Voter I.D. in R.I. & Provisional Ballots

The recent House bill requiring picture i.d. when voting blows what's left of my mind. We're passing this bill because of all the people here trying to vote who are not eligible. Wait, no, that's not it. We're demanding it because we want voting to be more difficult, slower, & to make sure all those undesirables out there quit trying to vote.

Nope! Not it either- I think. Although I do think this bill may well be code words for the latter. We're doing it because you need a picture i.d. for practically everything. Well, not really. In fact, when you do need a picture i.d., it's because there is some governmental law requiring it.

Saying that this is a good thing because you sometimes need a picture i.d. is like my kids trying the old- because everyone else is doing it gambit. Worth a try but a waste of time- except with our lege.

Rep. Amy Rice is right- just don't need it & will make voting lines longer. Heck, some of these poll workers have difficulty doing the job as it is now (and God bless them for even doing it for lousy pay and a VERY long day with little training). Voting is a right we are born with or acquire. It's not something extra or nice to have- like a drivers' license, or a credit card, or an airline ticket. If you don't want to give it to me- picture or not- I say the onus is on you to try & prove that I'm NOT entitled to it.

Passing legislation we don't need for a non-problem. Relatively easy to do when you know that it will likely never get out of the Senate committee hearing it. Also easy to do when House leadership wants it passed & subtly intimating any legislation that you want passed will die quietly.

The Newport Daily News also was against this bill- hey, lots of times we agree. BTW, I could give you the link, but then you'd have to pay me.

Rep. Amy Rice- against (3 cheers for her!), everyone else- for. BTW, this latter info is difficult to find out unless you ask someone, hope the newspaper publishes it (rare), or wait for the daily lege journal to be published & know that date it was voted on. SO-O-O-O not useful. Accident? Please, don't make me laugh. NDN reporter Joe Baker, did publish the results (NDN, Sat.). Sorry, it gets harder & harder to link to this paper without holding the actual paper in front of me. You can still get it online for a week, but you have to register. After that, it's all $.

Why even bother with all this provisional ballot stuff- just shoot 'em. Ahh, provisional ballots. Ever try one of these? Take my word for it, loads of fun & extremely time-consuming. We went through 3 poll workers before we could even get one (for husband's mom). What's that you want? Hey, he said, she has a right to vote! And she did after signing papers & listening to a long list of instructions- while in a wheelchair. We had to return later with the proper docs (a bill with her current address). Who knew that you have to file every election for a mail-in ballot when living in a nursing home? Nice to be told. Yup, the other voters in line loved us. But sure sounds simple, right? Just vote with a provisional ballot.


Sure will be fun trying to get a voter i.d. for someone who is a senior, wasn't born here, has no drivers' license, etc., etc.


So a resounding bronx cheer for those lege voting for this bill. Somehow, if this ever becomes law, I know that it's going to cost me $.

Recent Portsmouth Protest

I rec'd this letter regarding a recent fundraiser for my Rep., Amy Rice, that took place in Portsmouth. Darn, just my luck that I missed it! Amy represents parts of Portsmouth, Middletown, & Newport (hey, I didn't draw the lines).

"Last Sunday night, my friend and I proudly hosted a private fundraiser at my home, for our state representative and candidate for re-election, Amy G. Rice. She has worked hard for District 72 and we wanted to help her return to the statehouse for us. Earlier in the day, her opponent, Dan Reilly, had been at my house going door to door. I explained I was supporting Amy Rice, and mentioned the fundraiser as a case in point. I was astonished that evening during the fund raiser, to see four of his supporters directly in front of my house holding his signs up and chanting- for three hours- in the rain. Aside from providing comic relief, I was at a loss as to what such juvenile behavior accomplished for Mr. Reilly, other than harassment of a potential constituent. We did, however, notice that election signs of Ms. Rice’s had disappeared about the same time and more of Mr. Reilly’s had appeared in questionable areas.

Is this the type of behavior we want of a leader? While I realize that he only 19 years old, I would expect a person representing my district, to have a modicum of decorum or at least the common sense to ask others concerning certain protocols. Holding a public office is a serious responsibility, and not just signs and matching rain ponchos.

I proudly support Amy Rice for re-election to State Representative of District 72 and encourage you to do so. Learn more about her and/or how to support her at www.amyrice.org.

Dr. Katherine Waters
87 Annette Drive
Portsmouth, RI 02871"

Maybe a rally could be held outside Reilly's residence urging him to ask Daddy to pay the cool mil he still owes the state in back taxes before he decided to fly the coop & re-locate to Florida. It must be going toward the pricey tuition at Bryant. Heck, someone has to pay it. Kinda like a state scholarship. Too bad my son & a lot of other kids at URI aren't able to obtain the same funding.

Is this a fair assessment? I think so when your principal means of support is dear old Dad.

Voter Registration

You can register to vote this Sat. at Super Stop & Shop on W. Main Rd. in Middletown. The Friends of Amy Rice have organized this.

