R I Taxes -- Taking Responsibility

 As the election season heats up here in Rhode Island and the candidates stake out their positions and false promises, I find it interesting as each competes to become the new Wizard of OZ. They attempt to lull voters into their "vote" trap with the smoke of "political weed."  The smoke is the promises designed to cloud the mind of the voting public and to get their vote.


Of course, the average RI voter will take the promised bait and end up on the hook for the cost, one way or another. However, I think there is one candidate, Lincoln Chafee, who is being honest when he proposes how we might pay for those promises of jobs, etc. through a broader application of the sales tax, while at the same time lowernig the rate to 2%. At least, he has the courage to point out that "the king has no cloths." when it come to the annual budget deficit and is proposing a way to resolve the problem. 


A recent Projo a story, R.I. governor candidates trade promises at series of public forums, illustrates this point.


I have to agree with the Ethnographer's comment  that before you make promises, tell us how you will pay for it. Here is what Ethnographer had to say:

"Caprio will go out and get the money to repair the infrastructure. He is to be praised for focusing on infrastructure. Commerce in Rhode island is made expensive by the lack of good roads and dangerous/closed bridges. Commerce brings jobs. Go Frank.

However, how will he get the money? If there is no tax increase or tax restructuring to provide the money, are we going to borrow more?

Wouldn't the $75 million going to Studio 38 do more good fixing the Route 95 Pawtucket bridge rather than have business reroute their trucks around the bridge? This is a hidden tax on business and a deterrent to business coming into the state.

I'm glad to see Linc Chafee point out that you can't keep making promises and not pay for the promises. Linc is asking Rhode Islanders, all of us, to stop weaning and start thinking about the future of our children. That starts by addressing the problem of paying for our services as we go.

We (adults) made the problem by buying into the Democrat controlled GA mismanagement of the State budget. As responsible adults it is time to take personal responsibility and clean up the mess and not leave it to the next generation.

If taxes are too high, watch them go higher as we let the state's infrastructure rot away on empty promises."

When are Rhode Island voters going to overcome their denial? When are they going to recognize that there is a direct relation between the government services they demand and the taxes they need to pay to get them?


It is time for voters to give serious thought to the basic question: "What is the proper role of government?"  To answer this question they must answer three basic questions. "What do we need from government that we can agree upon? What can we afford? and, What are we willing to pay for (and what are we not willing to pay for) ?"


For example, is it fair to use public money to help the unemployed construction worker, who is a fellow citizens, by rebuilding our failing infrastructure; or is it better to invest $75 million in an outside private company with no product, no local employees and which could not convince private investors to fund it without a guarantee by the tax payers of RI?


Right now it seems Rhode Islanders want both, but Rhode Island can't afford both. The question before the local gubernatorial candidates is not "What can I promise you to get your vote?"


Rhode Island needs candidates who have the courage to explain honestly what choices Rhode Islanders face and what they will cost? Rhode Island needs candidates who are leaders with the courage to say "NO!" to ideas and practices that do not promote the common good. Rhode Island needs leaders who can help educate the public about the problems facing the State and explain what their real options are to solve these problems.


It is up to the voters to take responsibility and ask these questions of their candidates. If the voters don't or don't care, and if the media does not press the candidates for specifics, then Rhode Islanders will continue to get high on the political smoke  bleaching out of these want-a-be Wizards of Oz. And then the day after the election, the voters will wake up to the same old mismanaged reality they went to bed with..


The Rhode Island Voter should be asking themselves:

If I do not take responsibility or hold my elected representatives responsible for their promises, then WHO will?

CONGRATULATIONS RHODE ISLAND

 The Providence Journal has just announced the following:

Update: RI among 10 winning 'Race to the Top' millions

ATLANTA (AP) — The U.S. Education Department says Rhode Island, eight other states and the District of Columbia will receive money in the second round of the $4.35 billion "Race to the Top" school reform grant competition. Department spokesman Justin Hamilton says the winners are: Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Maryland, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Rhode Island and Washington, D.C. The amounts of the grants are expected to be announced later.


Superintendent Gist and the superintendents, teachers and parents who have supported the application reflect the hard work and commitment to the welfare of our children. Your hard work has been rewarded. Now we have a chance to improve our educational system into the one we need to prepare them to grow, develop, mature and prepare for life in the 21st century. To those who have opposed the process for short term and regressive ideals about the role of unions and work to rule, it is time to put that behind you and join in building Rhode Island into what it can become, instead of fighting to keep it what it has become.

Again, Congratulations to those who work so hard for it and to the students will benefit from the grant.

But a word of caution, this is only the beginning. Let's make certain that the plan is followed, the results evaluated and the system is really working.

Congratulations-- Bristol, RI One of the Best

A great, hot, sunny July 4th/5th celebration in Bristol RI topped off a wonderful, extended Independence Day weekend. Fireworks and concerts on Sunday, the 4th, was followed by the traditional Independence Day parade. This year marked the 225th 4th of July Celebration's Fourth of July Parade.

Here from You Tube is a kaleidoscopic view of the parade uploaded by  sdlombardi

 But there is more to be proud about in Bristol. Family Circle magazine has named Bristol, RI as one of the10 best towns in America for families.

These communities took top honors in our yearly roundup of perfect places to raise kids.

Another perspective: Teacher and Public Employee Pensions

A major debate has been and continues to go on about the role of public service workers (government employee) pensions and the rebellion by taxpayers exemplified by the position taken by such groups as the Tea Party and RISC (Rhode Island Statewide Coalition). The underfunding (or legislative stealing) of the state and local pension funds by legislative and community governing bodies and poor (or blatant) mismanagement of such funds by the trustees of these funds  (such as West Warwick) has certainly added to the current and future fiscal problems facing the citizens of Rhode Island at all levels. These issues have been discussed here over the past year and more.

At times, the blame game become more the focus for debate, than any substantive discussion of solutions. Ideological battles between Unions verses taxpayers, legislatures vs taxpayers, citizens verses public employees, reactionary conservatives (know nothings) verses reactionary liberals (progressives) generate a lot of entertainment and media noise. But just as the BP oil well in the Gulf of Mexico continues to waste millions of gallons of crude oil and natural gas and pollute the environment, the public treasury is still leaking and the state's fiscal future and public trust is being polluted by incompetent and greedy management.

Despite the debate and rancor at the State and community levels, we need to step back a little. The misbehavior which lead to the problem can be traced back to its source. That source is the general public, you and me, that is US, who through our uncritical support of our local elected officials have created a calcified legislature incapable of making the hard choices the times demand. We condemn the General Assembly but keep our own representatives who, when "they go along to get along," are not acting in our or the state's best interest.

