Chafee Must Declare a Financial State of Emergency
Monday, February 11, 2013
residents to stay off the roads and stay in their homes. Mother Nature's wrath is falling white and cold across the Northeast, but a worse disaster has descended on the New England states, one worse than
intolerant Puritanism or even state-sponsored statism.
The fiscal crisis of underfunded and unpaid pension obligations weigh heavily on voters and state representatives, worse than a superstorm, which will not only demolish houses but undo the legacies and savings of hard-working families, both those who worked in the public as well as the private sectors. General Treasurer Gina Raimondo has taken what precautions she can to staunch the misery of massive cuts, yet the tsunami of debt roars ever more over Rhode Island.
Beyond the fiscal fears, the demagoguery of the Democratic Party has been an unmitigated and unnatural disaster for Rhode Island. For seventy years, Democrats have dominated the state legislature, where their torrential cascade of debt, deficits, and bankrupting taxes and regulations have driven away thousands of Rhode Island residents. Only in 1983, which some have termed "The Great Fiasco", did some semblance of two-party rule return to the state, when Republicans won an unprecedented twenty-three states in the General Assembly. Today, the legislature remains dominated by the unprecedented disaster of Democratic rule.
The real "fiasco", of course, has been the frightening trend of one-party partisanship (if such a dynamic is possible) in Providence, one which has unleashed an unearthly flurry of anti-growth polices. Rhode Island has one of the worst business climates, replete with thundering regulations, hurricane-like taxes, and a snowstorm of spending which has blanketed the state in unrelenting debt. Instead of a field of powdery, gentle white, there is a thrashing sea of red ink washing along the shores and covering not just the homes, but the future of the state and its residents. The "Red Sea of Debt" is so great, that the city of Providence
may have to seek the intervention of Divine Providence to part present bondholders and taxpayers (what few that remain) from the threatened bankruptcy drowning everything.
Forget about global warming, and forget about gay marriage. The biggest crisis afflicting the state of Rhode Island is the ungodly dominance of the tax-and-spendthrift Democratic Party. However, it does not necessarily take an "Act of God" to end this heinous, disastrous dominance. In declaring a state of emergency, Gov. Chafee and supporters can enact the following reforms:
1. Pull the Master Lever once and for all. Get rid of this petty polling practice which permits one party to dominate every statewide office with one vote. Every resident in Rhode Island deserves to choose individually and selectively who will represent them at the city, the state, or even the national level. Not since the Gilded Age of political machines and politicized corruption have such hollow tactics existed. Boss Tweed of Tammany Hall would sprinkle perfume on the ballots that he wanted cast, and others have attributed the exhortation to him about tallying ballots: "It's not the number of votes that counts, but vote counters." He also quipped: "As long as I count the voters, what are you going to do about it?" The voters should do something all right, and end the Master Lever.
2. Initiate open primaries. Many parties should have the opportunity to participate in Rhode Island politics. Why should party have all the fun, partying on the taxpayer's dime? Republicans can coalesce with libertarians, or Democrats and Republicans who agree on anything can form their own party. More choices, more freedom, more power to the people.
3. Enact a Citizens' Commission to draw the boundaries for state legislative and Congressional representation. Instead of permitting the state legislature to gerrymander local and statewide seats, why not permit a select group of dedicated Rhode Islanders to draw up the districts. Instead of creating safe districts for state senators and assembly members, citizens would only take into account the geographical or at least the basic cultural similarities between and within cities.
4. Get rid of the massive number of state legislators and excessive overlapping bureaucracies. For a state as small as Rhode Island, why are so many people in public office? With every politician comes a pension, benefits, and guaranteed salary, while voters have no guarantee of any one of those perks. There is no excuse for anyone to get rich off the state, when the state merely reaps (or rapes) the profits from hard-working taxpayers, many of whom are now working hard to leave the state. Gov. Chafee, it's time to declare another state of emergency: a fiscal and political crisis. The Capital city of Providence is going bankrupt, and aside from an "Act of Providence", the well-being of your state depends on well-meaning reforms which will return the power of representation to the people instead of the politicians. End the Master Lever, open up the primaries, and let the citizens design their constituencies.