You can register to vote for the Nov. 4 vote by Oct. 4. Anyone over 18 who is a R.I. resident can register. It's quite easy & merely involves filling out a simple form.

Fundraiser for Rep. Rice

Anytime anyone sends me a notice addressed to "cool blogger friends," it gets my attention.

This is a fundraiser for Rep. Amy Rice (Dist. 72, Newport, Middletown, & Portsmouth).

It is: Wed., August 27, 2008 From: 5:30 to 7:30 PM

Sardella's Restaurant, 2nd floor, 30 Memorial Blvd., Newport, RI

Amy was recently endorsed by Clean Water Action, so don't be trying to sneak any dirty water in!

Amy's new campaign manager is Fifth warder Jack Hamblet of Newport. Sorry, don't know him. I don't know everyone, but I try.

The suggested donation is $100 and you'll see a lot of locals, esp. lawyers there. Maybe you can get some free advice.

Amy is my rep & she's always had my vote and my confidence. I'll be there, after all I have a new dress. No, absolutely nothing shallow about me.

Checks are payable to Friends of Amy Rice, 2431 East Main Rd., Portsmouth, RI 02871.
Only individual or PAC contributions are allowed. Corporate contributions are not allowed by law.

Here is her website:

http://www.amyrice.org/

Corporate Welfare in Rhode Island

This Projo article caught my eye a few days ago. Capital Properties is now a publicly owned business. This means that it must observe certain public filings regarding its ownership, directorship, and monies. It is now becoming a privately owned company which means- none of the former.

Why should this be of concern? It's important to know what the business does. When the downtown r.r. station was rebuilt, Capital fronted half the monies needed for a new 330 car parking garage with the FRA (Federal Railroad Admin.) putting up the other half. It now owns this property. Sounds like a good deal to me.

The Chair of this company is Robert Eder who is also chair & CEO of the Prov. & Worcester Railroad Co. (a Del. corp.) His wife, Linda, own 53.2% of Capital Properties. Eder bought out the r.r. (1966) that owned much of the land involved in the redevelopment of Prov. It was both public & private funding which financed the "Renaissance City" & is still doing so.

Eder has done quite well with his initial investment (he is a Harvard grad with both R.I. & N.Y. law licenses). He makes over half a mil with the r.r. & a quarter of a mil with Capital Properties. Capital Properties is a spin-off of the r.r., now leasing the valuable real estate upon which many buildings sit. For instance, it leases land to the new Blue Cross building & owns the land under oil refineries- all quite profitable. No wonder my Blue Cross rates continue in their ever upward spiral.

Eder is a frequent campaign/PAC contributer. He contributed both to the Kerry campaign and the Swift boaters (he is a veteran after all). He frequently contributes big bucks to the 2nd largest pro-Israeli Pac in the U.S.

Now Capital Properties is becoming a privately owned REIT (real estate trust investment). This designation "minimizes or eliminates its federal corporate tax liability." (Projo) It may also do so with state taxes., So I'm wondering how many of you individuals or small business owners have had your federal taxes reduced/eliminated recently? I hesitate in even referring to this as corporate "welfare" as its an insult to those individuals receiving barely subsistence level assistance. Rep. Amy Rice intro'd legislation to end this tax loophole in R.I. which shelters income, but I believe that it died.

So thanks to the citizens of Providence and Rhode Island and the federal government, we've made a few investor/owners very, very rich with very, very little cost to themselves.
And now no cost. Ain't life grand? No wonder the local, state, & federal coffers are so low. Feeling the big bucks trickling down yet? BTW, Eder calls a Palm Beach condo his home now after selling a previous Florida property for a cool 2.25. mil. Why not? Plenty of tax shelters there, too.

Thanks to Projo's reporter Timoth8y Barmann for the article.

Legislators Not Voting

Perhaps they just can't make up their minds, perhaps they don't want to vote against their leadership or the Governor, perhaps, perhaps, perhaps. We elect them to vote & make the hard decisions, even if we don't agree.


Thursday the State House of Reps voted on a bill to expunge some criminal records in which a deferred sentence was received. I'm not going to go over its merits, just the resulting vote. The guv, the state police, & the att'y gen'l were all against. The bill brought up some heated debate.

"I mean, as much as I like redemtion, Mr. Speaker, I also have a belief in the freedom of information and a knowledge of history, " argued House Minority Leader Robert A. Watson, R-East Greenwich... "My God, I am not going to do that today. I never will be that irresponsible with my vote. Ever."

So one would assume he voted against the bill. One would be wrong. He voted not at all (he was absent). Neither did Rep. Loughlin (R-Tiverton) nor Rep. Amaral (R-Tiverton & P'mouth). Local legislators voting against it were Rice, (P'mouth & Midd), Long (Jamestown & Midd.), & Coaty (Npt.). Rep. Amaral was also absent. Local supporters were Jackson (Npt. & Midd.) & Gallison (Bristol & P'mouth). Rep. Loughlin asked the lege journal to reflect that if he had voted, it would have been in the negative (closest thing to a mulligan the Lege offers).