Instead we elect representatives who can only make the easy choices, such as fireworks, cashing in the future earning from the tobacco settlement, approving budgets based on speculation about a federal bailout. The General Assemble has made short sighted and short term decisions over the past two decades that are today having real negative consequences, often unintended self inflicted ones.  Even those who promote such short sighted and selfish behavior are feeling the consequences today.

What are these consequences?

Every once in a while you run across an article, or posting, on the web that is worth sharing, especially in light of the issues confronting Rhode Islanders these days.  An article appearing on the Money and Market Website, entitled  State Pension Woes Only Worsening  by Nilus Mattive describes the significance of the public pension situation on the individual public employee who is, or has been "planning," for his or her retirement and expecting that the government will be able to keep its promise. After describing the sad state of affairs facing this public employee, he concludes with this warning.

I’ll Say It Again: Do NOT Count on Any
Government to Pay for Your Retirement!

As we go into this election year, it will be important that each citizen, each of us, consider the promises we made to state and local public employees through the actions of the legislators, council persons, and board members we elected to represent us. And especially those of you who are public employees, consider what the real consequences of your actions as a union member and as a taxpaying citizen have been. Consider where does your true enlightened self interest  rest. Consider what you have done to plan for your future and what you will do now. Consider what your chances are to retire with those rich pension deals negotiated at another time when we were all in a better place. 

The secret to life is change. The secret to success in life is the ability to change in response to a changing environment. Today, is the first day of the rest of your life, are you prepared to change?

Students Win: Follow up on the Central Falls High School story

Earlier this spring the Central Falls High School situation dominated local news as the CF School Board sought to implement  the RI Protocol for Intervention, part of the requirements under the federal No Child Left Behind guidelines. The initial impact was the firing of all the teachers in the high school.

Now months later, the heat has gone out the issue. It is off the front pages and out of the local and national media. There has been progress. The teachers, all of who had been fired, will be rehired if they desire this fall. The union has accepted the conditions initially proposed by the Superintendent and School Board.

        In a recent article, Making Decisions Together: The Rebirth of Central Falls High School,,  appearing in EdWeek , Dr. Deborah A. Gist outlines the current situation and the conditions that have been agreed upon by the union and the school district. It is fair to say today that the STUDENTS are going to be the winners. Those of you who have been following this debate,  I strongly  recommend the article.

         Students are winners again as a result of the State coming up with a new funding formula for local schools which places the student ahead of the bureaucracy. State money will follow the students.

         The Rhode Island General Assembly, which is frequently the target of my criticism, deserves credit for their recent passage of a new state funding formula for the state schools districts and charter schools. According to the Providence Journal.

"The new formula links state aid to the current number of students enrolled and adds money for low-income students, many of whom have additional educational needs that the additional aid is intended to address."

         Now if only the GA would recognize that these students will need a place to go after graduation. Technical training for jobs and a more effectively and efficiently funding the State's higher education institutions might help provide them with the options they and we taxpayers deserve.

         From the economic development and employment perspective, this would generate the trained and educated labor force which  will attract industry to the state. And from tax payer perspective it might help to retain the intellectual capital and investment we are making in our schools. More jobs means more opportunity for student. More jobs mean more tax paying citizens. More tax paying citizens should means a lower burdens for everyone while increasing the State's ability to solve its fiscal crisis.

Fireworks and the RI General Assembly -- a Combustable Mixture

Insane, Short sighted, incompetent and forgetful is the only way to describe the RI General Assembly and a Governor who goes along with them.

On June 16th, 2010 the RI General Assemble and The Governor gave approval of the

Fireworks bill

This morning the Projo carried this story about fireworks in a public building,Motel guests evacuated after fireworks set off

On Thursday, February 20, 2003, The Station nightclub fire occurred beginning at 11:07 PM EST. Located in West Warwick, Rhode Island, this is the fourth deadliest nightclub fire in American history, killing 100 people, four of whom died after being admitted to local hospitals. The fire was caused when pyrotechnic sparks ignited flammable sound insulation foam in the walls and ceilings around the stage. This subsequently created a flash fire that engulfed the club in 5½ minutes. Some 230 people were injured and another 132 escaped uninjured. Video footage of the fire depicts its initial growth and the exit blockage which hindered evacuation



At least one person appears to remember and care. I just received the following bulletin from the Providence Journal.

From the Projo 6/21/10 Breaking news.'The state fire marshal on Monday expressed concerns about the newly adopted law that allows the sale of fireworks in Rhode Island, but he stated emphatically that it does not permit the use of gerbs -- the kind of indoor pyrotechnic that set off the Station nightclub fire that killed 100 people in 2003. Jack Chartier, the fire marshal, said that under the new law, only "consumer grade'' fireworks, such as sparklers and poppers, are allowed to be sold to anyone 16 years of age or older. He said these type of fireworks are only permitted outdoors"

It does not take a genius to know what Albert Einstein observed.

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

I guess our elected officials are as insane as those who elect them.

Central Falls out of the frying pan and into the cauldron

Well it seems that a touch of reality has entered the Central Falls (CF) school crisis. When the union members discovered that there are over 700 - 800 teachers from around the nation willing to apply for the 90 or so opening created by the union leadership, reality struck. It seems that Central Falls is not the center of the universe. It is not isolated from the economic conditions facing the nation and the education profession. The local union can't control supply and demand on a national level.

Oh! Did I say, the union leadership caused the problem? The settlement reached between the teachers and the CF school administration is the same as the leaders refused to offer to their membership back in February. So where was the leadership then and why are they agreeing to it today?

It seems that threatening to sue, another union tactic, was not a viable option. So today, they are working behind closed doors to get their "FRIENDS" in the RI General Assembly to pass a law which

... seeks to prohibit the General Assembly from enacting changes to pensions that “diminish, impair or deprive” vested state employees of “presently existing rights or benefits.

Rhode Island State Senate Majority Whip, Dominick Ruggerio is the lead sponsor of S-2384, the Public Officers and Employees Retirement System Act. The bill will be taken up by the Senate Labor Committee this week ( week of May 16th). Like earlier efforts by these "FRIENDS" to impose binding arbitration on the cities, towns, and school committees, the unions are seeking a poison pill, golden parachute for themselves which is unsustainable.

If they succeed, they will be rewarding their older loyalists members at the expense of their younger members. This is a common union practice conducted every year through the bumping process which places seniority over competency in filling open positions. The future generation of teachers will have to pick up the future bill as tax payers and as dues paying union members.

