Only Seven Minutes?

What can you do in 7 minutes? My mom used to make a boiled "Seven Minute Frosting." You can play "7 Minutes in Heaven." Or you can approve a State budget in the Senate Finance Committee. Although Channel 10 says it only took 5 minutes.

Last year there was rebellion in this committee when it came to the supplemental budget. It took the Sen. Pres. & Majority & Minority Leaders to vote the budget out of committee (they don't usually show-up, although they have the right to). Two of those rebels (Gallo & Lanzi) are no longer on the committee & Moura chose not to run. The few remaining rebels were not given any leadership roles on the committee. Rather, newcomer Sen. DiPalma (our Sen.) was. Wanna bet that if you voted nay that any pending bills you had sitting in committee (your most important ones- natch) would just die there?

Good boys & good girls all- for now.

The floor vote has been postponed until today- Fri. Oh, shucks. They don't usually meet on Fri. How exhausting.

Budget News

www.rifuture.org stating that flat tax freeze bill failed. No monies for towns/cities from the state is now likely.

The Office of the Health Commissioner is now restored. It's elimination was almost a million in savings.

House Budget Debate Today

If every council/school person on the island hasn't written the local Reps., they get what they deserve- little State funding & ever-soaring property taxes. Hey, I've done my part. After this hurdle, the State Senate, but don't expect much rebellion there, although they could surprise you- I live in hope.

Lots of blah, blah about prostitution though. Of course, you could always try & attack the root of the problem, but that would actually take a plan & some $. Yup, by making it illegal, we'll definitely end prostitution in our state. It's worked everywhere else, right? This is where we want local police focusing their efforts. Of course, with no more funding or staffing.

Distract, distract, disctract.

What Do YOU Think about the Proposed State Budget?

Your legislators want to know- truly. E-mail them or leave comments here. What do you think about the elimination of the new Insurance Regulators' office? Elimination of state aid? Freezing of school aid? Addition of new gas tax? Capital gains' tax elimination? Raising of the limits for Inheritance taxes?

You can't expect them to fight for you if they don't hear from you. They certainly will hear from various lobbying groups, though. So lobby for yourself & your family.

Rep. Deb Ruggiero wants to hear from you on the budget proposal. She is especially concerned over the elimination of the Insurance Commissioner. It seems to be that a quick million dollar cut was needed & this fit the bill- simple as that.

Hearings begin Wed. at 1 pm in the House.

Click here to urge repeal of the flat tax.

72 Hours & Counting

Let your local legislators hear from you now! The guv's budget is out for months, but the Houses' for only a week prior to the vote.

This is the link for sending a message to your legislators to repeal the flat tax & help restore general revenue sharing to our District.

Flat Tax Costs to You

Here is what the flat tax costs you the local property tax payer. The % is the amount your taxes will need to go up to make-up for the proposed general fund monies no longer to be received. All this for less than 15 wealthy individuals (19 in Newport, 22 in Portsmouth)). End or freeze the flat tax & aid will be restored. Seems like a no-brainer to me. Sorry, this tax NEVER made any sense given R.I. economic position for the past several years.

Our property taxes should be going down, not constantly upward. How much longer before local residents say "No More" & place a good portion of the blame where it should be- the State Lege & the guv. Our tax system needs to be fairer and we should be eliminating breaks which have no proven positive effect to the citizenry- we, the people. Not, we the few.

Middletown: 2.185%

Newport: 2.508%

Little Compton: .951%

Tiverton: 1.753%

Portsmouth: 1.386%

Towns Lose Under New Budget

Under the House's proposed General Budget, aid to towns & cities will be deep-sixed.

% = amount of municipal budget loss

Middletown $829,818 3.8%
Newport $1,564,837 2.92%
Tiverton $547,575 3.34%
Little Compton $89,670 1.93%

Portsmouth $554,736 2.84%

This could be restored in the flat tax were frozen or eliminated. But we wouldn't want to actually help all of us with our own monies, would be?

Thanks to http://www.rifuture.org/ & Tom Sgorous for the info. Meanwhile we keep the flat tax which costs us all lost revenues for the benefit of fewer than 15 residents. How's the working out for us?