The bill now heads to the Senate. BTW, I've said this before- tracking legislators votes is almost impossible. You have to head directly for the legislative journal for the day the bill was voted on. One also can't assume a legislator voted just because they were there. Each vote needs to be checked. Not apple pie easy. Many times the journals (esp. the Senate) can take awhile to post. The "Newport Daily News" no longer provides even weekly coverage of what our legislators are doing. I guess because it just doesn't matter.


Or does it?


Thanks to Projo reporter Katherine Gregg for the heads-up.

House Dist. 73 Loses One Candidate

Rep. Amy Rice (D- Midd/Portsmouth) had two Republican opponents the other day- two Portsmouth residents. Addison W. Closson III (a realtor) and Dan Reilly (the Bryant student whose Dad is one of R.I.'s top 10 non-taxpayers owing close to a million in back taxes to the State) were slated for a Primary run when the former dropped out according to a story in today's "Newport Daily News." Sorry no link. Closson "notified the Board of Canvassers that he would not run."
She must be heartbroken. Thanks to Amy the bridge between Tiverton and Portsmouth will now be named after a WOMAN. It's to be the Anne Hutchinson Sakonnet Bridge. Gee, no early Italian explorers that the Smith Hillers wanted?

Rep. Rice's Opponent- Maybe?

The "Newport Daily News" ran a story on a young man, who may run against Rep. Rice this Fall (no-go for John Robitaille). No, he hasn't filed any required political organization papers yet, nor is he even officially announcing: "He expects to make a formal announcement in a few weeks." Still it's a fairly sizeable non-story story. Yup, the local paper certainly loves Amy.

The 18 yr. old who attends Bryant, hasn't actually lived in R.I. since he was 10. Nor does his family, living now in Boca Raton, own any property in the District. One wonders if he actually resides here now or is it a la Rep. Long? It's a LONG trek to Bryant every day, although my husband did it.


He states that he will not accept any lege grants for the District. Members of the Aquid. Land Trust ($5000), Friends of Glen Manor ($5000), Norman Bird Sanctuary ($2500), and the Potter League ($2500) who have recently rec'd grants will be delighted to hear that news.

He also offers that he will not accept legislative pay (slightly over $13,000) nor any health insurance. Hmm, the latter could be because he's still covered under his parents' policy. Oh, his parents, that's right. He may want to reconsider that no-pay part. He could donate it to charity, or... I know! It might help to make a dent, although, it would take awhile, in the over a million dollars that his parents owe in R.I income tax. They are the #1 R.I. deliquent taxpayers.


Since this young man will also represent me (does he know where Middletown is?), I do have a few concerns. Like, maybe, he could actually live here awhile before supposing that he's ready to represent 10,000 people. Perhaps he could actually pay US for some life experience. Say, a million bucks? Or maybe he could donate his Bryant tuition?


Amy is far more generous than myself stating, "" Welcome to the race Daniel, to the voter rolls, and back to Aquidneck Island Island. " She forgot a welcome to the tax rolls, also. Uh-oh, I suppose the car (?) is registered in Fla.?? No phone in his name either, just his Dad's. Perhaps another generation of R.I. delinquent-taxpayers?


Nice try, kid. Wile I appreciate your enthusiasm, perhaps you could start off by volunteering for some community service and familiarize yourself with the area, its people, concerns, etc. The money from all the businesses your parents own is a big plus, though. To quote Leona Helmsley,"We don't pay taxes. Only the little people pay taxes ." It could serve as your campaign motto.

Teachers in Middletown & Tiverton Play the Waiting Game

**Update in Tiverton.** Union leader Amy Mullen has released a letter that schools will start on time, although hope for a new contract is quickly fading. The School Committee is stalling talks and this will be the second year that Tiverton teachers have no new contract. Last yr. they were in a similar position & it was decided to roll-over the current contract. I am not sure exactly how that translated, but oftentimes it means that salaries are frozen. The Tiverton teachers are disappointed, to say the least, especially after "[coming] up with an alternative health care solution that will provide a significant decrease in health care costs to the School Department.
Having been through this myself all too often, it makes for strained relations and staff could well fall back on "working-to-contract" meaning that they refuse to do anything not specifically mentioned in their agreement.
Tiverton is facing money worries, and this is the future of all the towns/cities in our District. The town & the Union need to speak with each other.


