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Hold on to your wallet, the boys are back in town

Christopher Curran
Posted 1/6/16

Those rascals on Smith Hill are back in session this week, and the favorite phrase of President Ronald Reagan comes immediately to mind: “There you go again.”

Hopefully, this session will be …

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View on the News

Hold on to your wallet, the boys are back in town

Posted

Those rascals on Smith Hill are back in session this week, and the favorite phrase of President Ronald Reagan comes immediately to mind: “There you go again.”

Hopefully, this session will be more productive and the legislators will truly work to serve the people rather than accommodate the connected. Perceptions of the 113 representatives and senators vary dependent upon the prism through which one views them. The governor may see them as obstructionists to her agenda. To the speaker of the House and the Senate president, they may seem to be pliable minions ready to go along to get along. Many part-time legislators vote without contemplation or adequate review of pending bills, as we have realized in the 38 Studios debacle. Their willingness to be blindly led by, and ignorantly vote in tandem with, the Democrat hierarchy will continue as long as they can display their titles and can strut around like parading peacocks presenting their plumage for all to pay homage to their status.

However, unlike many past legislative sessions, last year the voices of disenchanted citizens exercising their First Amendment rights where able to impede certain ramrod agendas, such as the bridge tolling effort. This ill-conceived plan was at least stifled after the proposal glided through the state Senate. Additionally, the PawSox stadium proposal never made it to the chamber due in large part to the interdiction demonstrated by overwhelming public complaints.

As we embark on another legislative session, we must pose the obvious questions. What revisions of existing laws, or what new laws, will these bodies impose upon us? Will the House respond to public distrust and unrest as they did last session and not push through programs that the majority of citizens do not want, like bridge tolling and illegal immigrant driver’s licenses? With powerful issues like infrastructure, gun control, criminal justice reform, charter school funding, the Tiverton gaming proposal, and the ever-growing size of the state budget, this year could be a pivotal year of positive dynamism or sadly just another year of status quo stagnancy.

In our disjointed General Assembly, where there are only 11 Republicans in the House and four Republicans in the Senate, the promise of positive egalitarian discourse is suppressed by the eternal majority of Democrats. Therefore, the only way the righteous can thwart bad legislation is to be vigilant and to galvanize the voices of citizens. Considering this year’s impending agenda, all concerned Rhode Islanders need to be aware and vocal. As the great political humorist Will Rogers once said: “The deepest well a citizen can drown in is a well of apathy.”

First and foremost on the General Assembly’s agenda will be the latest revised proposal for truck tolling to pay for infrastructure repair. Mishandled from the start, Gov. Gina Raimondo’s initial proposal was untenable, and her subsequent proposal garners $600 million for road works projects and almost an equal amount of interest and fees on the borrowed money. This is a good deal for bond investors and a poor deal for the always put-upon Rhode Islander, no matter who is doing the calculus. The program relies upon a dedicated revenue stream from overly estimated truck tolls to pay the bonded debt incurred. Thus, when the bonds must be paid and there is an inevitable shortfall, either the Ocean State taxpayer will have be levied with an increased burden or, more likely, they will simply include all passenger vehicles in the tolling. Furthermore, if this ludicrous plan comes to fruition and the 17 to 22 toll-collecting gantries are built, the foreboding image of them in our state’s landscape will have the same effect as the dormant, ill-fated Sakonnet River Bridge gantry did. People will rebel after the money is already expended to construct these monuments to poor government. Obviously, all drivers will try to circumnavigate these bloodsucking stations, which will put undue strain on suburban streets.

In response to this wrong-headed proposal, a Republican action group led by West Warwick/Coventry Rep. Patricia Morgan has developed a pay-as-you-go plan that enlists mild cuts and revenue redirection to accomplish the same goal. However, the governor, speaker, and Senate president are apparently against it. Considering that we currently have an $8.7 billion budget that is twice what it was just 15 years ago, the Democrats do not want to shave only 1 percent per year of their outrageous spending.

Similarly, the Rhode Island Trucking Association has stated it is willing to pay more in fuel taxes and fees to assist the effort and avoid the gantries. Yet, the administration is not interested.

Both the speaker and the Senate president have stated “they are committed to an unusually productive winter session.” Senate President Theresa Paiva-Weed and her following lemmings undoubtedly will rubber stamp the final bill, whatever form it takes, whereas Speaker Nicholas Mattiello has already stated he perceives the final plan to be a hybrid of tolling and increased fees.

Nevertheless, it is likely that despite the majority of Rhode Islanders not wanting tolling and increased indebtedness, some version of the plan will prevail in spite of our sentiments.

Another issue to be decided will be the campaign promise of the governor, driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants. The overt reasons stated by Raimondo are that by issuing driver’s licenses to these lawbreakers, they will abide by insurance requirements and register and safeguard their autos. This most preposterous assumption is that those who have disregarded our system of laws thus far will suddenly comply when it comes to their motor vehicles. Illegal immigrants will use these licenses as legitimate identification for any number of purposes, while not ensuring they will insure anything. Chances are the liberal General Assembly will pass this mistake into law.

Equally likely to pass will be a new distribution of funding in regard to charter schools. The National Education Association – and for that matter virtually all teachers’ unions – cast aspersions on the very idea of charter schools, which they claim steal money away from public schools. Since many public school teachers populate the General Assembly and the body is lobbied heavily, chances are the more effective charter schools will be financially starved to death.

On the contrary, the issue of gun control will be addressed with an attempt to further restrict gun ownership. Yet, unlike other matters, the speaker may not be on board with possible proposed changes. Mattiello stated: “Let’s start with the premise that Rhode Island already has one of the 10 strictest gun laws amongst the states.” The speaker’s first reaction seems to indicate he will not indulge the governor on this turbulent political issue, which would help her with national Democrats who perceive her as a rising star within the party.

As the third largest source of revenue, gambling is a vital subject, especially in regard to the Tiverton proposal. The Tiverton Town Council has voted to approve a casino and hotel developed by Newport Grand owners Twin River. The General Assembly must decide whether to allow a local and state referendum on the matter this upcoming November. This is a no-brainer – it will pass.

In regard to corrections in our criminal justice system, the fact that Rhode Island has the third-highest probation rate in the nation has raised the hackles of certain politicos. Also, there is an inequity in the numbers of minority convicts versus white convicts. There might be an attempt at some social legislation to try to adjust the imbalance. Action in this matter assumes a prejudice that may not be present, as well as an indirection of judges that also may not be accurate.

Similarly, in the aftermath of former Lt. Gov. Richard Licht’s questionable appointment to the bench a couple of years ago, the manner of judicial appointments and legislative certification of judges has raised new examination. The General Assembly will likely execute some type of reform, which is most probably warranted.

All in all, as we anticipate another legislative year, we hope that those sworn to serve our interests will do just that. The enduring hope is that our officials will hear our voices of discontent and respond accordingly. The 38 Studios mentality that assaulted our sensibilities as citizens and emptied our collective pocketbooks hopefully has gone the way of the dodo. Perhaps we citizens will be pleasantly surprised this term, and pomp and pretension will take a back seat to earnest and informed deliberation!

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