Now is the time to let your local legislators hear your scream- before budget approval.

School aid is frozen, I believe- where it has been for the past few years while their expenses have gone up. How much more of this can local property tax payers bear? The Assembly swallowed up many sources of our income while looking "cool." Not so glam, however, when we all have to make up for the local shortfalls.

Local councils should be screaming along with local legislators. Listen ...

End the Flat Tax!

The time for contacting your legislators to make those hard budget and lege decisions is NOW. The premise of the flat tax is that rich people will stay here & spend like crazy. So, how's that working out? Not that good it seems.

That sound you've been hearing is the sucking of our economy into bottomless quicksand. We are forfeiting hundreds of millions of $ in income for ??? Meanwhile the guv proposed to raise taxes on many middle income residents.

How many local residents use the flat tax? I'm so happy that you asked. Less than 15 in: Middletown, Tiverton, Little Compton, and Jamestown. 19 in Newport & 22 in Portsmouth. Almost off of these people earned over $200,000.

Where do most residents of the flat tax live? Well, besides NOT-HERE:

Providence 112
East Greenwich 77
Barrington 64
Cranston 54
Warwick 52
Lincoln 38
Cumberland 26
Bristol 25
North Kingston 24
Narragansett 18
Westerly 17

838 residents took advantage of this tax break. 1,429 non-residents did also. What? You mean you didn't get a major tax break from the state? Oops, guess you're just no special enough. Your lobbyist must have been sleeping.

Do I think that this will happen? It just might being that in involves so much in minus revenue. I think that the least that you will witness is the freezing of this tax benefit rather than it's being phased in using ever-decreasing % tax rates. Really, how do you justify job losses, loss of health benefits for the poor and elderly, etc. for what amounts to a lucky few & the members of the lucky sperm club?

C'mon. Click here for the necessary info with e-addresses. Let them know how you feel even if you don't agree with me. Don't leave it up to others. They LIKE to hear from you- take my word for it. You'll likely even get a quick response thanking you for your input.

Think that your property taxes (and various fees) will go up next yr.? Wait a year- you ain't seen nothin' yet.

$45.7 mil- that's the current hit that our State has taken with the implementation of this tax. That's a lotta lobsta rolls!

"Eliminate the Expensive Flat Tax. $23.4 million this year was given to 4,384 individuals, 2,500 of whom do not live in Rhode Island. All of these individuals earn more than $336,550 per year. The rational is that these households build jobs in Rhode Island . This is debatable. What isn't debatable is that re-building our economy depends on the ability of low- and moderate- income families to spend locally. In these tough times, we can't afford the flat tax." (source)

R.I. House Supplemental Budget

**UPDATE** Budget passes both houses. Waiting now to see what the guv does, but it would appear to be veto-proof anyway. No gas tax increase, more $ restored for nursing homes, & half of the State monies for towns/cities stays. Now, as for next year's budget...

**UPDATE** Here is the Projo link. The money comes from various places.

**UPDATE** 25 million was just added to the budget for General Revenue funding to towns & cities. This is still less than they were originally promised but it's more than nothing. I am unsure where this $ is coming from.

Here's the latest budget. Will it pass? I think that you'll see changes. Will the Guv veto it? Who knows? Can it survive a veto? What will happen when it gets to the Senate? No, this is no April Fools' joke.


Loss of General Revenue funding: Middletown: $857,706; Newport: $1,662,651; Little Compton: $102,481; Tiverton: $583,158


Education Aid is slightly increased:

Middletown: $108,450; Newport: $181,084; Little Compton: $19,356; Tiverton: $121,121


Other General Fund (Permanent School Fund & Professional Development) losses are:


Little Compton: $19,356; Middletown: $108,450; Newport: $181,084; Tiverton: $121,121


But I weary. Read it yourself. Remember, these are funds were promised to districts. Some of these used to be town revenues taken over by the State with the promise that we would be reimbused for their loss. That didn't work out that well, did it? Many expenditures are also mandated & regulated by the State, so the guv's cry of locals spending too much doesn't hold much water.