Tiverton still has no contract. This is not a good sign.
When I first ret'd a few years ago I took a summer ceramics class at the Art Museum. There was a Ct. teacher there who spoke to me about R.I. who always seemed to have these pending strikes every year in some town/city. In Ct. they have State-mandated arbitration. She said that a lot of people in R.I. were against it & they had been in Ct. also. They feared that decisions would lean too heavily towards labor. Not true, she said. They were pretty fair & even-handed & decisions favored both sides - labor & management.
But we haven't gotten to that point yet. School committees are against it & that seems to be the bottom line.
The current process is not fair to school staff, students, & parents. And, more importantly, it often just does not work.
In Middletown we still have 14 staffers who have not yet been recalled, though they still may. School committees tend to rehirer fast than they did when I was laid off because they now have to pay Unemployment. And that's costly for them.
I still do not have the names of any of the Middletown layoffs, & if anyone would like to furnish them, I'll print them. This is the first time I've ever seen that names weren't made public. Why?
Some of these problems have to be attributed directly to the State Lege which seems to be playing a yearly game of chicken with the Guv regarding the funding of education & social services. This year the Lege played the part of the heavy, while in other years it was the Guv. And some years they actually played well together.
It may be noted that Rep. Rice voted to increase the education budget. Sen. Gibbs did, too, but I don't count that for much since in other years she has not.
**If someone in either town wants to keep me updated, like Ross Perot, I'm "all ears."

Middletown Council Mon. at 7 p.m.

Afraid of losing your home to taxes? You should be. Budget issues are on the agenda. That's what the last Council election was all about (I think). Councilman Silveira, the White Knight, wants to take those MANY extra unreserved funds & use them to LOWER your taxes this yr. (now here's an unusual idea)


Middletown has the highest Moody bond rating of any town in the state. This is a good thing if we want to borrow as we get lower rates. However, this is EXTRA monies, yours, being held for emergency reserve use. Towns usually hold 8 % percent of their budget for these funds. 10 - 12 % is considered excellent. Middletown has substanstilly MORE than this needed percentage, far more than most towns/cities. So what do you want done with them? It's YOUR money after all.


Middletown also has been collecting seperate, extra funds from the Landings (the old Anchorage Housing) which was supposed to be used for the extra police/fire coverage needed. It hasn't been used for that & is quite a substantial ongoing fund. So the question is, do you want these monies returned to you to lower your tax rate or do you want them held in reserve for ?? a new fire station, whatever, for which you will have No SAY (but a bond issue wouldn't be needed). What do you think?


Remember, there are OTHER reserve funds - inc. the schools. The White Knights' resolution also gives money to the Gaudet School for sports, although the Council cannot actually tell the schools HOW to spend their monies. In one budget hearing the School Committee seemed to say that any extra funding would go towards staffings, etc. with sports at the end of the list. Parents were angry. But the second hearing they seemed to say that sports would be #1. So, ya takes yer pick.


The Knight also wants to examine the new town policy wherein anytime anyone asks for public records regarding the Council or ANYTHING ELSE, it gets copied to the Council Prez & he decides what to do with it. Privacy? This is exactly what I heard the Town Admin. say & the Town Solicitor never contradicted this. Is this a good thing or of little importance? What do you think?


Councilman Lou, "Avis" ("He tries harder"), DiPalma wants to discuss why the towns/cities can't yank some control back from the State. Hey, he couldn't even get the Council to back him on more monies from the State raised by the local community being returned from whence it came. Talk about being marginalized!

He wants our State Lege officials to lead on this task of control? Good luck. Has Rep. Long even re-located back to his own district yet? He's been relegated to the fringes of the Rep. Party. Sen. "Sometimes I just can't make up my mind" Gibbs certainly doesn't have much clout either. The most important bill she got passed this term was to make any offense on the Pell Bridge a traffic offense requiring a fine, rather than a Bridge Authority responsibility. Good luck, Lou, forever the optimist.


The State Lege nixed Middletown's request to lower what the acceptable arsenic levels are (read increased Police Station costs) . Frankly, with the some of the Lege representation we have, Middletown doesn't count for much. God bless Rep. Rice (my rep). She stood up to the Lege against her own party & voted to get school funding increased. But no go. Good thing she's on our side. Rep. Jackson also represents our district, but only a small portion. He was the one chairing the arsenic committee on this topic and it's still ongoing. They may yet come up with a helpful solution.

Councilman, "The Inspector," Sylvia has two resolutions for consideration- to spend ?half a mil on renewing storm drains and talk about the dump. I'm interested in hearing more info on the former. Let's finally solve the latter problem and then discuss other topics - say beach pollution, the new police station, controlling health insurance costs, affordable housing, problems with the current methods of property assessment, decreasing pension costs by changing the State's amortization schedule (you should be screaming for this bill to pass resulting in lowered costs $ for the town) etc., etc.

There will be an appointment for the Library Board good only until this Sept. Vergil Blaschke has applied 3-4 ? times for openings. He's a decent, hard-working guy, who keeps an open-mind, and has been Chair of the Friends of the Library for awhile. He's attended most library board meetings for at least 3 years. He's familiar with contracts & that would be good since a new Director will hopefully be hired soon (I'm rooting for Ass't Dir. & Childrens' Librarian Barbara Camedeco if she applied). He's a registered Republican.

