Protesting the Governor's Budget Cuts

Please see Newport 9's excellent coverage of this event. The "Emergency Campaign for R.I.'s Priorities" is a coalition of many groups who are protesting the Governor's budget cuts as he attempts to balance the budget. Since the Governor has already backed down from his attempts to close all but the main registry office (DMV), this group feels that listening to their very personal stories may cause him to amend some cuts. BTW, our own local Republican legislators (Gibbs & Long) were mighty quiet about the closing of the local office. You'd think that they would have been the first saying that they would speak to the Governor about it. Thanks for nothing.

There were about 125 at this packed meeting. No one really asked questions. People gave testimony about what these cuts would mean to them. Then the two Senators (Levesque & Paiva-Weed) gave rousing speeches of support for these attendees & restoring budget cuts. I dare anyone to have listened to these heart wrenching stories & still cut these budgets. Where was the Daily News & Projo?

Just last week I listened to Sue Carcieri speaking to a womens' group at the Newport County Chamber of Commerce. Her rambling speech was centered on making R.I. the first "Wellness" state. While she never really explained this program (she wandered away from her notes a lot & then would bring herself back by reminding us all of her need to read from the notes her assistant had written). This evidently doesn't apply to anyone outside the state workers. I guess they're the only ones who really need to be "well." Go figure.

I'm assuming that since two Senators were there, Senator Gibbs was a no-show because ... you tell me. Listening would really have cost her nothing. Like, I thought that was part of her job. I could give you statements that she has made supporting the expansion of healthcare coverage (including RITE care & Medicare/Medicaid) to Rhode Islanders, but why bother. I wonder if she made it to hear Laura Bush & Sen. Chaffe last week? All 3 councils on the island previously gave support with resolutions requesting budgets that NOT cut any Medicare programs or budgets on the federal or state level.

I couldn't help but be reminded of the Houses' recent bill to cut income tax on the wealthiest of Rhode Islanders. Then I looked at all these people who came out, listened to them, & wondered these wealth R.I.er would feel then about a few extra bucks versus these peoples' actual subsistence. I can't help but be reminded of "If you did it for the least of my brethen, you did if for me." What are our state's priorities? Exactly how much is another tax break worth? What happened to that good feeling of helping our neighbor that I saw when Middletown & MANY groups welcommed the Katrina survivors here & gave so generously? Aren't taxes our invesment not only in our state but it's people? What we need are fairer taxes, not cuts that hurt our most vulnerable citizens.