RIREPUBLICAN.COM

• The recycling program: You can't blame David Cicilline

       It isn't very often that I side with Providence Mayor David Cicilline, but I have trouble finding any problems with his handling of the city's "no bin, no barrel" program.  In case you haven't heard, Providence residents are required to place a blue and green recycling bin next [...]
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  Posted: November 18, 2009, 2:23pm EST
  by Infamous Hotties

• The Colbert Report addresses Rhode Island funeral bill

  The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30cThe Word - Skeletons in the Closetwww.colbertnation.comColbert Report Full EpisodesPolitical HumorU.S. Speedskating [...]
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  Posted: November 17, 2009, 6:50pm EST
  by Infamous Hotties

• Legalize or decriminalize marijuana in Rhode Island

         It's good to see the state move forward on potentially legalizing marijuana.  The commission set up to study the issue is set to release a report by January 31, 2009.  Among the questions they will attempt to address:
  
  
  

  Other topics to be explored are the effects and costs of [...]

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  Posted: November 17, 2009, 2:09pm EST
  by Infamous Hotties

• Don Carcieri's disgraceful veto

       Governor Don Carcieri has vetoed a bill that would have allowed domestic partners to claim the bodies of their partners and make funeral arrangements after their death.  The legislation seems reasonable to me, and I hope to see the General Assembly over-ride the Governor's veto.  Here is Don Carcieri's' [...]
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  Posted: November 11, 2009, 6:07pm EST
  by Damien Baldino

• What's the point Patrick?

       Like many Rhode Islanders, I was raised as a Catholic.  I was baptized, received penance, and made my first communion.  I never made my confirmation because I thought it was ridiculous.  Even at a young age, I disagreed with the church and had difficulty "confirming" my place as a [...]
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  Posted: November 10, 2009, 2:17pm EST
  by Damien Baldino

• District 10 candidates and e-verify

       Brian Hull of RIFuture.org had an interesting post today.  It asked the three candidates for the district 10 House seat 7 questions.  One question that particularly caught my attention focused on e-verify.  It certainly wasn't the most important question asked, but I was struck by the ignorance of' [...]
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  Posted: November 04, 2009, 2:15pm EST
  by Damien Baldino

• The Moderate Party's questionable contribution

       It's disappointing to see a political party which stresses ethics become embroiled in questionable financial activities.  Moderate Party founder Ken Block donated $10,000 to the party for "party building," then gave a similar donation to the Barrington Moderate Party, which then turned around and gave it to the [...]
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  Posted: November 03, 2009, 7:29pm EST
  by Damien Baldino

• It's official: Rhode Island is as wrong as the other states

       It's official: Indoor prostitution is illegal in Rhode Island.  Representative Joanne Giannini acknowledges that prostitution will not go away and adds, "...it means Rhode Island will no longer be a safe haven for pimping and trafficking, and the victimization of young women."  Despite the exaggerations being passed on [...]
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  Posted: November 03, 2009, 7:03pm EST
  by Damien Baldino

• Churches think we should ignore immigration law

       The Rhode Island State Council of Churches has issued some guidelines for people of faith to consider in regards to illegal immigration.  Strangely, the council says, “It is not clear if the U.S. economy is improved or worsened by immigration,” yet if feels compelled to issue a list of [...]
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  Posted: November 02, 2009, 12:43pm EST
  by Damien Baldino

• Dede Scozzafava’s decision: Great for conservatives, not so great for moderates

  Originally posted on Pundit.net    
  
  
  I was surprised to hear about Dede Scozzafava’s decision to suspend her campaign for a Congressional seat in New York’s 23rd district. Since she is currently running third in the polls, her chances of running were slim, and the chances of splitting Republican votes [...]

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  Posted: November 01, 2009, 1:37pm EST
  by Damien Baldino

• An idea to prevent utility shut-offs

       State representative Art Handy wrote about a bill he hopes to have passed during this session.  If passed, it would allow individuals who are behind on their utility bills to get out of debt.  It works like this: Individuals who are behind on their utility bills would pay [...]
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  Posted: October 28, 2009, 2:42pm EDT
  by Damien Baldino

• The prostitution bill: Out of business, out of a job

       It's unfortunate, but it seems like the General Assembly is almost certain to criminalize indoor prostitution.  A few members of the House and Senate will vote no, but it will likely pas overwhelmingly.  It's unfortunate that so many members of the General Assembly seem to either be reluctant to [...]
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  Posted: October 28, 2009, 2:22pm EDT
  by Damien Baldino

• 'Trashing' Roger Willams

       Historian Patrick Conley wrote an excellent letter to the editor refuting claims made by Rhode Island College adjunct professor Julianne Jennings' statements about Roger Williams.  Ms. Jennings wants everyone to know "the truth" about Roger Williams, and is pushing for the Department of Transportation to install a' [...]
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  Posted: October 27, 2009, 7:00pm EDT
  by Damien Baldino

• Who will run for Governor besides Rory Smith?