I also know the other applicant, Paul Lamond. He helps do all the beautiful gardening around town & the library. Good guy, too. Retired phone co. exec, I think. I served with him years ago on a school bond issue board for which he was Chair. I had some of his beautiful 4 ? daughters in school, too. Good candidate. Also is on the Tree Commission. He's a registered Democrat. I believe he even ran against Sen. June "sometimes I can't make up my mind" Gibbs.


So who will get it? What are these board requirements? This is NOT a partisan board. The White Knight brought up a good point recently. How do you decide? Who would you appoint? Why?

Another appointment is to the Personnel Review Board. This is a partisan board (only a few of these). The Republican Chair DeRuggiero has no name to place in consideration for the appointment (both local party chairs are asked to submit names). The likely fact is that his Party name would not win a vote anyway, but you never know. The Democratic Chair, Indian Ave. resident Don Lavine, "nominates Barbara Sylvia." This is the wife of Councilman "Detective" Sylvia. I also think she is the daughter of former Councilwoman Nunes and former State Rep Larry Nunes (R). Good people.

ANYONE could apply for this opening, though, but no one did. The odd thing is that the local Dem. Chair "nominates" her. Oops, mistake in wording. Only a Councilperson can do this. Local political parties DO NOT control board memberships or agendas! Wasn't this a bone of contention in the last election?

I like Mrs. Sylvia (I think that she forgot to also submit an application, too). Should a close relative of an elected official be appointed to a board? These boards often control personnel, funds, agendas, etc. What do you think? This certainly isn't unusual & I don't wish to imply that it is. Should a person not be allowed to serve because of their birth/marriage?

The letterhead from the Dem. Chair also lists Arlene Kaull as the V. Chair. She is also the Dir. of the Senior Center & her bro. is the Council Chair. Unfortunately this makes it seems as if she is also partly responsible for nominating board/committee members. Again, what do you think? How much do blood/marriage relationships count?


Antone Viveros is also addressing the Council. I like him. We don't always agree, but you have to give the guy credit for trying, speaking up, & never quitting. He's a Republican, but as I've said before, I don't pull the Party lever (or draw the connecting line).

It promises to be a lively session. Too bad the Council never take up a resolution/discussion on Rep. Long who no longer lives here, among other problems.

Be there or be square. Democracy in action. Say hello!

Anne Hutchinson Bridge - Has a Good Ring To It

This is the second time around for Rep. Rice's bill to rename the Sakonnet Bridge. I've heard Sen. Gibbs state that it should remain as it is. A tribal official also wants to preserve the bridge name (guess the river isn't enough).
Last year Amy intro'd this bill & anticipated no problems when she rec'd agreement from Rep. Loughlin to back it. Silly girl. After she told him she'd write a letter to the Tiv. Town Council asking for support. Rep. Loughlin did an about face (hmm, maybe this has to do with his military background) & had his own "new bill" to rename it after a Tiverton resident placed on the agenda & her request never made it to the agenda. The fight was on! True political machinations at their worse!
This yr. his bill is to keept the current bridge name. The Portsmouth Council has supported her bill. Rep. Loughlin's bill is to keep it as the Sakonnet Bridge.
So, we'll all call it the Sakonnet Bridge (or the Portsmouth Bridge) anyway. Just like we refer to the Pell Bridge as the Newport Bridge or the Jamestown bridge rather than Jamestown-Verrazano Bridge. Honoring an unusual and influential Colonial woman is a good thing. I believe that it has a good chance of passing. But will the guv veto??
BTW, I think Amy actually wrote this herself (or a very capable aide). No spelling errors, no grammar problems. Amazing what a little education can do for a person (spell-check doesn't hurt either).

What is the significance of naming the Sakonnet River Bridge after Anne Hutchinson, the founding mother of Aquidneck Island?

It would mean that our state would finally have a bridge named after a woman — a powerful female figure and natural leader who defied a Colonial government that stood for religious persecution.
It would mean that Rhode Island would recognize Anne Hutchinson as a pioneer for rights that we hold so dear: religious freedom, female equality, and civil liberties for all people.
It would mean that our state would join Massachusetts and New York — states where Hutchinson made only a relatively marginal impact — in honoring a woman who played an integral role in the history of Aquidneck Island, our state, and our nation.
Nearly 400 years ago, in a time when women were subjugate to men, Anne Hutchinson refused to compromise her beliefs that all people should be afforded the basic rights to freedom of thought, freedom of speech, and freedom to worship. She founded Portsmouth in 1638 and is listed on the Rhode Island Secretary of State’s Web site as the first founding woman of a town in North America.
Anne Hutchinson is to Aquidneck Island what Roger Williams is to mainland Rhode Island. With the many memorials dedicated to Roger Williams, I find it surprising that there is any opposition to naming one bridge after one of the founding members of our state, particularly since only 10 percent of Rhode Island’s buildings, etc. are named after women.
In the last 15 years, Rhode Island has continued to honor living legends with the naming of the Claiborne Pell Bridge and the T.F. Green Bruce Sundlun Terminal in Warwick. Honoring a worthy person such as Anne Hutchinson who is vital to Rhode Island’s history is just as important as recognizing those significant Rhode Islanders who are still with us.
While I do understand that most Rhode Islanders will continue to refer to the bridge as the “Sakonnet River Bridge,” it is important to note that Anne Hutchinson’s name is synonymous with the Sakonnet River, as Hutchinson and her husband built their Common Fence Point home very close to where the bridge is currently located. My legislation to name the new bridge the “Anne Hutchinson Bridge” has been endorsed by the Portsmouth Town Council, the League of Women Voters, the Women’s Fund and Rhode Island historian Patrick Conley and I urge every resident of Aquidneck Island to support this measure to commemorate a truly great woman who changed the face of history.