Cuts, cuts, cuts. Raise the gasoline & cigarette taxes, raise fees exorbitantly (think motor vehicles), etc. But, forget postponing that new flat tax on the wealthiest 3,000 R. I taxpayers with most living out of state. This will cause the state to LOSE millions with no guarantee that it will provide any kind of stimulus. Decrease the taxes on the wealthiest and they will not only come, but Spend, Spend, Spend! Yes, and that's worked out so well for the nation as a whole, hasn't it?


Will the federal funds help the towns & cities adjust their budgets? Will they actually save some jobs & stimulate more? Will those wealthy flock here? Will the lege leadership survive all of this? You got me! Reminds me of the old radio soap operas my mom used to listen to- tune in tomorrow!


Here is Tom Sgouras' take on it. I'm with Tom on this one. House legislators: Vote No! Everyone needs to share in the sacrifice & this budget just doesn't do it. For those who do vote no- will they survive the Lege Siberia? Here is NDN columnist Joe Baker's take.


When this is finished... there is the budget for the coming year... Scary, very scary. Tune in tomorrow!

Middletown Councilor Speaks on State Budget

I'm including a video clip with this in case you don't know who Barbara VonVillas is and because I'm experimenting with using video. In this Feb. 2, 2009 meeting, VonVillas is making a motion to have an actual process for choosing volunteers for the town's boards. It failed. I'm shocked, shocked that gambling is going on- oops, I mean, that it failed.

Here is her letter to Sen. DiPalma, Rep. Ruggiero, & Senate Prez Paiva-Weed. It's about time that someone locally actually spoke on the proposed State budget drastically cutting local funding:

As a member of the Middletown Town Council, I would like to express my concerns about the proposed revision of the Supplemental Budget, which will have a devastating effect on Middletown finances.

Aside from the fact that Middletown appears to have been targeted for much higher percentage cuts than most of the other districts across the state, I am just as concerned that propsals that have potential savings have been set aside.

Pension reform, among other cost-saving initiatives such as a mandated co-pay, should be a priority. The unions are waiting to see what the state government will do. If you do not set a standard, negotiations will be more difficult for those districts that are trying to decrease or limit contract benefits.

Municipalities have been asked/directed to tighten budgets and fund only necessities while the General Assembly refuses to help but seems to be choosing to pass the hard decisions down the revenue stream. Where is the courage we need from the leadership?

You were elected to represent us by making the hard decisions. Now is the time to do so.

Barbara A. VonVillasMiddletown Town Council.

House Democratic Caucus

This caucus was held this afternoon.
It is my understanding that the Dems were all united in NOT cutting aid to towns & cities. Now, if they can just find that moola someplace... Stay tuned. Debate in the House begins at 2 pm., Wed.

New R.I. Budget Plan

** I've given you a few new numbers at the bottom. Not good, but the fed monies should help.**

No details yet, but here is some of the good, the bad, & the ugly. The House vote is tomorrow, unless a donnybrook ensues (and it never does). Then it's onto the Senate committee, then floor, where they had rebellion last yr. until leadership averted it- barely. Don't expect the same this year with the current Senate Finance membership.

Here is the bill's link. Blue & green mark the changes to the guv's budget. General Revenues to the District are decreased. School Aid stays the same.


Newport: $11,871,080 (Guv's proposal) New Amount- $10,327,939 From Stimulus- $665,740

Middletown: 10,497,116 (Guv's proposal), New Amount- $9,010,090 Stimulus- $597,011

Little Compton: $368,810 $218,957 $34,414

Tiverton: $4,898, $786 $ 363,307

School Bus Monitors in the State Budget

**I received this note from Sophia Pendergast. If you want to help, contact your legislators regarding the Governor's supplemental budget plan cutting this local school requirement of K-5 monitors, now is the time! Are kids living in wealthy districts the only ones who should be entitled to these monitors because that is wherein the future lies? Contacting locals (schools & councils) can't hurt either. Politicians respond to constituents!