       I was listening to WPRO talk show host Dan Yorke criticize GOP gubernatorial candidate Rory Smith yesterday.  Unfortunately, the criticism seems to be well-deserved.  I started hearing Rory Smith's name mentioned for Governor about a month ago.  At that time, I had never heard of him.  Since his decision [...]
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  Posted: October 27, 2009, 2:36pm EDT
  by Damien Baldino

• A full-time legislature is not necessary

       Once again, there is talk about having a full-time legislature in Rhode Island.  Frank Ciccone is planning to push a bill which would reduce the size of the House from 75 to 50 members, and the Senate from 38 to 25 members.  Each of these individuals would receive [...]
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  Posted: October 27, 2009, 8:22am EDT
  by Damien Baldino

• Teacher's union shows its true colors

       Here are two quotes from Education Commissioner Deborah Gist, who plans on ending the practice of assigning teachers based solely on seniority:
  
  
  “In my view,” Gist said in a news statement, “no system that bases teacher assignments solely on seniority can comply with this regulation.”
  
  
  

  “I will use every tool [...]

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  Posted: October 24, 2009, 9:38pm EDT
  by Damien Baldino

• The Rhode Island prostitution debate

       There will be hearings at the State House this week on a bill which would make indoor prostitution illegal.  Check out the links below to get some information you might not find in the Providence Journal:    
  
  * Providence Daily Dose has a great article about the exaggerations and lies being told [...]
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  Posted: October 24, 2009, 2:50pm EDT
  by Damien Baldino

• Lower the volume and be nicer to terrorists?

       As you may recall, liberals were appalled that a few terorists had to endure waterboarding.  To them, pouring water over the face of a terrorist was the epitome of evil.  Sure, some of these people were responsible for the death of more than 3,000 American on 9/11 and would [...]
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  Posted: October 24, 2009, 1:01pm EDT
  by Damien Baldino

• A gross receipts tax could be a great idea

       There is talk that some in state government are considering the implementation of a gross receipts tax.  If implemented, the tax would apply to the gross revenue earned by a business, rather than just it's net income.  Studies anticipate bringing in approximately $511 million dollars if a 1% [...]
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  Posted: October 23, 2009, 7:56pm EDT
  by Damien Baldino

• Deborah Gist to end appointments based on seniority

       State Education Commissioner Deborah Gist has announced that school districts must stop using seniority to assign teachers.  So what will happen now?  Will the best teachers be chosen for a particular position rather than the one who just happened to hang on the longest?  What a novel idea!
  
       [...]
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  Posted: October 23, 2009, 7:45pm EDT
  by Damien Baldino

• Patrick Kennedy is 'irresponsible and ignorant'

       If you follow politics in Rhode Island, then you know that Patrick Kennedy rarely debates opponents or hosts meetings with constituents.  When he does, they are usually done under a controlled set of circumstances in order to conceal his incompetence.  If you doubt this, just take a look at [...]
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  Posted: October 23, 2009, 7:08pm EDT
  by Damien Baldino

• Rhode Island's 'pigs at the trough'

       The quote of the day comes from Bristol Democrat Douglas Gablinske during a State House hearing regarding binding arbitration for teacher's unions: “Do you not think that the pigs at the public trough have gone too far?”   Representative Gablinske's thoughts just about summarize my own, and to answer [...]
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  Posted: October 22, 2009, 2:41pm EDT
  by Damien Baldino

• Obama administration to cut executive compensation

       I'm a big believer in small government and free markets.  Government certainly has a role in our lives, but it needs to be limited.  Unfortunately, the role of government has continued to increase, while its size has grown.  It's easy to focus solely on Barack Obama's socialistic tendencies, but' [...]
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  Posted: October 21, 2009, 6:10pm EDT
  by Damien Baldino

• Rory Smith files notice of organization

       Businessman Rory Smith has filed a notice of organization with the Board of Elections, one of the first steps in a potential run for Governor.  I don't know much about Rory Smith, but he seems to have a solid background.  I'm also relieved that someone besides Joe Trillo has [...]
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  Posted: October 21, 2009, 5:52pm EDT
  by Damien Baldino

• CNN poll: 51% of Americans Disagree with Barack Obama

       According to a new CNN poll, 51% of Americans disagree with the way Barack Obama handles issues that are important to them.  This number is up from 41% in April.  Results from two polls certainly don't indicate a meaningful trend, but it does indicate that Americans may be' [...]
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  Posted: October 20, 2009, 6:41pm EDT
  by Damien Baldino

• Providence's recycling program has potential, but questions remain

       The City of Providence will place a greater emphasis on recycling beginning on November 2nd.  This will certainly have a positive effect on the environment, but is probably being pushed for mostly economic reasons.  When cities and towns take garbage to the landfill, they need to pay a tipping [...]