But for the moment the school crisis seems to be under control. Out of the frying pan.

But according to the Providence Business News and the Providence Journal Central Falls has jumped into the cauldron of potential municipal bankruptcy. This is uncharted territory hundreds of communities and several states around the country are facing.

Receivership is a step away from bankruptcy. If Central Falls goes bankrupt, all contracts will be voided. The city may be required to unincorporate and to merge with a neighboring jurisdiction. These are the lessons we have learned from the failure of the banks, auto industry, among others in the recent national economic crisis.

It is no wonder that the Rhode Island Federation of Teachers and Health Professionals has reversed it position regarding Rhode Island's application for Race to the Top grants. This was a "no started" last week. Now it may be the only hope for some districts, such as Central Falls.

This afternoon the Providence Business News online published the following story, State law bars Central Falls bankruptcy. Because of state law, the GA will be called upon to help resolve the issue. This should be interesting to see how the politicians solve this one.

This is the legacy of years of greed and short term thinking that seems to be a characteristic of Rhode Islanders and the people they elect to public, union, and corporate offices.

Stay tuned while we keep track of the temperature

If you became Governor - what would you do?

A poll published online May 10, 2010 by The Providence Business News asks the question

What should be the new governor’s top priority upon taking office in January 2011?

Readers are asked to select from 5 options.

1. Balancing state and local budgets 12 votes (33%)

2. Economic development/job creation 15 votes (42%)

3. Improving elementary, secondary and post-secondary education 3 votes (8%)

4. Improving the state's tax environment 5 votes (14%)

5. Implementing a robust energy and environmental protection policy 1 vote (3%)


These are very early and preliminary votes but it does suggest what the mind of the public expect from a governor. and their ignorance of what a governor in Rhode Island can be expected to do.

1. Balancing the budget

Given the Rhode Island Constitution and despite the long overdue separations of powers act, balancing the state budget is a legislative function. The most the Governor can be expected to do is:

a. to recommend a balanced budget to the legislature,
b. to manage, after the fact, a budget that the legislature approves, and
c. to do so as effectively and efficiently as circumstances and the law allow.

As for the local budgets, these are up to the local legislative bodies (town councils, boards of education, etc.)to determine and beyond the Governor's control.

So while it might be desirable to have strong leadership in the Governor's office, institutionally there is little real power here to achieve this goal without a commitment of cooperation from the General Assembly.


2. Economic development/job creation

Rhode Island is a small state that tries to behave like a big state. Localities compete as aggressively with one another for new businesses and jobs as Rhode Island does with other states. The Governor can lead here by setting some clear priorities and goals for development and by promoting the state to out of state employers. But the governor can only sell what the state has to offer and what the General Assembly will fund. These two are not always in synch.

In "Meeting the Challenge of the New Economy", the 1997 Annual report from the Rhode Island Economic Development Council, the Council listed 8 myths about Rhode Island's economy. Myth # 5 is

"by creating jobs, state and local government employment helps the economy."

The report continues,

"The Reality: The right number of state and local employees allows government to accomplish the tasks it needs to ( e.g. maintain the roads, police protection). More than we need, however, eliminates even more jobs in the moderate term by removing purchasing power from consumers and raising taxes."

This is even truer today than back in 1997, yet little has changed in terms of the Governor's ability to change labor contracts and renegotiate the long term commitments to public employees. Management, the Governor's Office, requires the legal tools to enable it to make the management decisions that creates and maintains the right number of highly trained, skilled and experience government workers to do the tasks it needs to do.

The governor does not create jobs, nor should he/she. Instead, the Governor should help create a climate that fosters private sector employment opportunities. Here again, cooperation between the GA and the Governor will be required.

3. Improving elementary, secondary and post-post secondary education.

The Governor is the public's elected CEO. Here is where the Governor can have a real impact and where real change can be brought about. Education is the most critical step in an economic and social policy. Economic development does not occur overnight, anymore than educating a child to become a productive worker does. Both are long term processes. Changing the educational environment is a leadership and policy issue. Setting that policy, especially strategic policy, is the job of even a weak Governor.

a. The first step in building and supporting a viable and adaptable system to meet the needs of students, parents, communities and employers would be to set middle and long range goals and objectives for the state's educational system. These would be based on realistic assessments of the changing workforce needs, regional and global economic trends and local and state capacity to respond to these needs would be.

b. Next would be to create and carry through a realistic plan to achieve such goals. For the next Governor it would be follow through on the work done by Dr. Gist and those involved in planning and seeking federal support through the Race to the Top grant competition.

c. Next is to build on our strengths beginning with the best talent we have. The new Governor should avoid the temptation to replace the team now in place solely to reward friends and cronies. We have seen enough of this in recent years and even recent days in the state.

d. Support for individual teachers efforts to use and share their best practices even when these are contrary to arbitrary and/or out-modded contractual work rules or administrative policies is critical. By promoting and rewarding professionalism through public recognition and professional advancement for outstanding performance would demonstrate to all the state's commitment to quality education and a quality workforce.

e. Support for the state's post secondary institutions including the technical as well as professional post secondary education at a level competitive with the rest of the region and the world would put action behind the claim that we have the well trained workforce employers are seeking

f. The Governor should also push for full funding for the plan at all levels and through all available means and would re-enforce that commitment.

4. Improving the State's Tax environment.

I realize this may go against a lot of people's gut reaction but here goes. The State's tax environment is not, nor should it be, based simple on "pricing" considerations. By this I mean, it should be based on the true cost/benefit to me to live and work here, not on my tax bill. It should be based on the real or "true" value I receive for the taxes I pay.

For example, policies which focus on "lowering my tax bill" by not fixing the bridges and roads that support my business; or provide me with workers who can not read, write, do math or think critically; or impose inconsistent and onerous laws, regulations, processes that impede my ability to conduct my business competitively; or make it impossible for me respond to a new business opportunity in a timely and competitive manner, are the hidden taxes which really create a bad tax environment.

By the same token, the value of a reliable and efficient public works department, a dependable and accessible government permitting service, a clean and safe water supply, etc. should be considered when evaluating the value you receive from paying your tax bill. For example, what is the value of the state's response during the recent floods worth to you? Or, What is the value of the life that fireman saved? These are examples of the positive value we receive for the tax bills we pay. They would be sorely missed if they weren't there.

