A jumble of news and commentary headlines leads Justin to wonder where the cause and effect lie in entitlement and nanny-statism.
Tax breaks for artists raise the question of why all Rhode Islanders shouldn’t have more control over their own destinies
Local transportation funding is vulnerable to federal vicissitudes because it is entirely federal dollars build on a bed of local borrowing. That ought to raise questions among voters about the management of the state.
The intricate machinations suggested by Gary Sasse in the “tax-the-rich” debate raise the question of whether RI can afford the risk (or the wait) involved with technocratic designs.
Polemics can give a sense of the debate concerning reasonable predictions, and investment returns are no different.
In some circles, local ties to ALEC have been hot news this week, but Justin isn’t sure that the complaint against the group is really what it’s being articulated
The Providence Journal publishes an entire article about him without letting on that John Edwards is a Democrat, much less that he was almost vice president on that party’s ticket.
Is it the bull or the bear for Rhode Island? Justin suggests that if Rhode Island is to cease to be a drag on its region, the model has to be quite different.
A consulting group under contract with two of RI’s most-struggling cities is sufficiently confident in its turnaround estimates to proclaim a specific dollar amount; Justin suggests they just go ahead and find the money.
The process for selecting charter review commissioners in Central Falls has Justin concerned that an important lesson in self-governance is being missed.
Operating in RI government is like following directions based on where things used to be; Justin says outsiders are disadvantaged and vulnerable.
An interview with Charles Murray leads Justin to muse on the possibility that avoiding judgmentalism in the name of tolerance might just make it less likely that others will have the opportunity to judge us good and worthy of advancement.
Former district 1 congressman Patrick Kennedy tells the New York Times that big donations from special interests is how the business of politics works, with implications for local campaign finance initiatives.
A pair of articles point to the use of statistics in public policy debates, and Justin encourages everybody not to lose sight of the points being made.
Matt Allen’s petition for repeal of the primary-offense seat belt law leads Justin to consider the real consequence of such legislation.
Colleen Conley finds a metaphor for D.C. in the Hunger Games; Justin hopes it indicates a shift in political understanding.
Three incidents of public-school censorship lead Justin to conclude that “offense” is trumping a heritage that fostered social health and progress.
Justin points out the interesting contrast of two opinion pieces in Tuesday’s Projo, one an unsigned editorial and the other a column by Ed Achorn.
Justin wonders why the concern of left-wing commentator Robert Reich that state-run gambling is a regressive tax receives no voice in Rhode Island.
Democrats in Congress are looking to slow the expanding cost of financing college while people are beginning to notice the questionable priorities of the institutions that ultimately collect their money. Justin suggests that it would be better to rethink the entire system.
Justin reacts to Sen. President Paiva Weed’s latest Ruggerio statement with an explanation of the end-all-be-all of political consequences, which don’t exist in Rhode Island.
Justin expresses concerns that a windfall forfeiture from Google to government agencies is further evidence of dangerous incentives for an entity that has the authority to tax, regulate, imprison, and kill.
Observing some points in the national education debate, Justin suggests a shift in how we align funding with measures of success.
While determining whether to let his daughter read it, Justin found himself with an opinion about The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins.
Justin sees a trend for private-school loans, even at the kindergarten level, as an indication of a staggering civic society, not a faddish excess of the 1%.
Noting a chronological coincidence of Saul Alinsky’s influence on teachers’ unions and leveling results (with higher expenditures), Justin suggests that reevaluation might be wise.
Justin notes the movement of Newport Grand casino gambling through the General Assembly and suggests that a government-run casino may not benefit the people of Rhode Island.
Justin worries that increasing complexity of health insurance arrangements that attempt to factor in patient outcomes take a more dangerous path than just allowing patients to find (and pay for) the doctors who suit them.
Justin considers whether a flurry of applicants to Central Falls’ Charter Review Commission is evidence that the city can yet avoid the hard lessons of self governance.
Justin finds in an RI Future post by Bob Plain evidence of the rhetorical method of barricading the door to discourse.