The bill is House bill 5019 article 18 regarding school bus monitors. To help keep the mandate, please call your legislator, Senate President Paiva-Weed, House Speaker Murphy, the Governor, Senator Costantino and their local legislators.

To find out who they are go online to www.rilin.state.ri.us and they can find a list.

Friends & Family,

I have a very important request. The Governor has proposed budget cuts that will eliminate school bus monitors. If passed, this will present significant danger to children who ride school buses in Rhode Island. I am attaching a letter for you to e-mail to Governor Donald L. Carcieri, Steven M. Costantino, Chairman of the House Finance Committee, Theresa Paiva-Weed, Senate President, your local legislators and to any other members of the state legislature you choose. This letter expresses your opposition to eliminating monitors.

Please email the attached letter to each person individually. If you are unsure how to e-mail the letter, instructions are provided at the end of this e-mail.

Calling your legislators is very powerful! We implore you to consider calling after you send your e-mail. Please forward this email to all your friends and family in Rhode Island. This issue affects all of us and it will take lots of voices to be heard! Finally, please copy FISST@cox.net when you email your legislators. This will help us track our progress.

You can look up your Senate and House of Representatives District by going to: http://www.sec.state.ri.us/vic and entering your name, date of birth & zip code. I have listed the names, email addresses and phone numbers of the Newport County legislators below. If you live outside Newport County and are unsure of who you should contact, please e-mail: Families Insisting on Safe Student Transportation at FISST@cox.net Or call one of us: · Sophia G. Pendergast at (401) 846-8513· Julie A. Mott at (401) 225-1791

We will happily provide any information you need very quickly. Thank you for your support of this very important issue!

Send an e-mail to: Governor Donald L. Carcieri Governor of the State of Rhode Island. drigov@gov.state.ri.us 222-2080

Send an email to: Representative Steven M. Costantino Chairman of the House Finance Committee rep-costantino@rilin.state.ri.us 521-1313

Senator Theresa Paiva-Weed Senate President Senate District 13 Newport & Jamestown 316 State HouseProvidence, RI 02903 sen-paivaweed@rilin.state.ri.us 222-3110

AND…Send an e-mail to your Senator and Representative

Senate District 11Bristol & Portsmouth Senator Charles J. Levesquese-levesque@rilin.state.ri.us 683-9194

Senate District 12 Little Compton, Middletown, Newport & Tiverton Senator Louis D. DiPalma 24 Sail Court Middletown, RI 02842 sen-dipalma@rilin.state.ri.us 847-8540

Representative District 69 Bristol, Portsmouth Representative Raymond E. Gallison 50 King Philip AvenueBristol, RI 02809 rep-gallison@rilin.state.ri.us (508) 677-4235

Representative District 70 Portsmouth & Tiverton Representative John G. Edwards rep-edwards@rilin.state.ri.us

Representative District 71 Little Compton, Portsmouth & Tiverton Representative John J. Loughlin II 105 Preservation Way Tiverton, RI 02878 rep-loughlin@rilin.state.ri.us
625-9889

Representative District 72 Portsmouth, Middletown, Newport Representative Amy Rice 438 Bramans Lane Portsmouth, RI 02871 rep-rice@rilin.state.ri.us 841-0505

Representative District 73 Middletown & Newport Representative J. Russell Jackson 10 Xavier Terrace Newport, RI 02840 rep-jackson@rilin.state.ri.us 848-7979

Representative District 74 Jamestown & Middletown Representative Deborah L. Ruggiero rep-ruggiero@rilin.state.ri.us

Representative District 75 Newport Representative Peter F. Martin 1 ½ Willow Street Newport, RI 02840 rep-martin@rilin.state.ri.us 924-2402

Towns & Cities Facing State Cuts

The Guv & the Lege are taking aim at state aid to towns & cities. The question is not "if" but "how much." Oddly enough with 60- 70% of school budgets eating up most of local property taxes (and about 90% of that in personnel costs- local gov't also), it rarely rates any coverage in the newspapers. Instead, focus is on the councils. Why is that?