Here is where the Governor can have a impact. He should direct the administration's efforts to address the hidden taxes imposed by the General Assembly, especially when they fail to address these issues. One way to attack this problem is to change the dialogue from "government waste" to "government value." Former seeks only to cut costs without reference to quality. The latter exposes the "hidden taxes" of government uneffectiveness and inefficiency and shifts the focus to discovering the potential the value of government services deliver by those taxes.

A policy of greater transparency, i.e. "the good, the bad, and the ugly" should be the Governor's position. The new governor should use the bully pulpit of the office to expose the smoke and mirrors of backroom deals and magical thinking that we find in the GA.

The goal is to address Myth #4 from the 1997 report.

"If it is good for business (or labor) it has to be bad for labor (or business)."

The adversarial period of 20th century business/labor relations must end. If we are to improve the tax environment for everyone in the state and compete in a 21st century global economy, we need to change the way we think about who We and They are. Here the moral leadership of the Governor's Office must come into play.


5. Implementing a robust energy and environmental protection policy

In order to implement such policies, they must be sustainable and realistic in terms of overall needs and resources available to the State and localities. The Governor can provide guidance in balancing the state's economic, and social needs as reflected in the state's energy production and consumption practices weighed against the long term hidden tax of poor or inadequate environmental regulation and enforcement. Here the Governor can provide leadership to bring competing interests together for find solutions that serve the best interests of all and not the best interest of "favored" interests.

The job of the next Governor is to create a political climate where all parties feel that they have been dealt with in fairness. This will go a long way in creating a physical, economic, social and political environment that supports the public's and State's immediate and long terms interests.

Trust comes before respect in education reform

The Providence Journal story "Hundreds of RI teachers rally to protest policies of Commissioner Gist" describes the continuing self defeating conflict between the Rhode island Teachers unions and the Rhode Island educational system and their taxpaying supporters. This guest posting reflects one person's take on the situation

Guest posting from Ethnographer

The question of trust and respect seem to be at the heart of the teacher vs public controversy now taking place here in Rhode Island. If these issues are not resolved between the teachers and public, it doesn't matter what the union or the courts say, the educational system in Rhode Island will continue to fail the students and the tax payers.

The industrial labor management mind set shared by the teacher's unions and the school systems is at the core of the current dispute. It is an outdated business model based on the lack of trust between the owners of capital and the workers who use that capital to make a commodity product that the capitalist owner sells to the public. If you believe that students are coffee beans, that model works well.

However, if you believe a student is a Human being, then this model does not work. An educational system in a modern civilized society is supposed to produce a human being who is an educated, self supporting adult who can perform to the best of his or her ability as a citizen in the community. Such as system would be based on a human investment business model.

So what happens when you can't trust the system to produce the results you expect for your child? Why should you respect those who are responsible are messing up the job and producing an inferior product?

Parents, employers, and taxpayers are tired of hearing the complaints from the unions about pay levels, tenure, seniority, and pensions. These complaints offer only one solution to the larger educational system-wide problem. That solution is based on the theory that more money and security paid to teachers is the only thing preventing better performance.

The wider problem is not more money for teachers, the problem is better and more effective allocation of the current educational budget and resources to address the needs of the student. Cutting programs and services in order to pay higher wages and pensions to teachers is not the answer. But the unions fail to recognize this, asking for higher pay instead.

The unions, in selecting this solution, are responding to a problem brought on by mandates created by the General Assembly and Federal government. These mandates create "mission creep" problem by imposing more responsibilities upon the classroom teacher. These are responsibilities that they are not trained for or given resources to deal with effectively. Based on the industrial model, the unions respond by asking for more money for a heavier workload and more restricting work rules. Again, this makes sense if you are producing and now packaging coffee beans.

Who is responsible for this? The community and the parents are responsible when they ask their legislatures to mandate services for children that should be the responsibility of parents and performed at home. These services are imposed on the schools and, in turn, to the classroom teachers.

Our society has imposed more and more parental responsibilities upon the nations schools and their teachers. No longer is their only job to teach and educate the student in a set of proscribed skills; instead teachers are also expected to be a social worker and handle the problems the child brings into the classroom from home; to be a psychologist who diagnosis and treats psychological disorders and mental health issues that the student has; to act as a police officer to detect incidence and enforce rules against problems such as child abuse, bullying, substance abuse, etc. that may be brought into the school or classroom. No amount of pay increase is going to solve the problem of too much responsibility, limited time and resources, and inadequate staffing that are brought on by these mandates. No amount of money is going to solve the mission creep problem.

It is no wonder that the teachers are frightened and don't trust the school system to come up with a fair evaluation system. What are teacher going to be evaluated on? Are they being evaluated for their role as teacher, or social workers, or psychologists or police or all of the above? All they hear is "TEST SCORE."

This concern is expressed, for example,in this quote from the story.

“Poverty is an issue, and it has to be addressed,” said Debbie Scarpelli, a Pawtucket teacher. “We are there for our kids. But I have kids coming into school who had a brother shot in a drive-by. I have students who arrive from other countries whose first year of formal education is seventh grade. I don’t think it’s fair that only teachers and principals are held accountable for this.”

A school system that relies on a single quantitative measure as an indicator of quality, such as A Single Test Score, is using the same industrial labor management model that the union is. That "test score" is effectively the "profit" for the capitalist. And as we all know, profit bears no relation to the quality of the product produced by labor, only to the skills of lawyers and accountants to manipulate the numbers.

The problem teachers fear is that they will evaluated not as teachers but on the basis of their other roles. That test score is a combination of what the student brings into the classroom, something which is outside the teacher's control; and what the teacher can teach him or her in the classroom. But what part of the score belongs to the student and what part has been contributed by the teacher? Where do you draw the line? This is the question.

Trust can only be regained if the evaluation criteria are real, fair, and meaningful for both the teacher and parents. It is up to their respective representatives, the school system and the union, to find the common ground. Instead they are now maximizing their differences. They should come to an agreement that their common ground is preparing students to become educated and productive citizens.

Real means the teacher is evaluated only on what is done in the classroom. The impact on the students should be measured by what they know at the beginning the term and what they learned at the end of the term. For the parent, it is a perceived improvement in the student's total behavior both in the classroom and outside of it.

Fair is that the teacher is evaluated only on their teaching performance in the context of the classroom and school population. This is where they have control of their destiny and it is what they can honestly be held accountable for. They should be evaluated based on their teaching of these students, not on how they perform as social workers, police man, etc. For the parent, it is that their child's teacher is taking a personal interest in the child's educational needs.

