service and the RIde program.

Monday RIPTA board meeting
1:30 pm, Monday, 269 Melrose St (#22 Elmwood Ave bus)
Please wear blue, bring signs.

Tuesday RIPTA Riders general meeting
5:30 pm, Tuesday, 17 Gordon Ave, Suite 208 (#11 Broad St bus to Public)

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Celebrate The World Wide Web’s 20th Birthday — Ask Your Lawmakers To Oppose The Internet

It was twenty years ago this week that Tim Berners-Lee, while working at CERN, put the world’s first website online. It announced his new creation: the World Wide Web. Last year while urging Internet users to sign Demand Progress’s petition against the Internet Blacklist Bill, Berners-Lee wrote this about the principles that underpin his project:

“No person or organization shall be deprived of their ability to connect to others at will without due process of law, with the presumption of innocence until found guilty. Neither governments nor corporations should be allowed to use disconnection from the Internet as a way of arbitrarily furthering their own aims.”

The Internet Blacklist Bill — S.968, formally called the PROTECT IP Act — would violate those principles by allowing the Department of Justice to force search engines, browsers, and service providers to block users’ access to websites that have been accused of facilitating intellectual property infringement — without even giving them a day in court. It would also give IP rights holders a private right of action, allowing them to sue to get sites prevented from operating. Demand Progress’s new mash-up, posted here, explains the bill in more detail.

S.968 has passed the Senate Judiciary Committee, but Ron Wyden (D-OR) is temporarily blocking it from getting a floor vote by using a procedural maneuver known as a hold, noting that “By ceding control of the internet to corporations through a private right of action, and to government agencies that do not sufficiently understand and value the internet, PIPA represents a threat to our economic future and to our international objectives.”

The House is expected to take up a version of the legislation in coming weeks.

“We encourage Americans to mark this 20th birthday of the World Wide Web by defending the principles that underpinned its creation — now under persistent threat by overzealous governments and corporate interests across the globe,” said Demand Progress executive director David Segal. “In particular, the Internet Blacklist Bill would undermine the basic integrity of the Web, and we expect Congress to take it up when they return from their summer break.”

More than 400,000 Demand Progress members have urged their lawmakers to oppose the Internet Blacklist Bill. You can email your Senators and Representatives and ask them to oppose S.968 by clicking here.

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A shout out to our friends at the Rhode Island Foundation

In these economic times, everyone depends on help from somewhere and Rhode Island’s non-profit agencies probably more so than anyone. That’s where our friends at the Rhode Island Foundation play such a major role. For those of you unfamiliar with RIF, they are the pre-eminent leader in community philanthropy in the state and provide guidance, management and leadership in everything non-profit in Rhode Island. Below is their latest press release and from it you’ll be able to see just how many people and organizations they assist. Thanks again RIF, many of the state’s individuals and providers would be lost without your support.

Rhode Island Foundation Announces $3.4M in Q2 Discretionary Grants

Total of $12.5M in grants awarded to date in 2011

Providence, RI – The Rhode Island Foundation announced today that $3,394,856 in grants were awarded to local nonprofit agencies during the second quarter of 2011 through its discretionary grant programs. The Foundation’s president and CEO, Neil D. Steinberg, said the organization has granted a total of $4,627,108 in discretionary grants this year, and a total of $12.5 million so far in 2011 from all funds.

“Many outstanding organizations are addressing some of our state’s most pressing challenges and the Foundation is proud to partner with them. Whether providing children and their parents with educational opportunities throughout the summer to reinforce skills, or funding a health care job training program with a 100% placement rate for its participants, our grants support programs with tangible benefits not only for their participants, but also for all Rhode Islanders in the long term, as we become a more educated, highly-skilled, healthier, and engaged community,” said Steinberg. The Foundation’s discretionary grant programs focus on six key sectors: arts and culture, community and economic development, education, environment, health, and human services. For each sector, the Foundation has developed a focus area to award grant investments for maximum impact – creating opportunities for more productive evaluation, convening of grantees, and other types of assistance. The Foundation aims to support projects and organizations that strive for long-term solutions to critical community issues. Applicants are encouraged to seek grants for collaborative projects that serve underserved Rhode Islanders, foster innovation and seek to achieve efficiencies, reduce duplication, and provide strategies for long-term sustainability.