Rep. Amy Rice

End the War!

UPDATE** E-mail your Lege today!!
I used the link on R.I. Future to urge the Lege to support Sen. Levesque's bill & others opposing the war surge. More than 20 states have pending legislation on this. Calif, Iowa, & Vt. have already passed theirs. Remember years ago when state Guv's refused to send Nat'l guard troops? Why don't more of them speak up? Oops, silly me. Our guv luvs the Prez.
So I used Matt's link to send a letter. II rec'd a positive response from Rep. Amy Rice. Nothing from Sen. June "No comment," Gibbs. This is the response from Rep. Fox:

Thank you very much for writing to me about the several pieces of legislation that have introduced opposing the escalation in Iraq. Thesebills have been referred to the Committee on Constituent Services. Please be assured that as this year's session progresses and legislation is considered, I will make certain that your thoughts and comments will be taken into consideration. I encourage you to continue to orrespond with me and other members of the General Assembly.

Thank you again for taking the time to write about this important matter.

Sincerely,

Gordon D. Fox House Majority Leader

So use the title link ; or this &write already!

Fair Taxation Could Give Money to Poor Kids

Today I rec'd 2 interesting e-mails. One was out of Sen. Gibbs' office (as Chair/Co-chair?) of the Joint Child Care Commission requesting members to attend a May meeting on a presentation on "child care cuts and child care in general." Members are urged to attend 3 rallies (none here) to influence the leg to restore $ to the guv's budget. These are good things. However, the IRONY is that Sen. Gibbs' good buddy is the one who made the cuts.

Who will change the budget is Democrats. Her campaigning (as our Sen.) one way or the other is practically meaningless. That's why she encourages her committee to do it.We elect June Knows Best each year because....we do. As much as I applaud these efforts, I wonder where the extra $ will materialize from? Is she advocating other budget cuts or is she asking for additional funds to be raised.

Ah, but Ocean State Action (the other e-mail) and I have a suggestion. There is a new report out from the Campaign for R.I.'s Priorities, "Tax Tricks: Corporate Income Tax Evasion in R.I." "...[Large] corporations, many of them based out of state, avoid paying an estimated $12 million annually in Rhode Island state income tax through the use of just two corporate income tax loopholes.

“It is time for large, multi-state corporations that do business in Rhode Island to pay their fair share in taxes,” said Karen Malcolm, Executive Director of Ocean State Action, which coordinates the campaign. “Businesses like Wal-Mart and Toys ‘R’ Us benefit from our state’s public, yet they are taking advantage of loopholes and forcing a greater share of the taxes onto the rest of us – pay Rhode Island families and small businesses.”

As a small business owner, I certainly agree. I didn't pay like Wal-Mart "...just 2.0 percent of its Rhode Island income in state taxes in 2005, while middle-income Rhode Islanders paid 10.7 percent of their income, and low-income residents paid 11.5 percent of their income." Did you?

"The report outlines the impact of two “tax tricks” – the Passive Investment Corporation (PIC) loophole and the “Nowhere Income” loophole." We are one of the few states offering these tax incentives. These are NOT available to small business owners.

There are three bills out there winding their way through the lege:

1. House Bills 5618, 5619, and 5756, Rep. Edith Ajello (D-Providence)

2. Senate Bills 401 and 437, Sen. Steven Alves (D-West Warwick) and Senate Bill 583, Sen. Charles Levesque (D-Portsmouth).

These bills eliminate the tax loopholes. Good bills. Fair taxation. Let your leges know where you stand. Maybe closing these holes would help fund the child care cuts (among others) the the guv sliced from the budget. Sen. Gibbs, where do you stand? It doesn't say anything on your blog/website????

"Members of the Campaign will team up with Rhode Island Jobs with Justice for an action outside the Providence Post Office on tax day, next Tuesday, April 17, at 3:45pm, to talk to fellow Rhode Islanders who are submitting their taxes about Wal-Mart’s tax avoidance strategies."