Meaningful means that the teacher is being evaluated on the student's overall progress and not a single test score. For the parent it is a visual objective body of evidence that their child is being challenged and making progress. This is, for example, where a portfolio system is a more effective measure for individual progress as well as teacher performance.

Respect can be earned only when the parties involved can learn to trust one another. Building trust is the first step to education reform. Trust can come when the representatives of the teachers and the parents get away from the industrial business model and adopt a human investment model.

Ethnographer

Rhode Island's "Amazon tax" , does it make sense?

As Rhode Island and Rhode Islanders struggle through the economic depression, State and local budget and debt crises, and high unemployment, local elected official are reaching out for all possible sources of new revenue and cost cutting. The crisis can be treated as a threat or an opportunity. How the public and the politicians respond to the crises will have a profound impact on small business in the post crisis period.

For example, one step that the RI General Assembly and Governor have taken is the "Amazon Law", is also known as an "Ad tax." This is potentially one of the most costly short term solutions to the long term future welfare of small business, entrepreneurship and competitiveness in this state.

An excellent argument pointing out the potential impact of the law can be found at affiliates-make-money-online.

Key points:
(1) This "Ad Tax" is going to impose excessive bookkeeping requirements on small businesses selling out of state through affiliates as the small business becomes responsible to knowing, recording and collecting the appropriate tax on each individual sale into each jurisdiction which has imposed an "Ad Tax"

(2) Affiliate programs are fairly inexpensive to set up and run, making them attractive for the entrepreneurial unemployed and underemployed to start their own business. If successful they become tax payers instead of tax beneficiaries. If Rhode Island wants to claim the title, "The Small Business State," it should be breaking down the barriers of entry, not erecting new ones.

(3) Tax avoidance is a major problem in Rhode Island and its legacy of under the table transactions, its long list of special interest sales tax exemptions and Florida auto license plates. The state should be considering closing some of these loopholes.

One way to bring about change is to change the culture of tax avoidance. It could begin by using publicity to educate consumers about their legal responsibilities for use tax payments, and the cost of tax avoidance on the community and the state. Maybe even trying collections as a voluntary contribution to the state at tax return time rather than trying to collect it from thousands of residents by legal means.

The Rhode Island General Assembly should revisit the "Amazon Tax" and commission a professional third party study and analysis of the true cost and benefits of the Amazon tax to the state and to small business. Such a study could be commissioned by the RIEDC or RIPEC.

In defense of Rhode Island Teachers

In light of the Central Falls teachers crisis and the real vile comments that have been appearing in the comments to stories about the crisis on Projo.com, it is only fair to point out that the problem is not the truly professional teacher, it is in an educational system out of touch with the times and the institutions that support it.

Education is critical to individual and community success. Education is how society recruits and trains its young to become full citizens, adults and contributors to the common welfare. And education is done by teachers.

In these tough times, when taxes are perceived to be too high and the quality of the product these taxes buy seems poor and getting worse and when educational establishment itself is found wanting, let us not confuse the individuals who are responsible for what goes on in the classroom, with those institutions which claim to represent or command them.

Teachers, and teaching are a noble professional. Teachers are the link between our past and the future. They are the bearers of the community's wisdom and experience. They are charge with instilling in the next generation the knowledge, skills and values that make civil society possible. They are expected to take the raw talents and potentials of each child and shape and mold them into the best that they can be, even as the child rebels against it.

Rhode Islanders are today engaged in a serious dialogue over the merits and direction of its educational system. Interests groups are aligning themselves for and against the changes that must be made to bring our educational system into the 21st century and prepare our children to compete in the global economy and rapidly changing technological environment. While contracts, standards, policies, and philosophies are being debated, we most not lose sight of the individual teachers and what they do. These individuals are often maligned, disrespected, and treated as the cause of the problem rather than as the victims of the system that they are.

Ever heard the phrase "Those who can't do, teach"? At the Bowery Poetry Club, slam poet Taylor Mali begs to differ, and delivers a powerful, 3-minute response on behalf of educators everywhere.

Central Falls School Crisis -- Taking the High Road

How quickly things change and change for the better when Leaders decide that leadership and not ego is where their duty lies. In this morning's Projo Superintendent Gallo is reported to have replied to Central Falls Teachers Union president Jane Sessums.

On Tuesday, Seesums displayed real leadership when she made the first move to bring sanity to what was becoming an extremely emotional and partisan battle between the advocates for union rights versus union responsibilities. In a news release which appeared yesterday, Seesums said that the teachers were willing to embrace a set of reforms that were very similar to changes Gallo initially proposed.

This shift in position is a welcome change from the bellicose bullying and insensitivity demonstrated back in February by American Federation of Teachers union rep James Parisi . By demonstrating a more reasonable position, Seesums opened the door for reconciliation.

According to today's story, Superintendent Gallo's response is

“My heart skipped a beat,” Gallo said after reading Sessums’ proposal. “I thought, ‘They are basically saying they want what we want for the first time, with the kind of assurances I need.’ … This brings the union back with us, in the conversation about meaningful reform. It’s where they should be.”

While there are issues still to be resolved, these adults have potentially given the students of Central Falls High a valuable lesson about responsibility and conflict management.

Transformation requires the cooperation of all parties and transformation is the only way to salvage the best of the past while adapting to the realities of a rapidly changing future. Now if only the public commentators will take a moment to reflect on what is happening, maybe they will support Central Falls' effort to correct the problems that are causing their high school to be classified as a "Failing School." Then Central Falls might become a positive model for educational reform, rather than the partisan poster child for those who would destroy unions or destroy public education.

Best of luck to all.

Central Falls High School Crisis --The Revolution and Counter-revolution continues

Earlier in February, we asked our viewers to comment on the pending confrontation between the Central Falls School Administration and the local AFT Union. Today's Providence Journal describes the latest in the battle for the hearts, minds, and soul of Central Falls and its parents, teachers, unions, school administration, and most of all, the students.

To read the comments to this article is to get peek into the soup that is public opinion. There are the emotional and, at times irrational, members of the public who place their ideological biases over their own best interests and the interests of the community. And then there are those who see the problem and want to help, to enlighten and to solve it by offering analysis and information.

The Central Falls case is not a simple labor management issue. It is far bigger than that. It impacts the rights of parents and students to expect and get a decent education and preparation for the future. After all isn't that what education is for?

It is about the self identity that the teachers have for themselves. These highly trained and well paid, professionals have not been behaving like the professionals they claim to be. Instead they are are behaving like union day laborers who approach their work as if it were an hourly wage job. If they wanted to be day labors, become substitutes, if they want to be treated as professional learn what the word means.