The Foundation is focusing additional resources, advocacy, and leadership on public education and primary health care. These were identified as areas critical to the future of our state and align directly with the Foundation’s mission to “meet the needs of the people of Rhode Island.”

A sampling of the Foundation’s Q2 grants:

Family Service of Rhode Island

$40,000

This grant supports the expansion of the work of the Justice Enforcement Social Worker to East Providence. The Justice Enforcement Social Worker partners with local police to provide rapid response to children, families, elders and other individuals during situations involving violence and/or crime, to reduce similar future incidents, and to heal wounds inflicted by chronic exposure to violence.

 

Americans for the Arts – Local Arts Index

$15,099

This grant will support data analysis as part of Americans for the Arts: Local Arts Index – a national effort to tell the story of arts vitality on the community level. In an effort to pull maximum value from the data and with funding from Kresge Foundation, Americans for the Arts is working with 100 partners, including the City of Providence, over two years to develop the Local Arts Index. This grant supports the expansion of the work currently underway with the City of Providence to the rest of the state.

 

Paul Cuffee High School Growth Initiatives

$25,000

The Paul Cuffee School, as a part of its summer activities, will engage other public schools in an education partnership initiative. The initiative is based on establishing a culture of collaboration within and between schools, sharing best practices, and establishing relationships among teachers from different schools and districts.

 

Fogarty Elementary School Summer Enrichment Program

$7,000

The Mary E. Fogarty Elementary School initiated a program aimed at improving student achievement this summer. It is a collaborative effort coordinated by the Providence Children’s Initiative, modeled after the Harlem Children’s Zone. One hundred and fifty students in grades one through five have been invited to participate in four hours of classes Monday through Wednesday, including breakfast and lunch. Organizers will engage parents through special parent classes. This is the first such total collaborative effort of its kind in Providence.

 

Rhode Island Coalition for the Homeless

$83,906

This grant is for the Food Access Project for homeless, elderly and disabled Rhode Islanders.

The program aims to decrease hunger and food insecurity among homeless, elderly and disabled individuals by increasing access to prepared meals through the utilization of SNAP benefits in authorized restaurants.

 

RI Philharmonic

$60,000

As the state’s only professional orchestra, the only certified community music school, and the second largest arts organization in Rhode Island, the Rhode Island Philharmonic and Music School is a leader in the arts community. Of particular note, the Philharmonic has a strong partnership with the Pawtucket Public Schools helping students meet arts graduation requirements at the Jacqueline Walsh School and providing instruction at Jenks Junior High.

 

The Poverty Institute

$75,000

This grant will support the Poverty Institute’s work to improve the economic vitality of Rhode Island and its residents through public education, work with state agencies toward system reform, and legislative advocacy. The Institute’s role in tracking and analyzing policy and budget decisions informs statewide decision-making and makes data available to the broader nonprofit sector that provides programs to improve the financial stability of low and modest-income Rhode Islanders.

 

City Year Rhode Island

$73,295

This is the second of a proposed three years of funding to City Year for the work of corps members in Providence public middle schools. During the past school year, City Year delivered targeted interventions to 1,400 struggling students and served more than 2,700 students through whole school supports. City Year has obtained access to student data after developing and signing a data sharing agreement with the district. Preliminary data shows student improvement in achievement, attendance and behavior, all necessary ingredients to student success.

 

RI Community Food Bank

$5,000

This grant provided support to the Food Bank as part of Rhode Island Public Radio (WRNI’s) summer pledge campaign running in the last week in June. During Friday and Saturday of that week, the radio station offered that for every dollar pledged to the station, a dollar would be contributed to the Food Bank to assist in meeting the needs of at-risk families during the summer months.

 

Farm Fresh Rhode Island

$25,500

This grant represents $10,500 from discretionary funds and $15,000 in co-funding from the Foundation’s George M. and Barbara H. Sage Fund in support of Farm Fresh Rhode Island’s Harvest Kitchen apprenticeship project. The Harvest Kitchen is a work experience and job-training program for adjudicated youth that supports Rhode Island’s local food system by creating high-quality products from locally grown fruit and vegetables. The project is a partnership between Farm Fresh Rhode Island and the Department of Children, Youth and Families. In addition to training youth in culinary skills, the Harvest Kitchen places youth in service opportunities at meal sites and in internships related to their training.