First Wireless State Offers Endless Possibilities

The possibilities of one network for State offices, non-profits, hospitals, city/town services, small/large business, schools are mind-blogging. This could be a fact in less than two years, not just an idea-in-the-works.
The Newport C of C sponsored a presentation at the CCRI auditorium (neat place). A private non-profit group is looking for initial funding of ?28 mill in the form of loan guarantees from the Lege. The group would then finance this network privately.
It is now running on a trial basis with a few participators. From an economic outlook this would make R.I. uniquely placed as the first state to offer this service. John McDaid of Hard Deadlines wrote on more specifics (both of us were easy to spot in the auditorium - we were the GOOD LOOKING ones). Next week there will be hearings with the Finance Committee of the Lege (Reps). What happens here is all-important so stay tuned.
This possibility of a statewide network is essential to the sucess of our district (rather than Middletown's near-sighted focus on the dump). Town Admin. Kempen (Midd.) thought that it could also be a money-saver. It could serve the fire/police departments who now rely on communications often holding "dead zones." Another suggestion was offering it at the beaches (!).
Sen. Paiva-Weed attended and seems to be a backer. Jeanne Napolitano (Nprt) was also present. Rep. Crowley's help would be useful as he is on the House Finance Committee. Rep. Rice is sponsoring some lege pertaining to this. The Guv did include this in his budget. However, with ever-increasing defeceits, the Lege may not be willing to take on another one. Verizon is also lobbying heavily against this, although the possibility of their partnering on this enterprise exists.
R.I. would be the first state to offer this network. This in itself opens us to even more possibilities.

Rep. Rice Wants Insurance Co-Pay

Rep. Amy Rice (Dist. 73) has introduced sister legislation to a Senate bill calling for the lege & general officers to pay 10% of their health care costs. "Rice said she put in her bill out of 'fairness to the state employees' who already contribute to their health care."

"So will Rice, even if her bill fails, voluntarily pay part of her health-care cost, as some of her colleagues are already doing? 'I haven’t thought about that. I’m not sure,' Rice told Political Scene the other day."

I haven't been in favor on the Lege paying for their health care coverage as their salary is so low (about $12,500). I do think that everyone ought to pay something for their health care coverage though, if for no other reason than to make them aware that these services are costly. In the past the Lege has seemed oblivious to Blue Cross or other health care costs and perhaps this is why. I've often wondered if most of them even know the cost of health care plans.

I think that we expect an awful lot from our Lege without paying them much in return. I'm a big believe in "you get what you pay for." With so many highly complex issues on the agenda, it's not unreasonable to place discussion of a longer legislative year and hours on it. Our lege don't even have offices or staffers.

It's not unreasonable to expect general officers making over $100,000/yr. to help pay for their health insurance, but poorly paid legislators, too? And 10%? I also wonder if those eager to jump on the bandwagon already have spouses/retirement plans with health insurance coverage. Like the Guv.

However I do expect that this is a political move in a non-election year which will get buried. We'll see.

Thanks again to Projo.

District 12's School & Budget Woes

Troubling times in R.I. regarding the budget. Things will probably be as friendly as last year, though, regarding the relationship of the Lege and the Guv. Firstly, it's not an election year, and secondly, the Guv has no control votewise over the leadership. They "wuv" each other now & so there will be little finger wagging over who has gotten us into this mess in the first place.

I am trying a new shorthand way to refer to the Legislature or General Assembly. Somehow "Generals" didn't seem quite right & "Asses" was a bit over the top. So "Lege" works for me (thank you again, Molly Ivins).

No, you won't see any increase in taxes but you'll be seeing huge increases in fees on both the state & local levels. It's already happening in Tiverton.

Middletown is laying off all its non-tenured teachers yet again - 25 this year (Daily News says 22. Who even notices anymore except those involved? But with budget shortages looming everywhere, those rehirings in May/June will no longer be so automatic. What you're seeing in P'mouth is the future for all of us.

The "Newport Daily News" editorial opinion (no link) is upset with the Guv for once again not reimbursing Portsmouth for its group home. Last year during the election it repeatedly creamed Rep. Rice & Sen. Levesque for not collecting this $ (not to mention their opponents). Supposedly this was behind their non-endorsement of them (although it may well have had to do with the position of the stars in the sky at the time or the fact that Democrats have a "D" in its spelling). The Guv then promised to fix it & now he has reneged. Ironic, huh?

I wonder if Rep. bruce J. Long will show next Wed. at the Newport County meeting to examine the feasibility of one large district (held in Prov. after the Lege meets but it is being moved to Newport's Colony House)? I also wonder where their meetings/agendas/minutes are posted? Enquiring minds like to know. The good Rep. has been mighty quiet of late. April 15 ain't all that far away. Hope that he hasn't lost his filing form this year. I heard on WADK the other day that he was going to be participating in a health care forum in Prov. I hope the Guv isn't cutting his former wife's RITE care. Oops, I mean the Rep's former wife, of course. The Governor's wife has her health insurance paid for by all of us. Don't you?