It is is about a bankrupt State that can no longer afford to feed off of federal handouts, excessive state and local taxes, and one shot stop gaps and windfalls. IT IS ABOUT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT for all.

AND it is about survival. It is about the survival of students in a rapidly changing and unforgiving world. It is about the survival of a community high school and its traditions which once helped hundreds of immigrant families to work their way into the American middle class. It is about the survival of a public education system in this state which can prepare the next generation of working+consuming+ taxpaying citizens.

We are in the middle of a revolution and the world is watching. The Central Falls situation has made statewide news. It has made the regional news. It has made the national news and even drawn the attention of the US Secretary of Education and the President of the United States. It has even reached to the other side of the world in New Zeeland. Just about as far as you can go before you start back.

Be aware Rhode Island, this is another Gaspee burning. We are witnessing a revolutionary moment. Where do you stand?

Frances Gallo: Her side of the Story

We have been following the Central Falls School crisis with great interest.

On Saturday February 27 Superintendent Frances Gallo of the Central Falls School Department was a late addition to the Annual Winter Meeting of the Rhode Island State Coalition (RISC) held in Newport, RI. After weeks of controversy, Superintendent Gallo was given the opportunity to give her side of the story leading up to the firing of the whole teacher staff at Central Falls.

I came away from the meeting extremely impressed and moved by this very professional and articulate woman and the courage she is demonstrating to take on the Teachers' union and to call their bluff. I want to share that moment with you. Thanks to RISC the following two segment of their video record (posted on You Tube) of the Winter meeting captures the moment.

Yesterday, March 1st, her actions drew comments from President Obama supporting the need for radical change in those schools which are failing to educate their students. Here, in her own words, is her side of the story.

RISC Winter Meeting: Central Falls Superintendent Frances Gallo (part 1)





RISC Winter Meeting: Central Falls Superintendent Frances Gallo (part 2) [NOTE: If the video does not launch automatically, DOUBLE-CLICK ON IT, it should take you directly to YOU TUBE]



I think she has said it all. The issues are not local, they are national and impact the future of this nation.

The Providence Journal discovers a story - The Amazon Law

For the past 9 months, I have been following the implications on small business as the states attempt to use their constitutional right to nexus provision to extend their taxing power to the Internet. Today the Providence Journal, the premier daily newspaper for the informed Rhode Islander, finally discovered and carried a story about the "Amazon tax" and its impact on a small business here in Rhode Island. Under the headline Small businessman says R.I. ‘Amazon law’ hurts him

If you have been following this blog, you will have read about my problem with the "Amazon Law" It put my own e-business plans on hold.

The Projo could have been more helpful and informative to the public, if it had picked up on and reported the story earlier. It also could have done a better job informing its readers if it put the story in its broader national context.

The "Amazon law" is a national problem, not just a Rhode Island problem. It is the law requiring out of state internet vendor's to collect sale taxes on goods and services sold to resident in the taxing state.

This is a common requirement for firms doing business in multiple states. For example, if you purchase a big ticket item from a company in Massachusetts that also does business in Rhode Island and the item is to be delivered and used in Rhode Island, you will pay the Rhode Island sales tax on the item. Why do you think the clerk asks for your zip code?

The problem comes when a vendor does not have a physical or business presence in the state. Under the nexus principle, that vendor would not be required to collect the sales tax for the taxing state. Amazon does not consider its affilates as employee or agents. Therefore Amazon and similar out of state vendors do not feel that they have representatives in the state, specifically in this case Rhode Island and are under no obligation to act as Rhode Isalnd's tax collector.

The Rhode Island legislature decided that any RI website which carries ads for Amazon or other e-commerce companies is an employee or agent for the companies whose ads they carry. This is sufficient grounds to require the parent firm to collect sales for the state on Rhode Island on all goods sold to Rhode Island residents.

In my case, I wanted to rent space to Amazon on my website to advertise their products. I felt that I was supplying a billboard as a way to help pay for the operating costs of the site. Amazon decided this imposed a potential tax and administrative burden on them. To avoid the issue, they and others have chosen to eliminate that risk by severing their ties to their affiliates. As a result, Amazon will continue to sell to Rhode Islanders and Rhode Islanders will continue to buy from Amazon.

However, Rhode Island businesses that depend upon the rental revenue they earned by allowing Amazon and others to advertise on the their site no longer have that revenue source. As the Projo story documents, they make less income and pay lower taxes. Meanwhile, because these sales outlets no longer sell for Amazon, B&H and other e-commerce firms, Rhode Island collects no new sales tax revenue.

Reading the comments to the Projo story shows how poorly the readers understand the issue and how poorly the Projo explained the issues. It is no wonder that more and more of us seek our news from more aggressive and informed sources.

RI Wind Power vs China Wind Power

As Rhode Island plans to develop its off shore wind resource, there is hopeful speculation about the industrial and manufacturing jobs that will be required to build and support the off shore wind farms. But before we get too excited about it, let's look at our competition. Not Massachusetts, but China. What lessons can we learn from the Chinese and where are the opportunities we can exploit give this knowledge. The article quoted below is a place to start.

Challenges with China's Wind Energy

Robert Hsu, February 23, 2010

China has been trying very hard to step up and take action to not only clean up its air and water pollution but also to prevent further pollution in the country. And as the Chinese government focuses on more of these green technology initiatives, many Chinese companies stand to benefit directly.

One industry, in particular, that is already reaping the rewards of a government focus on clean tech energy is wind power. In fact, China has become a powerhouse in wind power.

When China first started making wind turbine blades, the demand was low and the blade length was set at 37.5 meters. Two years later, the industry boomed and the once-popular 37.5-meter blades were no longer desired. Since so many companies hurried into the industry, there was a lack of research and planning; the main thing affected -- quality. The blades that were initially created were not long enough to generate anticipated electricity levels.

So producers scrambled and started manufacturing a 40.3-meter blade. With that, production rates increased, and the number of wind turbine makers grew from six to more than 70 in the country. As a result, China quickly became the third-largest wind power market in the world last year increasing the installed wind power capacity from 760 megawatts (MW) in 2004, to more than 20,000 MW in 2009.

However, 70% of the blades currently being used are still the shorter length, meaning they are not helping the environment, as they should. This poses a huge problem because there is now a surplus of products that don't fit the market. And prices have decreased even though there is an increase in demand.

This recent development further reiterates my reason for largely avoided investing in this sector. Now, with that said, renewable energy continues to receive strong support from the Chinese government even as investments in the sector declined sharply with the rest of the world during the past two years, and given China's new focus on green technology, green investing is an important investment theme for investors.