 

Rhode Island Hospital – Enhancing Mental Health Care in the Primary Care Setting

$35,000

Grant funds are requested to create a curriculum to teach basic mental health care interventions to primary care physicians. For the past five years, Rhode Island Hospital’s Dr. Elizabeth Toll and others have been learning to integrate mental health care with primary care. Over the past year, working with two psychiatrist colleagues, she has developed a curriculum to teach clinic doctors and nurses to do this kind of work.

 

Riverwood Mental Health Services – Housing First Rhode Island

$100,000

Housing First Rhode Island (HFRI) is Riverwood’s ground-breaking new effort designed to end chronic homelessness in our state. The chronically homeless, those who are homeless for extensive periods, sometimes years, have complex needs that service delivery systems have been unsuccessful in meeting. The Housing First model has been field-tested in our state and other communities and has produced consistent results. With Foundation support, Housing First will be able to serve an additional 240 clients, and using conservative estimates, save Rhode Island taxpayers over $2 million in service costs annually.

 

Boys & Girls Clubs of Warwick

$9,600

The seven Boys & Girls Clubs in Rhode Island have been meeting over the past year to explore various options for achieving cost savings through collaborative structures. The groups will work with consultants to decide on a collaborative structure and take the first steps to move forward. The national office of the Boys & Girls Clubs will contribute $10,000 to this project.

 

College Crusade of Rhode Island

$55,000

The College Crusade continues to show positive results as the state’s most comprehensive college readiness program, serving 17% of all middle and high school students in Providence, Pawtucket, Woonsocket, and Central Falls. Grounded in the youth development field’s best practices and relying upon a proven advisory system that develops deep personal connection with the Crusaders, the Crusade provides academic enrichment, career exploration, social/personal development and college preparation programs to approximately 3,500 middle and high school students. In addition, since 2001 the Crusade has awarded more than $22 million in scholarship aid to nearly 2,800 underserved students.

 

Jonnycake Center of Peace Dale

$5,000

The mission of the Jonnycake Center of Peace Dale is to improve the quality of life for individuals and families by providing comprehensive assistance to those in need of food, clothing, and household items and through individual and systemic advocacy for their clients. With grant funds, the agency will purchase food for their emergency food pantry.

 

Tech ACCESS of RI

$5,000

TechACCESS’s mission is to promote and support the independence and achievement of people with disabilities through the use of technology. This grant supports the TechACCESS Communication Device Loan Library. Through this program, adults who have lost their speech are able to borrow a device and receive the professional assistance they need to continue communicating with loved ones throughout the length of their illness.

 

Vietnam Era Veterans Association: Homeless Diversion Program

$4,000

The Vietnam Era Veterans Association of Rhode Island provides improved opportunities for all Rhode Island veterans, who served honorably, and their families. With grant funds, the agency will support the veterans’ needs for emergency shelter, assistance with security deposits, and pre-paid food cards to assure that qualified veterans have a safe living environment and access to food.

 

For more information about the Foundation, visit our website at www.rifoundation.org.

About The Rhode Island Foundation
Founded in 1916, the Rhode Island Foundation is one of the oldest and largest community foundations in the United States. Community foundations are composed of permanent funds established by many donors for the long-term benefit of the residents of a defined geographical area; the Rhode Island Foundation is one of the few to serve an entire state.

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Six RI Legislators Join ALEC, a Pro-Corporate “Model” Legislation Advocate

The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is a consortium of corporations which drafts and approves “model” legislation for right-wing state legislators on virtually every area of law. As one example, reported by Mike Elk of The Nation, in today’s interview on DemocracyNow!:

“One of the most perverse effects that ALEC has had on American society is the dramatic increase in the amount of prisoners incarcerated in this country. In 1980, there were only half a million people incarcerated in this country. Now that number has quadrupled to nearly 2.4 million…the majority for non-violent offenses. The U.S. has four per cent of the world’s population, but has 25% of the world’s prisoners in this country–and a big part of the reason for that is ALEC.”

As Elk further reports, their advocacy of tougher sentencing laws for drug violations and other offenses benefits the private prison industry–including the Corrections Corporation of America, a member of ALEC. “So they put a mass amount of people in jail,” says Elk, “and then they created a situation where they could exploit that.”