Anyone interested in covering any of these meetings? Use your own name or alias- both work for me. How about Middletown's Senior Ctr. which doesn't even seem to abide by Open Meeting Laws? Anyone like to cover? I'm offering to proof or edit if you like. Heck, I don't want to keep all the fun.

You're also going to see a lot of State mandates going bye-bye which may or may not trump local employee contracts. Focus that spotlight on all elected officials- it's your government. Otherwise, don't complain later... Government does matter- unlike what many have been all too easily & too willingly to believe. Change is coming & don't buy into that malarkey of what great opporunities we are all afforded by all this. Sometimes bad news is just that- bad news.

Expect to see some changes on this blog also. Not in focus necessarily, but in format. I'm liking http://www.soapblox.com/ format (think RIFuture). For that I'll have to dig into Mr. Piggy, though.

URI Tuition Hikes

Tuition: $3,727; Required Fees $ 972; Total $4,699.00 (one term)


Of course, parking (a few hundred$), transportation, food, travel, books (figure $600) are all extra.


A recent Projo column contribution bemoaned the State's seemingly lack of interest in URI. "...20% of all Rhode Island residents with a four year degree graduated from URI." In 1970 the State "funded 50% [and] 11 % now."

More and more programs are being targeted to out-of-staters who pay a tuition of $24,776.

"Labor economist Paul Harrington recently told Governor Carcieri's forum on Rhode Island's ailing economy, 'Education is our pathway to economic prosperity.'"

I've blogged on this many times before. We should also be funding research at URI to use for economic stimulus ideas. Instead, we do the opposite- slash URI funding while cutting income taxes for our wealthiest residents. Some message to our students. More trickle down malarky for our public. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

I've decided that I keep asking the wrong question: "How stupid do they think we are?" It should be augmented with: "How stupid are they?" Expecting a part-time lege to come up with better ideas than we do is just that- stupid on both sides. Rep. Jackson (D-Newport, Midd.) hit the nail on the head, “... a part-time legislature is not a nimble and creative entity...” Well said. Really, how nimble & creative are you after a full day of work?

While NDN columnist "Politically Incorrect" Joe Baker was hopeful that early lege House Finance hearings would be a "good start" in addressing budget woes, I'm far less optimistic. Says Joe whose former weekly column of Statehouse activities was deep-sixed last year, "...members of the committee spend countless hours in budget hearings, earning every cent of their $14,000 legislative paycheck." I've been to some of these hearings. They were sparsely attended by committee members. In fact, they just made quorum with the Chair (and others) leaving after department heads spoke. Kinda got the impression that it's all decided beforehand with most members just playacting. When Chair Constantino speaks, you'd best listen. And if the NDN doesn't care what happens at the Statehouse, what chance do the rest of us have in keeping informed? But they don't really matter up in Prov., do they?

Yup, expect more tuition raises like this one which is up from the first term. Expecting your son or daughter to be guaranteed a place at our local university? You'd best rethink this strategy along with affordable costs (don't forget those damn fees). It doesn't even work that well now.

The Pro article was signed by URI professors, students, & alumni. Thanks for writing it.

The Shit Hitting the Fan

The question is no longer will it, but how deep is it & how long will it last? Financial meltdown isn't just a Wall St. problem, it's here right in Middletown and Aquidneck Island. Indeed, it's worldwide. And all accomplished while we watched with open eyes & too often, closed mouths, and non-voting hands.

Does your town have any pending bond issues? Forgetabout it! There is no $ to be borrowed. And if there is, if you have to ask what the interest rate is, you can't afford it.

Towns & cities pay their bills will some state funding- especially schools. Currently the state budget doesn't balance for 08-09. Remember, the state finances go from July to July. Who is to blame for this? I thank BOTH the guv & the lege for their voodoo budget. Think it & it will come. Well, it hasn't.

Twin Rivers going down the tube? Anti-gambling? See what happens when they go bust. The state is already borrowing from one designated fund to pay another. How long can this last? California can't meet its coming payroll. Think that's unique? At some point the feds will have to form an agency to lend state's money to survive. And soon.