Right now, most forms of renewable energy -- such as solar and wind power -- are not economically self sustainable and rely on government subsidy to survive. And most renewable energy companies are also losing money with excess capacity problems.

So there may be investments in the solar or wind industry down the road, but for now, I think our renewable energy investments are better served in another part of the green tech industry.

Hopefully, those planning for the development of a wind power industry in Rhode Island will learn from China's problems and develop clear and focused marketing plans taking into account the real needs of their target markets.

Central Falls :Education reform and labor relations in Rhode Island

Rhode Island's economic problems are related its education system and the type of investment decisions the state and communities are making in their schools. On January 7, 2010 the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) released its Strategic Plan The debate is heating up between the teachers unions and the educational administrators.

The key area of conflict is "What will be done with under performing schools." In January the RIDE published its Protocol for Intervention According to the Protocol

Schools identified as persistently lowest-achieving require intervention by the responsible LEA [Local Educational Agency] beginning in the school year following identification by the state. There are four allowable school intervention models: turnaround model, restart model, school closure, or transformation model. If a school identified as a persistently lowest-achieving school has implemented, in whole or in part within the last two years, an intervention that meets the requirements of the turnaround, restart, or transformation models, the school may continue or complete the intervention being implemented.

The first battle in implementing these plans is taking place in Central Falls, where the Superintendent of Schools has just issued pink slips to all faculty members of the high school. In a interview with both the Superintendent, Frances Gallo, and American Federation of Teachers union rep James Parisi, videoed Friday on CBS station WPRI's NewsMakers program scheduled for Sunday February 14th, it is obvious this will be a major watershed for the Rhode Island public education system. That episode of NewsMakers is presented below,



How do you feel about this? Your comments are welcomed.

The Rhode Island 2011 Budget: WHAT WOULD YOU CUT, HOW AND WHY?

Rhode Islanders, like everyone, are complaining about their taxes, federal, state and local. But how many of them know what they are talking about? How many know how much of a free ride they are getting from others? How much others are getting a free ride off of them?

Do you know what the budget for running the state of RI is?
Have you ever thought of looking at it, analyzing what is there?
Do you know who is paying for what?
Or, Are you relying on the special interests to explain to you why they should get more and pay less?
Have you ever cornered your representative or senator and demanded to know what and why he or she is voting for a certain expenditure or tax?

Citizenship requires constant vigilance. If you are just complaining and whining but not taking any action to correct the problem, then the problem is you and not the government's.

The role of government is to respond to the needs and desires of its citizens. In a democracy that means responding to those who are exercising their first amendment right to the petition the government to help them with their grievances.

Reading the Providence Journal, and the comments often made to stories appearing there, I am amazed at the stupidity and lack of civility that many "thoughtful" citizens express. They rejoice in their 1st amendment right of free speech and the opportunity use a free press to spill their vial prejudices and ignorant opinions. But how many are following through with their responsibilities?

Are they using their right of free assembly to get together with others air their common concern to work out realistic solutions for the problems they see?

How many take the time and the effort to put those realistic solutions down on paper and bring them to their representation?

How many petition their representative for a hearing? And then, how many actually back their proposal and to push for their adoption.

I don't always agree with the Governor or the legislature. But I do understand the situation they find themselves in as public servants. If everyone hates you, then what is to be gained from trying help those who hate you, especially when your friends will happily reward you for your favors by reelecting you?

Sometimes weakness is strength. President Obama has been hamstrung by the Democratic majority in Congress. So has the Republican minority. With the election in Massachusetts of Senator Brown, Obama and liberal Republicans are freer to move to the center. Neither is totally accountable to their party any longer, their vote is no longer the determining factor to achieve party tactical advantage.

Each republican is now accountable to the voters in their state. And the President is now accountable to the American voters, all of those who help put him in office.

The real power in this country is among the independent, non- affiliated voters, a group of ranging from the politically alienated to the political centrists. It is here where the horse trading should take place, not with their radical cores of ideological party hacks.

Don't let these hacks and their media blowhards pigeonhole you into their simplistic categories of liberal or conservative.

The former don't know when to stop run and the latter doesn't know when to get off first base. If you are like me you want to get around the bases and score and not get thrown out or left on base.

But unless these independents stop whining, start rallying around their issues, and take responsibility for proposing realistic, actionable solutions to those issues, their voices will not be heard.

Right now we are seeing the birth of movement -- the Tea Party movement. Conservatives are trying to capture the energy they see there for their own agenda. Liberals are frightened by it. And entrepreneurial husksters, such as Sarah Palin and Steve Laffee, are making small fortunes exploiting them. Hopefully, as the dust settles, the emotional high runs its course and the opportunists go on to other victims, some real thought and leadership will emerge from the Tea party movement. Leadership and thought which will foster innovation designed to address real problems rather than current sloganeering. We will see!

In Rhode Island, we have a General Assembly bought and paid for by the donors to the Democrat party and a Republican party on oxygen. This is just the type of situation where a third party effort is needed at the grassroots. The only way to break the party stranglehold on individual legislators is to create an opportunity for local representatives and senators to vote their conscience. To do this means to free them from the monopoly power of party bosses. Here again the independents, united on the basis of their local concerns and interests, actively exercising their 1st amendment rights to the fullest, can provide the political cover these local representatives need.

If you think that public debt is too high, fine. How would you change it and where would you change it and have you really tested whether your solution can work?

The fiscal problems we face as a nation and as a state are too big and too important for you to sit in the stands. It is time to get off the bench and get out there and help solve the problems. It is time to put up or shut up. If you chose to shut up, just remember then that you are the problem. And, I know you won’t like the solution.

So here is the 2011 Rhode Island state budget proposal. Read it in detail. What don't you want in it, what do you want in it? How are you going to pay for it? And remember, the whole thing has to balance.

For more information about the Rhode Island budget for 2011 click here.

Are Rhode Island Students worth investing in?

In an article published on January 14th, 2010 Teachers, R.I. education chief still at loggerheads over reform, By Jennifer D. Jordan,(page 1 Section A,) some very serious issues were raised. These are and should be central to the 2010 General Assembly election.

This is a debate for the heart and mind and welfare of Rhode Island and its children that the tax payers, politicians and educational establishment can have. Either we can come to an agreement about which is really important, teacher's rights or student's best interests and their futures, or we can watch as Rhode Island becomes less and less competitive in today's world.

Let's ask some basic questions.