Moreover, using ALEC-approved legislation, states are increasingly using cheap prison labor to displace union workers. Thus, through ALEC’s efforts, are not Blacks, Latinos and poor Whites being subjected to a new form of legalized slavery?

This is but the tip of the iceberg for ALEC’s impact on our political and economic system. As ALECexposed.org summarizes:

“ALEC is not a lobby; it is not a front group. It is much more powerful than that. Through ALEC, behind closed doors, corporations hand state legislators the changes to the law they desire that directly benefit their bottom line. Along with legislators, corporations have membership in ALEC. Corporations sit on all nine ALEC task forces and vote with legislators to approve “model” bills. They have their own corporate governing board which meets jointly with the legislative board. (ALEC says that corporations do not vote on the board.) They fund almost all of ALEC’s operations. Participating legislators, overwhelmingly conservative Republicans, then bring those proposals home and introduce them in statehouses across the land as their own brilliant ideas and important public policy innovations—without disclosing that corporations crafted and voted on the bills. ALEC boasts that it has over 1,000 of these bills introduced by legislative members every year, with one in every five of them enacted into law.”

As cited by ALECexposed.org, six members of the Rhode Island legislature are ALEC members:

  • Sen. Leo Blais
  • Sen. Francis Maher*
  • Sen. Leonidas Raptakis* (Retired to run for Sec. of State)
  • Sen. V. Sosnowski*
  • Sen. Paul Fogarty**
  • Sen. Walter Felag**
  • Rep. Laurence Ehrhardt**

*Alternate, ALEC Energy, Environment and Agriculture Task Force
**Member, ALEC Energy, Environment and Agriculture Task Force

If you are a constituent of any of these members, you may want to ask questions such as these:  Why are you a member of ALEC? What legislative measures have you reviewed?  Have you introduced ALEC legislation at the RI statehouse?  Did you pay the $50 membership fee personally–or did you charge this to taxpayers?

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Libertarian Fairy Dust: AKA Its Only Class War When Workers Fight Back

Two interesting things of note. First, this gragh from the AFL-CIO:

 

Then this story from the NYTIMES by Steven Greenhouse:

Labor’s Decline and Wage Inequality
By STEVEN GREENHOUSE
The decline in organized labor’s power and membership has played a larger role in fostering increased wage inequality in the United States than is generally thought, according to a study published in the American Sociological Review this month.
The study, “Unions, Norms and the Rise in U.S. Wage Inequality,” found that the decline in union power and density since 1973 explained a third of the increase in wage inequality among men since then, and a fifth of the increased inequality among women.
The study noted that from 1973 to 2007, union membership in the private sector dropped to 8 percent from 34 percent among men and to 6 percent from 16 percent among women. During that time, wage inequality in the private sector increased by more than 40 percent, the study found.
While many academics argue that increased inequality in educational attainment has played a major role in expanding wage inequality, the new study reaches a surprising conclusion, saying, “The decline of the U.S. labor movement has added as much to men’s wage inequality as has the relative increase in pay for college graduates.” The study adds that “union decline contributes just half as much as education to the overall rise in women’s wage inequality.”
The study was written by Bruce Western, a professor of sociology at Harvard University, and Jake Rosenfeld, a sociology professor at the University of Washington.
The two professors found that the decline of organized labor held down wages in union and nonunion workplaces alike. Many nonunion employers — especially decades ago, when unions represented more than 30 percent of the private sector work force — raised wages to help avert the threat of union organizing.
Moreover, the study argues that when unions were larger and had a far greater voice in politics and society, they played a more influential role in advocacy on wages across the economy, for instance, in pushing to raise the minimum wage.
“In the early 1970s, when one in three male workers were organized, unions were often prominent voices for equity, not just for their members, but for all workers,” the two professors wrote. “Union decline marks an erosion of the moral economy and its underlying distributional norms. Wage inequality in the nonunion sector increased as a result.”
The two professors note that the decline of unions is part of a common account of rising inequality that is often contrasted with a market explanation that includes technological change, immigration and foreign trade. They argue that the market explanation usually understates the role of organized labor’s decline on increased inequality.
The study notes that in the 1970s, some skilled-trades unions and construction unions helped to increased inequality through exclusionary practices that reinforced racial and ethnic inequalities. But the study said that, over all, unions in the United States had been an important force for reducing inequality — although not as much as unions in Europe, which have more influence in politics and society.
The authors found that the biggest factor in the decline in unions’ power and density was job growth outside traditional labor strongholds like manufacturing, construction and transportation. They added that another important reason for the decline of organized labor was that “employers in unionized industries intensified their opposition” to unionization efforts.
They noted that as unions have grown weaker, there has been less pressure on lawmakers to enact labor-friendly or worker-friendly measures. “As organized labor’s political power dissipates,” the authors wrote, “economic interests in the labor market are dispersed and policy makers have fewer incentives to strengthen unions or otherwise equalize economic rewards.”