How much have you lost in investments? No investments? Doesn't really matter. You'll feel the pain anyway. Say goodbye not only to cheap oil, but cheap anything. All that bread and circuses we were spoon fed to keep us happy & distracted will soon be bye-bye.

I'm hearing that new voter registrations are up in record numbers here. Ah, but the question is- will they vote? Politics DOES matter. That's why I'm here after all.

Locals are expecting record number at the Nov. polls. Poll workers are needed! Contact your local registry. You have to be registered- any party or none will do the trick. Students are welcome!

How many businesses have you seen go under lately? I've written about a number locally. We'd better have a plan to survive this crisis while still planning for the future.

How deep is it? Very. Ask those candidates about current economics. All too often I hear candidates babbling about lowering taxes while increasing local funding. And don't forget the part about raising user fees. Think increased bridge crossing fees. How does that strike you now? In other words, more speechifying and pandering is still coming from candidates. One plus one still adds up to two on my fingers. How many fingers do they have? Or are the fingers on one hand crossed behind their backs?

Sorry, it's a sad posting because I'm sad & like many others- damn mad! It didn't HAVE to be this way.

State Lege to Schools- Maybe, Kinda, Sorta

I was delighted when I first heard the Lege was intending on giving an increase to most communities in the form of more school aid. I was a heckuva lot less delighted when I understood all the and's, if's, and but's.


Your schools will get the extra funds IF slot machines pay off as expected when as of yet they have not been doing so. The Council could award the school some of the extra funds out of their budget & then asked to be reimbursed, but I'm not sure that can be legally done.


What's this mean then for schools? You can't actually include these monies as revenues because you may never get them. You can't actually use them to balance your budget NOW. So what do you do with maybe monies? Not a darn thing until you actually have them in hand. A sad way to fund schools when you've actually mandated just about everything about them. Schools matter, then. But only if you hit the lucky numbers. So please, play those slots! Your kids future may depend upon it.


It's better than nothing, I suppose. But maybe not. Balancing the State Budget on the backs of kids, seniors, & and poor families- that's the best that we can do? Thanks to the federal gov't, too, who helped put us in this mess.


This weekend I heard an economist suggest that we need to start throwing monies out to solve our energy problem & perhaps enact a new Manhattan project. Energy- yes; education-no. Just mandates & punishments. Heaven forbid actually spending on education. And since education costs by their very nature primarily consist of labor costs... well, you know the rest.

I've had several residents with kids in school & various school personnel speaking to me lately regarding the current town school budget shortfall which I've written about previously. I'm no longer hearing complaints on teacher salaries, nor even benefits. The biggest complaint is that while there are no more reading teachers, various programs have been cut, and many staff laid-off, the administration stays the same. Actually, not even that- it's being added to. I've written about this before- ALL administrators belong for a period of time every week IN the classroom. It serves as a reminder of why they are there.

Parents/teachers need to actively find candidates on ALL levels, make their concerns known, and SUPPORT those candidates. Support them not just with votes, but money & time. NOW IS THE TIME. If you don't fight for them, who will? Good schools are good for everyone.

Good News for District Schools!

The Lege in their new proposed budget has decided to stem the flow of the bleeding from local education costs. Here is the rundown of school district increases proposed for the State's 2008-2009 budget:

Newport $233,854

Middletown $206,787

Little Compton $7,265

Tiverton $116,848

Thanks to Pat Crowley's posting from RIFuture & Projo

Raise Our Taxes!

Yesterday's Projo's columnist Bob Kerr certainly caught my eye. Kerr's column is always interesting. He writes about people & how various current events affect their lives. This column was certainly something special & a real eye-opener.

The House Majority Leader is Rep. Gordon Fox from E. Prov. Recently his constituents, "a well informed, well educated group ... went to see Fox. And they are serious about paying more taxes if those additional taxes would help the neediest people in the state."

But 21 people showed up to express their concerns in a way that one of them described as in the spirit of the old town meeting. Another said it was taking democracy into their own hands. And they plan to show up again.

“We wanted to get out the message — don’t balance the budget on the backs of the most vulnerable citizens,” says David Berman, who is retired. “It’s so shortsighted.”

