Anthony Mastrostefano: Why I’m Running for State Rep.

Saturday, October 13, 2012

Anthony Mastrostefano, GoLocalProv Guest MINDSETTER™

Sometimes a person needs to step up! Rhode Island has had double digit unemployment since 2009. We are losing both population and businesses. Our cities and towns are teetering on insolvency and economists estimates it will take seven years for our employment rate to return to 2007 levels. I decided to run for state representative because I have not seen our government take effective action to address these problems.

This year, once again, the Democrat controlled legislature will declare this is a race on issues. The fore most issue in 2012 will be the same as it was in 2010; the economy. To them, issues are a wonderful thing. You can run on them, win, and then do nothing to solve them. In the next election, you can run on them again. During the 2010 election we had the 3^rd worst unemployment in the nation, now it’s the 2^nd worst. CNBC ranked our business environment 48^th in 2008, 49^th in 2010, and 50^th in 2012. After two years of the politics of issues, our economy has worsened.

My campaign will be about solutions. I am qualified. I was born into a Rhode Island family business that my Dad started in 1946 which my brother and I are still running. I have a Masters Degree in Business Administration, which means I understand business and a Bachelors Degree in Engineering, which means that I have been trained in problem solving. I know firsthand the challenges that Rhode Island businesses face every day. Most importantly, I have a clear understanding of what the problem is with Rhode Island’s economy and what needs to be done to fix it.

The correct answer for Rhode Island’s economy lies in its business environment. We can no longer focus on a single business or industry as a means of bypassing the hard work that needs to be done to make Rhode Island flourish. Nor can we kid ourselves into believing that some building, property, educational foundation, highway, or government agency will magically transform our economy. To drastically change our economic environment from worst in the nation status, we must drastically change our policies. Incremental steps, half steps, or politically safe steps will only keep our state’s work force suppressed. To change, we must change!

Policies on corporate income and capital gains tax must be addressed. The negative regulatory climate, high energy costs and excessive health insurance mandates must be changed. Personal income tax, estate tax, property tax, excise taxes must be lowered. The changes must be great enough to have an impact. We are looking to be noticed as a state on the move and not one haplessly clinging to the status quo.

I have created a website. WWW.JOBSFORRI.COM. Please take some time to look it over. You will find details in it. If you agree with my reasoning, goals, and polices, please support me. If we want Rhode Island to prosper, our government must stop looking at the business community as a source of revenue. They must view them as a source of jobs!

Anthony Mastrostefano is a candidate for State Representative District 74.

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Comments:

anthony sionni

12:08pm on Saturday, October 13, 2012

sounds good to me,the so called leaders that we have now are doing nothing about our economy!

Samuel Bell

5:06pm on Saturday, October 13, 2012

I love the concession that liberals are right about getting rid of the $500 per year minimum business tax.

But the rest of the plan just doesn't add up. If you're going to drastically slash taxes, you've got to cut programs or raise other taxes to make the math add up. And Mastrostefano won't say what he'll cut or what taxes he'll raise. It's easy to promise goodies like tax cuts for everyone. The hard part is saying how you'll pay for those tax cuts. And pretending it'll come for free is just plain dishonest.

Conservatives in the General Assembly have long tried to sell us on big income tax cuts for the rich that they pretend come for free but are actually paid for by stealing big piles of money from the cities and towns. Now, all our cities are really struggling, which is terrible for our economy. To close the gap, they have to lay a bunch of good people off and send our property taxes through the roof. Now, it looks like Mastrostefano is promising more of the same.

Property taxes are suspiciously absent from his list of taxes to cut. So that's probably how he plans to close the gap he's created. And of course, property taxes are much worse for small businesses and the economy than any of the other taxes. So this plan would be really devastating for our economy. Small businesses and middle class families just can't take any more property tax hikes. That's where we need relief. Big income tax giveaways to the rich haven't helped in the past, and they're not going to help now.

Mr. Mastrostefano is probably hoping no one will notice he's left property taxes off his list. So let's call him out on it. Let's make him promise not to force cities to raise property taxes by cutting their budgets. And let's make him tell us how he's going to pay for all the goodies he's promising.

Anthony Mastrostefano: Why I’m Running for State Rep.

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