Now to answer “Moderate’s” question yesterday as for solutions.  To start with: I would confiscate Ken Block’s fortune and start a WPA 2.0.  To start..

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Its a day that ends in Y. You know what that means…

That’s right!  Its time for another “Flight of the Earls” story in the Rhode Island media!  This time it is from Eddie Achorn Junior, AKA, Stephen Beale of GuLP (that’s GOLOCALPROV for those of you who don’t know.  You really have to GuLP it down when you read something Beale writes).  Anyway, EJ hits the Rhode Island economic theory trifecta today!  He

He cherry picks data to claim rich people are leaving the state, aka the “the Flight of the Earls.”He refers to the OSPRI Study on Wealth Migration that even the Wall Street Journal lampooned as worthless and Projo’s “Politifact” has discredited.He quotes from Len Lardaro, the economic guru of the Carcieri years who brought us the wisdom behind the tax strategy that got us into the fiscal mess that we are in in this state.

And for honorable mention…John Hazen White? Now there is a go to guy for policy analysis.  What, was Travis Rowley too busy raising money for Mr. Hinckley?

Here on RIFUTURE we have long railed against the Flight of the Earls simply because this fallacy that we need to base our tax policy decisions on keeping a handful of people in state so we keep their tax dollars is based on faulty assumptions.

Assumption #1:  they are not leaving the state. The numbers change. Sometimes up, sometimes down, but fleeing they are not, especially as a class of wage earners, and especially not as an economic class.

Assumption #2:  if we keep them in the state, we will keep and or create jobs ( look around!)

Assumption #3:  by lowering taxes on the elite, we increase our overall revenue collection, thus benefiting all of Rhode Island.

None of these assumptions have worked, and in fact, have contributed mightily to the downfall of our economic system, both here in Rhode Island and nationally and internationally.  This isn’t even an argument between capitalism and socialism or market economies and command economies (that last one is communism for you tea party folks…it’s very different than socialism. I know…. that blows your mind, right?  Who knew?) Free Market Capitalism, for all of its flaws, has a certain logical science behind it.  With this new economic philosophy that is emerging, there is no connection to economic activity and economic outcomes.  It is the chief reason why wage growth, for example, has been decoupled from productivity gains.  American workers are the most productive they have been in years….yet they see no way to wrestle wage gains based on their productivity.  Adam Smith would blanch at such injustice.

But I digress……

The key thing here is despite all the evidence the rich guys in town keep pushing the Flight of the Earls mythology no matter what the evidence say.  We live in a fact free world, and with reporters like EJ at places like GuLP ready and willing to simply do the bidding of the elite is it any wonder the banksters feel free do what they want, say what they want, and buy whomever they want?  Who, after all, is going to stop them?

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My RIPTA conversation with Gordon Fox


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Yesterday I wrote to Gordon Fox, asking him to help defend, not defund RIPTA. This is what I wrote:

I am writing to you because now is not the time to cut funds to RIPTA, now is the time to increase them. I know this sounds counter-intuitive, but a functioning public transportation system is a strength for the community. Portland Oregon has a strong system, and they are better for it.

Please work on behalf of your constituents and all of RI to strengthen, rather than to weaken RIPTA.

This is perhaps the fourth or fifth email I have sent Gordon Fox. For the first time, he answered me:

Thank you very much for writing to me in support of an amendment to the state budget offered by Representative Jay O’Grady regarding funding at DOT and RIPTA.  Although I could not support the amendment this year due to the severe budget constraints, I have pledged to work with Reps. O’Grady, Arthur Handy and Teresa Tanzi in the future to continue our efforts to improve our state’s transportation system.