They want to see more imagination and less knee-jerk reaction, more thoughtful discussion and less political expediency. They are not used to going to the State House. They feel perfectly at ease talking about deep down beliefs. "

This group was organized by "Deborah Siegel [who] put it together. She actually lives over the line in Pawtucket, but she put out the call through her temple, Temple Emanu-el, in Providence.

“The cuts violate our values,” says Siegel.

And that says it all.

Cuts, Cuts, Cuts!

How distrubing it is to read of the sudden library shutdowns in Prov. (thanks, Nomi). Show up to use the library & it's closed. Hundreds lining up at 4 AM in Newport to try to get on the list to receive the paltry housing vouchers available (11-20) with almost 1000 apps rec'd (Daily News 2/20). The waiting lists had been closed for 5 yrs. & were opened only for TWO days. Meanwhile, we have apt. vacancies up the wazoo. Vouchers are a thing of the past, thank you very much. We want you in the projects (if there is room).

The Gen'l Assembly is posed to axe benefits for many- especially the mentally ill who get little enough (talk to me). You can save a million bucks by narrowing down their meds to the earlier, cheaper versions which often have devastating side effects. There are no generics. However there are newer drugs lacking the resulting dangerous consequences. So join the "ownership" society. You wants meds- buy them on your own.

May 1 the Senate Finance Committee narrowly approved the guv's supplemental budget proposed in the House. It would have killed it, but for Senate leadership (both parties) showing up to use their votes to assure its passage. Sounds like a bit of a revolt to me. Those exercising their Senate committee votes refused to cut unless the bowl of gruel was presented to everyone.

Aside from Senators Montalbano, Paiva Weed and Algiere, the Finance Committee members who voted for the supplemental budget include Senators Stephen D. Alves, Walter S. Felag Jr., Maryellen Goodwin, and June Gibbs. The "nays" were Senators Frank A. Ciccone III, Hanna M. Gallo, Beatrice A. Lanzi, Paul E. Moura, Juan M. Pichardo and Dominick J. Ruggerio. (Projo). All good Dems except for Algiere & Gibbs.

The full Senate approved the spending bill & shortly thereafter the Guv signed it. Eleven Senate members voted against it with 25 yea's. Those voting against: Ciccone, Gallo, Jabour, Lanzi, Maselli, Metts, Miller, Moura, Pichardo, Ruggerio, Tassoni. Hats off to you.

One more may Senate committee vote could have made a difference. It reminds me of our Sen. Gibbs telling me that her vote doesn't make a difference anyway, and sometimes she just can't make up her mind. This time her vote did make a difference & she did make up her mind. Less State aid, cut kids & families from health insurance, lower State aid to cities & towns, blah, blah blah.

“When you cut aid in the middle of the year … that can only lead to property tax increases,” said Sen. Paul E. Moura, D-East Providence. “We can kid ourselves that we’re not raising taxes, but we’re raising the most burdensome tax.”

Ah, but who pays any attention to the General Assembly anyway? Committee meeting minutes/agendas for the most part aren't even available online. But then they don't want you there anyway. It's all controlled by special interest groups, right? None of those groups consist of actual, you know, like people. Corporation PAC's and businesses seeking tax breaks, though, are okay & rarely make the editorial section.

Social net? The public good? Property taxes? Who cares? Blame rising property taxes on your local Councilor & School Committees. It's nice to know that a few care & get it. Keep it up, Sen. Frank A. Ciccone III (D-No. Prov.), Hanna M. Gallo (D-Cranston), Beatrice A. Lanzi (D- Cranston), Paul E. Moura (D-E Prov.), Juan M. Pichardo (D-Prov.), and Dominick J. Ruggerio (D-N. Prov.), Beatrice A. Lanzi (D-Cranton), Paul V. Jabour (D-Prov.), Christopher V. Maselli (D-Johnston), Harold M. Metts ( Prov.), Miller (D-Warwick), Paul E. Moura (D-E. Prov.), John J. Tassonni, Jr. (D-Smithfield).