Why do we need students? And, Can the teachers' unions survive without them?
Why do we need teachers unions? And, Can students learn without them?

These are not chicken or egg questions.

Humanity has survived because of children, not because of teachers unions.
Society is better off because Professional Teachers are a real asset to the community. They can assist the children in learning the skills that will make them productive citizens.

But today’s Teacher unions present teachers to the community, not as professionals, but as a commodity. Teachers are treated and treat themselves, as laborers, hired to put in X number of hours at a price and required only "to work to rule." The Teacher's Union are organized on a big business vs big labor model that no longer is valid nor viable in the 21st century economic environment

Educating and training a child is NOT like cooking a BIG MAC. A manufacturing, labor/management business model is no longer appropriate for creating a 21st Century educational system or workforce.

Children do not benefit from a labor union organized to serve the interests of the membership.The unions are not a necessity for the child to learn. What children and society needs is a profession that establishes and enforces performance standards on it members for the benefit of their clients.

A 21st century educational system requires a professional teaching force with the skill and empathy to understand the individual needs of each child and how to address his or her unique needs and issues in an ever more complex world. It needs teachers who can work with parents in the interest of the child, not blackmail taxpaying parents into more benefits.

Granted, we cannot afford to do this on a one to one basis, but we can create environments where we maximize the skills that good teachers can bring to the student.

If the teachers’ unions were professional associations, such as the AMA, ABA, etc., they would be supporting and, in fact, be demanding that that their members meet high evaluation, and accountability standards. Quality performance would be their first goal, not seniority rights.

A revolutionary approach is called for to bring Rhode Island education into the 21st Century. Such an approach is being presented to us now by Education Commissioner Gist. It questions the basic assumptions of the system. But to succeed all parties must buy into the idea of finding solutions and NOT just fight rear guard actions to protect personal or special interest privileges.

The stalemate between the unions and administration over existing contracts, constructed in an age of plenty, don't do anything to prepare today's student nor address the system needs for the future. And they certainly don't help the parents or tax payer.

How long do Rhode Island children have to wait for the adults to grow up and solve the problem, not just fight over it?

Update: Providence and Foster teachers have, with reservation, joined the state in competing for the Race to the Top federal grant. NEA, and the other 36 unions including Central Falls, seem to have decided that their self interest is more important. Rhode Island students are just not worth it?

A New American Revolution???

The American Revolution began on June 10th 1772 with the burning HMS Gaspee in Narragansett Bay in the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.

As reported in a London newspaper and reprinted in the Virginia Gazette (October 15, 1772 -- note they didn't have Twitter back then)

London, July 18

From Rhode Island we received advice that one of his Majesty's ships of war, interrupting the trade of some smugglers in that neighbourhood, the people rose up, and thinking it patriotism to resist the laws of this country, burnt the ship's boats, and carried their commerce in triumph to their own habitations.

The conduct of Rhode Islanders, on the foregoing occasion, it is thought, will be productive of much disturbance in America. If our government resents it with the spirit they ought we shall have fresh exclamations from the sons of liberty beyond the Atlantic; and if they do not, the colonies are immediately discharged from their dependence upon England. The Mother country and the colonies are now come to a kind of crisis, and one or the other must necessarily give way in the dispute. Should the former, however, relax from her just authority, she may as well resign all her dependent territories, and content herself with what is merely contained in her own island.

A year and a half later on December 16th, 1773...,

In Boston, the arrival of three tea ships ignited a furious reaction. The crisis came to a head on December 16, 1773 when as many as 7,000 agitated locals milled about the wharf where the ships were docked. A mass meeting at the Old South Meeting House that morning resolved that the tea ships should leave the harbor without payment of any duty. A committee was selected to take this message to the Customs House to force release of the ships out of the harbor. The Collector of Customs refused to allow the ships to leave without payment of the duty. Stalemate. The committee reported back to the mass meeting and a howl erupted from the meeting hall. It was now early evening and a group of about 200 men, some disguised as Indians, assembled on a near-by hill. Whopping war chants, the crowd marched two-by-two to the wharf, descended upon the three ships and dumped their offending cargos of tea into the harbor waters.

This morning I awoke to read and hear that The Kennedy Senate seat in Massachusetts had been captured by a Republican, Scott Brown, a relatively unknown.

Later I went to a breakfast meeting sponsored by the RISC (Rhode Island Statewide Coalition)for Small Business. The agenda was to unveil a strategy for the small business owners in Rhode Island to become a political force equal to their economic presents in the state. Small business represents 97% of the businesses in the state and employs 57% of the state's workers, according to RISC.

Underrepresented in the General Assembly, over-taxed and easily dismissed by the traditional powers that have ruled Rhode Island for close to a century, small business is stirring. RISC, founded in 2003, as a grassroots organization is inviting small business to flex its muscle.

This morning we witnessed a presentation of strategy and the tactical approach for small businesses to become politically active. The crowd of small business owners who attended the meeting are being asked to participate in a program designed to win back the General Assemble over the next 9 months. for the core of Rhode Island producers and employers. In turn, this will set the stage to bring about fundamental change in the state's economic policy. In turn it was suggested that this would set the state back on a course of positive economic growth and development.

Today we are seeing the true beginnings of a revolution in the New England political environment. What happened in Massachusetts will have national ramifications. But what happened this morning in Warwick, RI not far from Gaspee Point, will have immediate impact on the daily lives of Rhode Islanders.

In the coming days and weeks we will be following this revolution on this blog. Stay tuned.

Entrepreneurship is a Rhode Island Legacy

Happy New Year

Over the past year we have seen and commented on some of major issues facing Rhode Island. These are well known by now. But not enough is said about the good things arising from our heritage and our legacy. This year our resolution is to focus on the positives that are at the core of this state and which are often neglected in the political gamesmanship that is Rhode Island's favorite sport.

Here is an example of the hidden secrets that go on day to day unrecognized and unheralded. Clear Carbon and Components Inc. is a boat-building business that has survived the ups and downs of a tough economy. This Bristol company now makes a wide range of products from lightweight springs to military components to a black carbon-fiber cello owned by Yo-Yo Ma. Today, this entrepreneurial company depends on recreational boating for about 15 percent of its business. See
"R.I. boat builders stay afloat by navigating new markets — from aerospace to cellos"

The Rhode Island arts community continues to be a shining light adding to the quality of life and general welfare in the community. Even in the poor economy and its impact on the nonprofit sector, Trinity Repretory has been able to step forward during this recent cold spell and help out the homeless.



These are the types of examples we need to be seeing and we will try to bring you over the new year.