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  Posted: October 19, 2009, 7:50pm EDT
  by Damien Baldino

• 1,502 page Senate Finance Committee health bill released

       The Senate Finance Committee filed its 1,502 health care bill  today.  I haven't had a chance to read it yet, but if you're feeling ambitious, you can find it here.  By the way, you might want to check out how much your health insurance costs.  If your [...]
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  Posted: October 19, 2009, 6:59pm EDT
  by Damien Baldino

• Obama administration to cut back on marijuana prosecutions

       As regular readers of this blog know, I don't agree with Barack Obama on much, but today I found something I agree with him on.  The Obama Administration has instructed federal prosecutors to respect state laws when pursuing cases involving medical marijuana, and to focus on cases involving' [...]
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  Posted: October 19, 2009, 6:41pm EDT
  by Damien Baldino

• The social security COLA isn't necessary

       Those receiving social security benefits received large cost of living adjustments last year.  An increase sounds great at first glance, but the raise didn't make much of a difference for most people.  Since the rate of inflation was high, due mainly to rising energy costs, the COLA merely helped' [...]
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  Posted: October 19, 2009, 6:07pm EDT
  by Damien Baldino

• Fences and walls: This is stimulating?

       I'm a life-long resident of Providence's Hartford neighborhood.  Recently, I've seen some interesting things taking place, especially around the Hartford Park area, where some nice wrought iron fences were put up along Hartford Ave.  This caught me by surprise, since there were already fences there, and the replacement fence looks [...]
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  Posted: October 19, 2009, 2:32pm EDT
  by Damien Baldino

• The Nobel Peace Prize: Barack Obama 1, Mahatma Gandhi 0

       Did you know that Mahatma Ghandi was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize 5 times?  Despite these nominations, he never won the Peace Prize.  Think about that for a second.  A person whose name is synonymous with peace over a period of many years was consistently ignored, yet [...]
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  Posted: October 09, 2009, 7:56pm EDT
  by Damien Baldino

• Rio de Janeiro will host the 2016 Olympic Games

        It's official: Rio de Janeiro will host the 2016 Olympic Games.  They were chosen over Chicago, Tokyo, and Madrid, and it will also mark the first time the Olympics will be on South American Soil.  I must say, I'm happy for both Rio de Janeiro and Chicago.  Let' [...]
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  Posted: October 02, 2009, 10:39am EDT
  by Damien Baldino

• Glenn Beck was correct...sort of

       Rather than fighting for health care or working on cap-and trade, Barack Obama has been working on trying to bring the Olympics to Chicago in 2016. Maybe it's better that he is distracted from that nightmare legislation, but I digress.  One vocal opponent of the President has been Glenn [...]

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  Posted: October 01, 2009, 9:26pm EDT
  by Damien Baldino

• Patrick Kennedy doesn't like 'extremists'

       I'm not going to mince words. I think Patrick Kennedy is an incompetent buffoon who coasts through life on his family name.  It seems that the more he talks, the more he just confirms my impressions, which I'm sure are shared by a great deal of Rhode Islanders.  That [...]
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  Posted: October 01, 2009, 9:00pm EDT
  by Damien Baldino

• Elizabeth Dennigan resigns to run for Congress

       Elizabeth Dennigan has resigned from the House in order to run for Congress against James Langevin.  This isn't surprising, but what is surprising is that Dennigan moved to the Second Congressional District to run against Langevin rather than stay in the first District to run against Kennedy.  Both would' [...]
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  Posted: October 01, 2009, 8:51pm EDT
  by Damien Baldino

• Governor Carcieri is right about illegal aliens

       Rhode Island Governor Don Carcieri spoke about the health care debate, and mentioned the impact of illegal aliens.  The Governor had this to say:
  
  
  

  "A large portion of the uninsured, it's true nationally, but probably even a greater proportion in our case, are illegal immigrants, they're immigrants, OK, many'" [...]

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  Posted: October 01, 2009, 8:23pm EDT
  by Damien Baldino

• William Murphy is proud of the House

       I was reading about House Speaker William Murphy's departure from the General Assembly, and the last sentence of the story jumped off the page: "Murphy also said he is proud of the way the General Assembly has handled the state budget."  Yes, you read that correctly. 
  
       William [...]
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  Posted: October 01, 2009, 8:13pm EDT
  by Damien Baldino

• Patrick Kennedy announces a town hall meeting, but you can't go!