The anticipated cost increase of Blue Cross for next year is 15%. But, you're expecting a like raise, right?

Rep. Amy Rice Wins (really)!

John Robatille conceded the election this morning at 10. Lost by FOUR votes. He ran a good race, no doubt about that. As I told him, I'd rather loose by a few hundred than such a small number. Hard to live with. But Amy's got to feel his breath on her neck for the next two years. No, he can't run for Rep. Long's seat (nor can I) - wrong district.

It's going to be a difficult & interesting Legislative session. Money from gambling isn't pulling in what we anticipated (Ct. competition). Definite budget problems. The leadership doesn't need any Republican support this time & we've got a lame duck guv. A bad time for our district to have a Rep. state senator.

National political scene looks much better for Rhode Island though. I saw Sen. Reed on the national news the other day being asked his opinion on Iraq. If there were a Dem. Prez, he'd be on the short list as Sec'y of Defense.

BTW, I've been wondering why none of my posts inspired comments. It seems as if when I was trying to resolve my feed problems, I changed my template not to allow comments. Duh! Okay now.

Rep. Rice Mail Ballot Recount

I just returned from the Board of Elections warehouse in Prov. where the mail ballots are stored. 12 tables were set up with an election official at each one (Newport & Midd. were represnted by the Town Canvasser). Each table also had 2 reps from E. Prov. - sorry, haven't kept up with that race. Amy had 1 rep at each table. I didn't see many representing John Robatille, Amy's challeneger.

Each official was then given a sealed metal box containing the ballots. A zillion of them from all over the state which had to be sorted. They'd announce the town/city name at the top of each ballot. E. Prov. eas easy. For Amy's district there were 3 towns (Ports., Midd., & Newport) & the correct district had to be ascertained. The ballots in question were kept in a pile, while the rest were all grouped together & eventually returned to a sealed box.

The rep at each table could then record the score. At appx. 12:15 it was over. All ballots in question were then placed in sealed boxes. Lunch!! We left!

The next step is to copy all the ballots & make them available to the public. The candidates will recount & match tallies. Those who are behind will then look for errors in their favor. How long will this take? Could be a long time & will probably involved the Courts. Could also end today, but I wouldn't hold my breath.

So what did I notice in my quick perusals? It's generally all about straight Party voting, despite what people deny. Perhaps 2-3 candidate exceptions. A fair amount of voting for local school & council races with no state or federal voting. The majority here were Republicans. Remember, these are mail ballots only. Interesting. Some pencils lines were faint & difficult to read.

Stay tuned! Much better to lose by a hundred or more votes, I'd say, then sweating over a handful.

Rep. Rice Needs Our Help - It Ain't Over Till It's Over

It's not over for Amy Rice. Yes she won her election and her re-count, but her opponent filed a lawsuit in the Superior Court on Fri. The Supreme Court gave a very limited ruling. The BOE went back to the lower court today to get guidance on the unclear order. While the lower court ruled first that the rejected ballots could be copied for review, today the judge ruled that all mail ballots can get reviewed - although mail ballots normally get put though the machine. SO INSTEAD OF HER OPPONENT GETTING TO LOOK AT A SMALL PERCENTAGE OF BALLOTS, HE WILL NOW BE ABLE TO LOOK AT 349! And although Amy is up by 9 votes, if 5 votes are converted her opponent wins (barring him also losing votes).

On Wed. morning at 9 a.m. the Board of Elections will undertake the process of going through the ballots not only forDist.73, but for E. Prov. where the same court ordered process is taking effect. The problem is that the Board of Elections has all of the mails ballots together, 29k in 70 boxes. So they are going to have 12 stations where someone from their office will go through the boxes and look for Dist 72 & E. Prov, which they will allow us to review.

So Amy is asking for help. She needs a minimum of 12 (and some replacements for those who can't stay). All you need do is observe the election worker as they separate the Dist. 72 ballots from the rest as they are taken out of the box. If there is a ballot with markings on it, we need to note how many and what it was; i.e., circle, "X" . Sound like fun? Amy says she'll bring the joe & donuts. We can car pool from Aquidneck Island.

You can contact me eileen@spillaneforsenate.com or contact Amy at her office 683-6555.

Heck of a process, ain't it? P.S. Good thoughts sent her way help, too.

Rep. Amy Rice Wins!

A close one! She won by 9 votes. A real squeaker. And I'll bet she also pays her taxes, doesn't cheat on her husband, doesn't sniff coke, helps provide for her family, & doesn't beat up her husband! That makes her special around here. However, she does drink WAY too much coffee!

Congratulations!

*UPDATE - Her opponent still hasn't conceded, though & wants more review. Can this be dragged out any longer? We'll see. At least we know where Amy is & the IRS isn't requesting her presence. Bet you'll see this item in the Newport Daily News, though (they endorsed her opponent because ???). Think they're looking for Brucie, too? Gee, wonder why Valerie didn't call on the investigative team there for her expose?