Archive for December, 2008
Site Update
Update II: The RSS and Atom feeds for Firefox are once again operational.
Update: The feeds should currently work in all browsers, except Firefox.
The RSS and Atom feeds will be inactive for a little while, while an XML maintenance issue is being taken care of. In the meantime, please enjoy the New Year’s Eve “snow” and “fireworks”!
Have a Happy New Year!
Since it’s expected to be a very snowy New Year’s Eve, we’ve turned on the OSR digital “snow” for you.
As you can see, we’re still working on the site improvements – some of which have been completed, and some of which are not quite ready yet. Our apologies for the lack of recent posts, but first things first. We should get back into the rhythm of posting timely and regular content some time next week.
Some things to look ahead to:
Later tonight, if you can bear the cold, is Providence’s Bright Night (also known as the poor man’s First Night). Unfortunately, there will not be a WaterFire for New Year’s Eve this time around. As it so happens, most of the WaterFire crew will be up in Boston, doing a big Lumineria installation inside of Boston Common, as part of their First Night festivities, so if you find yourself up there, instead of here, it should be very enjoyable.
On Monday, January 5th, Allan Fung will be inaugurated as the new (and much improved) Republican Mayor of Cranston! The inauguration scheduled to take place at 7:00 P.M. at Cranston East High School on Park Avenue. The ceremony will be held in the auditorium, with a reception to follow in the gymnasium.
On Tuesday, January 6th, Scott Avedesian will be re-inaugurated for his latest term as the Mayor of Warwick. Well, they could do worse.
Next week, the Rhode Island General Assembly will be back in session, if only in name. If history is any guide, they’ll accomplish little to nothing in the immediate future, ignore the majority of our problems, try to pass the buck elsewhere, and introduce a deluge of bills addressing every conceivable perceived problem, except those which are actually important to average Rhode Islanders. In other words, expect business as usual.
East Providence School Committee | Interest Arbitration Decision
The following is a press release from the East Providence School Committee, commenting on the non-binding arbitration decision handed down earlier today, regarding the ongoing contract dispute between the school committee and the teacher’s union. While the arbitrator’s decision is certainly a step heading in the right direction, it comes no where close to solving the financial crisis that the city faces. Remember that this one contract accounts for about half of the city’s budget. I have highlighted some of the “better” points:
PRESS RELEASE: INTEREST ARBITRATION DECISION
December 23, 2008
Contact: Anthony Carcieri
Chair, East Providence School Committee
The decision in the matter of the Interest Arbitration hearings, between the East Providence School Committee and the East Providence Teachers Union/NEARI is in:
- Zero base salary increase in year one
- Health Insurance premium cost-sharing
Michael Ryan, Esq. served as the neutral chair of the 3-member panel of arbitrators. Daniel Kinder, Esq. served for the school committee and John Leidecker, Jr. for the union.
The hearings were conducted on November 8, 22, 24 and 25th, 2008. The school committee detailed its proposals for a successor teacher agreement following the expiration of the teachers’ contract on October 31st, 2008. All of the school committee’s proposals were based on its legal obligation to stop deficit spending, and recoup desperately needed savings while protecting and improving the quality of its educational programs.
The arbitration award, while non-binding on financial matters, recommends changes to the base salary schedule and health insurance.
The arbitrator’s salary recommendations are:
- Year One: Freeze base salary – 0% increase
- Year Two: 2% increase to the base salary schedule
- Year Three: 3% increase to the base salary schedule
All other salary schedules (advanced degree stipends, etc.)maintain the existing relationship to the base salary schedule.
Employee health insurance recommendations include providing for employee cost-sharing. This changes the current scenario from zero contribution to 15% by year three of a new agreement.
The arbitrator’s cost-share recommendation is a percentage of the premium for health and dental insurance:
- Year One: 5% cost-share
- Year Two: 10% cost-share
- Year Three: 15% cost-share
The arbitrator has also accepted the school committee’s proposal to offer a less expensive health insurance plan while reducing the coverage of student-dependents from age 26 to age 23. The school department would no longer be obligated to reimburse teachers for hospital deductibles. The neutral arbitrator noted that the hospitalization deductible “is far beyond the range of benefits ordinarily provided.” The prescription co-pays have increased to a three tier system of $10/$20/$40. It is further recommended that retirees contribute the same cost-share in effect for active employees.
The “Buy-back” provision, in effect paying teachers 50% of the health insurance premium for declining the coverage (approximately $5100.00) was modified to a fixed dollar amount: $1500.00 payable to teachers declining individual coverage and $3000.00 for declining family coverage.
In context of the arbitrator’s recommendations, the neutral arbitrator’s description of the financial condition of the school department and indeed the city of East Providence is clearly worth noting:
“Seldom, if ever, has the neutral member of the panel encountered a school system in greater financial difficulty. Not only is the City somewhat hamstrung by statute from raising revenue through taxation, but the Department’s longstanding deficit has been compounded by a once-in-a-generation national economic crisis that began only a few months ago is projected to extend years into the future.”