       Are you a member of one of the following groups:
  
  
  Rhode Island AARP
  Rhode Island State Nurses Association
  Retired Teachers Association
  Media
  
  
       If you are, and you received an invitation, then you may attend Congressman Patrick Kennedy's town hall meeting at the Providence Marriott.  Sure, you might be a constituent and have serious [...]
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  Posted: September 22, 2009, 2:57pm EDT
  by Damien Baldino

• Once again, Rhode Island has one of the worst tax climates

       A study by the Tax Foundation found that Rhode Island has one of the worst tax climates in the country, ranking 44th among the 50 states.  The study looked at corporate tax, income tax, sales tax, property tax, and unemployment insurance tax.  If you normally follow this issue, [...]
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  Posted: September 22, 2009, 2:34pm EDT
  by Damien Baldino

• Rhode Island's poverty rate is highest in New Engalnd, New Hampshire's is lowest

       The rate of poverty in Rhode Island rose 3%  to 12.7%, which is the highest level in New England.  Linda Katz, policy director of the Poverty Institute had this to say,  "So many people have lost their jobs.  The increase in poverty is related to the fact that people" [...]
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  Posted: September 21, 2009, 7:47pm EDT
  by Damien Baldino

• Rhode Island House and Senate to convene in late October

       The Rhode Island House and Senate will be back in session on October 28th, and 29th.  Originally, they were supposed to return in early October, then it was pushed to mid-October, and now the end of October.  Here's a great idea: Maybe they should just wait until January.  [...]
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  Posted: September 16, 2009, 1:39pm EDT
  by Damien Baldino

• WWE CEO Linda McMahon running for Senate against Chris Dodd

       World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) CEO Linda McMahon has announced that she will be running for U.S. Senate in Connecticut as a Republican.  If she wins the party's nomination, she will face Chris Dodd in the general election in 2010.  Mrs. McMahon says she will largely self-finance her campaign [...]
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  Posted: September 16, 2009, 1:19pm EDT
  by Damien Baldino

• Conservatives need to stop the foolishness

       A small number of conservatives worry me.  I appreciate the passion they bring to protests and debates, but their methods and focus are sometimes questionable.  I watched footage of Saturday's Tea Party protest in Washington, D.C., and I was thrilled to see such a large, vocal crowd.  For far [...]
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  Posted: September 16, 2009, 12:52pm EDT
  by Damien Baldino

• Are you ready for a 15% tax increase?

       It looks like the "cap and trade" energy bill approved by the House could end up costing each American family an average of $1,761 each year, which translates into a tax of 15%.  You might be thinking that this is just a conservative exaggeration, but it isn't.  This' [...]
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  Posted: September 16, 2009, 12:42pm EDT
  by Damien Baldino

• Jimmy Carter thinks Joe Wilson is a racist

       Former President Jimmy Carter knows why Representative Joe WIlson shouted, "you lie" during Barack Obama's speech last week.  It's all because of racism.  Here is Mr. Carter's reasoning:
  
  
  

  "I think it's based on racism," Carter said at a town hall held at his presidential center in Atlanta. "There" [...]

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  Posted: September 15, 2009, 11:25pm EDT
  by Damien Baldino

• More pettiness on display in the House

       House Democrats are gearing up to pass a resolution of disapproval.  As I've written before, Joe Wilson's behavior was inappropriate and indefensible.  While I disagree with the President on a myriad of issues, this lack of respect called for a personal apology.  What House Democrats seem to' [...]
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  Posted: September 15, 2009, 12:42pm EDT
  by Damien Baldino

• Downtown residents need to lighten up, and Providence needs to get creative

       They're at it again.  The geniuses who rented apartments and purchased condominiums downtown, then complain about the clubs and bars around their new home.  The latest complaint involves the transfer of the Complex's liquor license to a new owner who  wants to renovate the building and open a' [...]
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  Posted: September 14, 2009, 2:38pm EDT
  by Damien Baldino

• RIRepublican.com news, notes, and updates

       This is an RIRepublican.com update.  It's very similar to the last one, but if you didn't see it, it's new to you!
  
  
  *  If you're on Twitter, check out my profile and follow me.
  
  *  I'm looking for fellow Republicans  who would like to join RIRepublican.com.  If you have something' [...]
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  Posted: September 10, 2009, 7:20pm EDT
  by Damien Baldino

• Joe Wilson vs. Barack Obama: 'You lie!'

       As I was watching Barack Obama's speech last night, I heard some things I didn't like.  During the second half of the speech, I heard someone shout something at the President.  He was trying to assure everyone that illegal immigrants would not receive health benefits, but I didn't hear [...]
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  Posted: September 10, 2009, 6:41pm EDT
  by Damien Baldino

• MBTA approves service to Warwick and North Kingstown

       Rhode Island has just become a bit more convenient.  The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has approved an expansion of service to two new train stations in Rhode Island by 2011.  The new stations are located in Warwick, approximately 1,500 feet from T.F. Green Airport, and North Kingstown.  A tentative [...]
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  Posted: September 10, 2009, 3:11pm EDT
  by Damien Baldino