The Guidelines for Thee
As compliance inspectors fan out across the state and the state spends money to remind Rhode Islanders to follow the rules, Governor Raimondo shows by example that the rules don’t apply to everybody equally.
Ballot Harvesting Now a Problem for Providence Progressives
The surprise, here, is that a progressive machine with out-of-state funding isn’t helping Bell match his opposition.
Rending the Fabric of Society
Mark Zaccaria calls for politeness in the face of Antifa disruption filtered through legitimate Black Lives Matter protests.
Politics This Week with John DePetro: Failure in Media and Government
My weekly call-in on John DePetro’s WNRI 1380 AM/95.1 FM show, for August 31, included talk about:
- Preparedness to return to school
- The nature of the protests
- Media counter-narrative for Trump events
I’ll be on again Monday, September 7, at 12:00 p.m. on WNRI 1380 AM and I-95.1 FM.
Trump Car Caravan Down the Media Memory Hole
The narrative appears again as mainstreamers in Rhode Island watch Sunday’s Trump caravan go by.
Last Impressions #48: Journalist Blacklists Matter
Justin Katz warns of the danger created when mainstream journalists drop their objectivity to tilt stories in support of Black Lives Matter and Antifa.
Shaping the Narrative of Protests in Rhode Island
The coverage of two recent political events in Rhode Island show how social justice journalists tweak their stories to silence opposition and give a sense of conformity among everybody else.
Pledging to Protect Taxpayers and Ourselves
Something as simple as a pledge can be a valuable statement that you’ve got reformers’ backs.
Politics This Week with John DePetro: Narratives All Over the Place
My weekly call-in on John DePetro’s WNRI 1380 AM/95.1 FM show, for August 24, included talk about:
- Gina’s back to school battle
- Government by calamari
- Michael from Rhode Island
- The uncovered pro-Trump boat parade
I’ll be on again Monday, August 31, at 12:00 p.m. on WNRI 1380 AM and I-95.1 FM.
Mail Ballot Fraud Never Happens… Wait, What?
Partisans and the news media can repeat that there’s no evidence of voter fraud until they’re blue in the face, but I’d venture to estimate that a majority of Americans would be suspicious.
Mattiello Follies
Mark Zaccaria observes that all signs seem to point to self-interest as the guiding principle of RI Speaker of the House Nicholas Mattiello.
Raise Sales, Not Taxes
Because we are not in the best of times, now is the worst of times to raise taxes.
School Opening Follies
Mark Zaccaria applies that ol’ Rhode Island intuition to the questions of whether public schools should… and will… open.
Watching the News Without the Scary Soundtrack
If Block Island tourists’ behavior isn’t having a measurable effect, maybe it isn’t actually “behaving badly.”
Politics This Week with John DePetro: Protests and Snitches
My weekly call-in on John DePetro’s WNRI 1380 AM/95.1 FM show, for August 10, included talk about:
- Protests at Gina’s house
- The snitch line
- A dictated last call
- Will schools open?
I’ll be on again Monday, August 24, at 12:00 p.m. on WNRI 1380 AM and I-95.1 FM.
Ruggerio Loses Pro-Life Endorsement
How much difference this will make in a state where progressives are surging and our entire system of government appears designed to rig elections remains to be seen. In a state as far gone as Rhode Island, however, clarity is critical.
Business as Usual
Mark Zaccaria looks at Rhode Island insiders in their natural, corrupt environment.
The Key Point on Union-Democrat Hegemony
Contrary to Ian Donnis’s suggestion, it is the labor movement’s fault that other interest groups don’t muster a comparable level of political activity, because it isn’t really a question of “don’t”; it’s “can’t.”
In The Dugout: Allen Waters on School Choice
US Senate Candidate Allen Waters joins CEO Stenhouse on this episode of “In The Dugout.” They discuss his support for the Center’s Catch-UP ESA program. This innovative policy idea would tap unspent federal funds to empower parents to customize supplemental programs for their children. These one-time Catch-Up ESAs, available to all qualified students in the state, would also immediately fill major gaps in the five-year Providence schools reform plan, by addressing current student needs. The program would be funded by unspent federal CARES Act funds.
The Queen Seeks Higher Office
Is it crazy to think that our governing class has completely lost touch with the reason for its existence?
A Glimpse of Another Way in RI
For a moment, Tiverton had a glimpse of a different way — one in which people with very different ideas and incentives are honest and open and work toward a compromise, replacing kick-backs and showboating with mutual understanding.
Politics This Week with John DePetro: Corruption All Around
My weekly call-in on John DePetro’s WNRI 1380 AM/95.1 FM show, for August 3, included talk about:
- The union Iron Triangle in RI
- The status of the education commissioner
- The controversy of mail ballots
- Stuck in phase 3 with hopes of school fading
I’ll be on again Monday, August 10, at 12:00 p.m. on WNRI 1380 AM and I-95.1 FM.
RI Craps Shoot
McElroy’s Ruling Undermines Election Confidence
The ruling of U.S. District Court Judge Mary McElroy changing election-security laws shortly before Rhode Islanders vote is a warning sign that Americans should think twice before trusting the results that follow.
The Invisible Line Between Unions and the Far Left
This post reprints a section of the RI Center for Freedom & Prosperity’s new report, “RI Union Political Spending: A Web of Corruption.”
Raimondo in Your Backyard
Why are Rhode Islanders tolerating Democrat Governor Gina Raimondo’s assumption of power so far beyond what the government of a free people ought to assume?
Politics This Week with John DePetro: A People on Their Own
My weekly call-in on John DePetro’s WNRI 1380 AM/95.1 FM show, for July 28, included talk about:
- Teachers protesting school
- Secretary of state protesting election security
- Councilwoman protesting enforcement of the law
- Journalists not protesting attacks on journalists
I’ll be on again Monday, August 3, at 12:00 p.m. on WNRI 1380 AM and I-95.1 FM.
Big-Government Power Grabbers Only Have to Win Once (They Think)
A faction of Tiverton government led by Council President Patricia Hilton is trying for a fourth time to give the council sole control of revenue from the Twin Rivers casino in town.
Leaving No Place for the Disagreers
It seems that leaving people an escape is intolerable to the Left, because overcoming the natural desire to live free of progressive rules requires that no other option seems possible.