These reforms will expand choice and limit the scope of government in the lives and livelihood of Rhode Islanders.
aschaper1.blogspot.com asheisministries.blogspot.com He can be reached at arthurschaper@hotmail.com.
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Comments:
Michael Roles
12:29pm on Monday, February 11, 2013
Hey,Arthur. We have open primaries. Worry about your local matters 3,000 miles away before squawking in on our business with your lack of knowledge.
Michael Roles
12:46pm on Monday, February 11, 2013
Ah, OK. I'll clarify. The term "open primary" seems relative. I suppose the ideal open primary would emulate those of Michigan, Missouri, or Montana. Is that what you are implying, Arthur? Are you actively advocating for open primaries over there in your state of California? Also, are you voicing your grievances on fiscal issues in California as well? My other question to you is, why do you care to impose on matters in our state? I take issue with this.
Arthur Schaper
4:40pm on Monday, February 11, 2013
Michael:
Thanks for clarifying your points and sharing your opinion.
I am a classical liberal interested in free markets, free people, and free individuals.
I have a soft-spot for Rhode Island because the first true freedom fighter, Roger Williams, established the colony based on toleration, a much needed yet very lacking virtue.
I was also impressed to learn that at least one state was taking the lead on massive, comprehensive pension reform. I even asked Ms. Raimondo to sue Jerry Brown, my governor.
I believe that the Republican Party better represents free societies and free people, but more importantly, every state needs to have a real two-party tussle.
I believe in a fifty-state strategy for the GOP. It would be good for the Democratic Party, too.
By the way, I am very much involved in activities in my state, too, where I supported an independent candidate, Bill Bloomfield, to take on Henry "The Taxman" Waxman. Bloomfield helped establish open primaries in my state, too.
Portsmouth Citizen
12:49pm on Tuesday, February 12, 2013
A few points for GoLOCAL readers:
1. There is nothing LOCAL about the author. He apparently thinks he knows all he needs to know about RI without ever having set foot anywhere near the Ocean State.
2. We already have open primaries. Further, the Republican Party has had several recent internal debates about whether to close their primary, or open it further. I can’t speak for the Republican Party in RI, but I expect they don’t need an intermeddler from California telling them how to run their business.
3. The author says RI should "Get rid of the massive number of state legislators." Apparently the author is ignorant of the fact that Rhode Islanders enacted a change to our constitution to downsize the legislature not that long ago. With 39 municipalities in the state, the General Assembly now has just under one senator per municipality and under 2 representatives per municipality. That is what Rhode Islanders freely chose. New Hampshire has a House with 400 members. I don’t see the article’s author posting screed advocating they downsize.
4. In apparent criticism of RI’s Democratic Party dominance of the GA, the author says we need to have a "real two-party tussle." I don’t see him writing screeds against Wyoming’s Republican Party dominance of their House (52-8) and Senate (26-4). It seems he doesn't really want 2 party tussles so much as he just doesn’t like Democrats.
5. We here in Rhode Island love Roger Williams just as much as anyone, probably more. But, just for the record, the figure most often identified as "the first true freedom fighter" is not Roger Williams, but Judah the Maccabee.
Arthur Schaper
6:05pm on Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Frankly, supermajority GOP states are thriving! Indiana has had balanced budgets, no bankruptcies, and more workers and businesses. Michigan has more companies moving since right-to-work was passed. Wisconsin saved hundreds of millions of dollars following Walker's budget reforms.
The Democratic dominance in states like Illinois, California, and Rhode Island has created non-ideal circumstances in which taxes go up, people get fed up, and then they pack up and leave.
Such is the boon (or the bane) of federalism.
I hope that RI learns from the Red states and adopts their principles If the Demds adopt classical liberal principles, then all power to them.
I have some hope -- the RI GA wants to decriminalize pot. Raimondo is taking on pensions obligations. If only legislators who stop micromanaging marriage and balanced their budgets instead. Cutting taxes would be nice, too.