Progress Report: Another Bad Investment by Carcieri, Chickens in Woonsocket, Lobsters in the Bay

Here’s my advice to any Rhode Islander playing the stock market: bet against any private company that former Governor Don Carcieri and the EDC invested public money in. Not only are taxpayers on the hook for 38 Studios collapse, but it turns out that the state is already paying on a guaranteed loan made to another company, Capco Steel.

If I didn’t know better, I’d think Carcieri must be some secret soldier sent from Corporate America to bleed government by redistributing public dollars to the private sector. Oh wait, that isn’t a secret … it was his campaign platform.

Speaking of guaranteed loans, there is a debate about whether or not the state should pay on the 38 Studios loan as it was a moral obligation bond rather than a legal obligation … I say we pay it; moral obligations should be the highest priority commitments in a civilized society. Then again, I also think we had a moral obligation to the retirees whose pensions we cut. It remains to be seen whether or not the state has a legal obligation to pay those retirees what we told them we would…

Talk about government intrusion … the Woonsocket animal control officer has confiscated a local family’s chickens.

Speaking of local food, is the state’s $11 million a year lobster industry in danger? According to the Projo warmer Bay waters are leading to less lobsters.

And speaking of losing local residents, Justin Katz continues on his crusade to prove that people are moving out of Rhode Island to avoid paying local taxes. This time he’s got great data to back up that people are leaving but absolutely no evidence whatsoever that they are going to skirt taxes … in my opinion, it’s highly more likely that, if people are making life choices based on government services, it’s probably public schools not taxes that are driving the decision. More likely, its a function of a changing demographic … as younger families move away in search of better schools and or jobs, they are being replaced with baby boomer retirees affluent in assets but no longer in income.

Hope to see you tonight at Common Cause RI’s first-ever post-session General Assembly Roundtable. It’s at 6 pm at the Providence Art Club on Thomas St.

Here’s one way sexual bigotry negatively affects society … Think Progress reports that almost half of homeless youth are of the LGBTQ community and cite being ostracized by their family as a reason for being on the streets.

And another bird video, this one of an osprey in a tree (apologies for the shaky camera, I was shooting from a kayak):