Meanwhile, I was proud to support Article 22 of the budget, which has now been signed into law, which creates a transportation trust fund and provides that incremental increases of transportation-related surcharges will be dedicated to the fund.  It will also reduce DOT’s reliance on borrowing and transition us to a pay-as-you-go system.

I appreciate your sentiments, and I thank you again for taking the time to write about this important issue.

The response was of course unsatisfactory, and indicative of the kind of politician Gordon Fox is. It is unsatisfactory because it does nothing to answer Fox’s complicity in the cuts RIPTA is planning. The loss of revenues to RI businesses and families will be devastating to our already fragile economy. It is indicative of the way Gordon Fox oprates because he does not take a stand on an issue, he simply pledges to “work with” those who have decided to.

Fox’s support for Article 22 of the budget is a rather silly statement. he voted for the budget, so he tacitly supported all the provisions therein. In owning the one small part of the budget that will give some of the funds from the Registry of Motor Vehicles to the DOT and RIPTA, he hopes to artificially inflate his support in the public’s eyes.

There’s a curious thing about Article 22. Under it, 20% of the monies collected in 2012 by the Registry of Motor Vehicles will go towards the “Intermodal Surface Transportation Fund” and this figure will increase each year by 20% until all collected monies are so directed. Fair enough. But this year we also passed the Voter ID bill, so we can expect that, under the increased onus of free IDs, revenues from the Registry will go down. After all, free means more people, longer lines, and less monies collected.

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95/5 Civic Responsibility!

Yesterday, Rep. Valencia held a press conference for his new income tax reform bill, H6095, which he’s calling the 95/5 Civic Responsibility bill. The 95/5 bill would raise an estimated $130 million in FY2012 and protect our state’s working families from even more painful and irresponsible service cuts. As the Projo reports:

“It asks the most fortunate among us, a mere 5 percent of Rhode Islanders, to chip in a little more,” said Valencia, a Richmond Democrat who has filed a bill that would put the proposed changes into state law. “To date, only the other 95 percent of the people have been required to pay their fair share.”

NOW is the time to let your legislators know about the importance of supporting H6095. Please take a minute to call your state representative and state senator, and then call Speaker Gordon Fox at 401-222-2466 to tell him to include H6095 in this year’s budget!

And if you really care about responsible revenue generation, please join RAFT at our next fair tax canvasses around this bill, this Saturday 11am-2pm and Sunday 12-3pm at 69 Brown Street. RSVP at rifairtaxes@gmail.com.

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Want to repeal the Bush tax cuts in RI and solve our fiscal crisis? We can.

With our $295 million deficit, cuts looming on the horizon, and the only other revenue-raising plan (a relatively regressive sales tax) now seeming to buckle under public outcry, Rhode Island is in desperate need of a real solution to our fiscal situation.

Well, we have one! State Rep. Larry Valencia is currently drafting a piece of legislation that would function as a state-level repeal of the Bush tax cuts on the wealthy by raising the state income tax for Rhode Island’s highest-earners by the same amount George W. slashed their federal income taxes.

In this time of need, when small businesses, students, and working families are being asked to sacrifice, it is illogical that we wouldn’t also ask a little more from those citizens who have been receiving an immense windfall for the past decade thanks to President Bush’s tax cuts.

Representative Valencia’s bill is the only responsible answer to RI’s budget gap, and I sincerely hope our Democratic leaders in the Statehouse see this instead of working to defend the policies of George Bush.

But if this common-sense solution going to make it into the budget, it needs a strong organizing drive behind it. That’s where we need your help. Whether you’re interested in canvassing or phonebanking, helping with graphic design and literature, setting up a house party for your friends to spread the word, research, strategy, WHATEVER you can contribute, we NEED your involvement.

So please, shoot me an email at aaron.regunberg@gmail.com. I would love to sit down to talk about how you can best fit into our campaign. You can also ‘like’ our Facebook page (Rhode Islanders for a State Repeal of the Bush Tax Cuts) for campaign updates on actions, press coverage, and research.

Together, we can bring some sanity back to Rhode Island’s tax structure.


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