Mr. Ryan continues:
“The Union urges that comparability (to other district contracts), not ability to pay, should be the panel’s paramount consideration. The School Committee insists that it has no choice but to pay its FY08 debts and adhere to its budget for FY09. School department deficits are unlawful under R.I.G.L. §§ 16-2-9(d), (e), & (f); 16-2-21 (b) & (c); 16-2-21.4; 16-2-11 (c); and 16-2-1. These interlocking enactments prohibit school departments from incurring or maintaining a deficit or engaging in deficit spending.”
“The extreme financial distress of the East Providence school system must result in a wage settlement that will be less than satisfactory to its teachers. The panel cannot ignore, however, the dramatic developments in the national economy that have taken place during the past few months. The Department’s finances, already dire, are likely to get worse owing to the domino effect of the falling stock market and declining property values. One might say that no agreement negotiated before this national economic crisis furnishes a truly meaningful standard of comparison.” »» East Providence School Committee | Interest Arbitration Decision
Barney Cam VII: A Red, White, and Blue Christmas
The White House has released the 2008 Christmas video from the most popular member of the First Family, Scottish Terrier Barney. This year’s video is entitled, “Barney Cam VII: A Red, White, and Blue Christmas.”
In a dream sequence, Olympian Michael Phelps and other athletes “help” Barney decorate the White House (although we all know he could have done it by himself). The film also features swimmer Garrett Weber-Gale, gymnasts Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson, and NBC Sports’ Jimmy Roberts.
Happy Hanukkah!
Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt. Hanukkah is observed for eight nights, starting on the 25th day of Kislev according to the Hebrew calendar.
Hanukkah, from the Hebrew word for “dedication” or “consecration”, marks the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem following the victory of the Maccabees over the Seleucid Empire. There was only enough consecrated olive oil to fuel the eternal flame in the Temple for one day. Miraculously, the oil burned for eight days, which was the length of time it took to press, prepare and consecrate fresh olive oil.
Now, for your enjoyment, is the obligatory Adam Sandler Hanukkah song, since “Dreidel, dreidel, dreidel” isn’t quite as fun.
Happy Winter Solstice
Today is the first day of Winter (as if you hadn’t figured it out yet)!
As you can see, we’re still working on the reworked site, so please bear with us. We hope to complete most of the nifty site upgrades before Christmas. Sometime after that, we’ll explain in detail to you why they are so great.
To get you into the holiday spirit, we’ve turned on the blog’s “snow,” as well as started “burning” the festive Yule Log. This is the original famous yule log video which was looped on Christmas Eve/Morning on WPIX in the NY-metro broadcast area throughout the 1980s.
Site Maintenance Mode
Yes, Virginia, The OSR is getting a complete make-over for Christmas!
In honor of our 40,000th visitor, we’re going to do all sorts of weird stuff to the site for the remainder of the week. The elections are over, so why not shake things up a bit.
The general goal is to make the site run a whole lot faster, to get somewhere close to XHTML and WCC complaint, and hopefully, as a result, to create a much better user experience for viewers like you.
If this all does not quite work out as planned, we still have the architectural leftovers of the old site in the proverbial freezer, waiting to be thawed. Thank you for your patience.
Student Says School Persecuted Him for Being Conservative
Congratulations, Bill for making the big time!
(Fox News) - A former student at the Rhode Island College School of Social Work is suing the school and several of his professors for discrimination, saying he was persecuted by the school’s “liberal political machine” for being a conservative.
William Felkner, 45, says the New England college and six professors wouldn’t approve his final project on welfare reform because he was on the “wrong” side of political issues and countered the school’s “progressive” liberal agenda.
Felkner said his problems with his professors began in his first semester, in the fall of 2004, when he objected in an e-mail to one of his professors that the school was showing and promoting Michael Moore’s “Fahrenheit 9/11″ on campus. He said he objected because no opposing point of view was presented.
He said Professor James Ryczek wrote to him on Oct. 15, 2004, saying he was proud of his bias and questioning Felkner’s ability to “fit with the profession.”
“I think the biases and predilections I hold toward how I see the world and how it should be are why I am a social worker. In the words of a colleague, I revel in my biases,” he wrote…
Felkner, a self-proclaimed free-market conservative, told FOXNews.com that during his final year, he wanted to do a project on “work first” welfare, which requires that recipients get jobs before they can get benefits. He said the school advocated an “education first” system, in which recipients get job training and don’t have to work for benefits…
The college filed a motion for summary judgment this summer, but it was recently denied by the court. Felkner said the school is now seeking a settlement.
He said he would still like to receive his masters in social work, and he is still working on government policy on social welfare programs in Rhode Island through the Ocean State Policy Research Institute, which he founded after leaving the school.
“You can say what you want about the war on poverty and how it’s going, but I think that it hasn’t gone well and I think there are better alternatives, and I think it was a shame I wasn’t even allowed to research and pursue those interests,” Felkner said. “It’s indoctrination.”
Read More: Fox News
East Providence GOP Wine & Cheese Holiday Social | Wednesday
Who said that Republicans don’t like Brie…
You are cordially invited to attend the East Providence Republican City Committee’s Annual Wine & Cheese Holiday Social on Wednesday, December 17th, 2008.
The social will be held from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM at the home of School Committee Vice-Chairman Steve and Kathy Santos, 4 Thurston Street, in Riverside. There will be a selection of wines, sodas, cheeses, sweets, and other holiday treats available. This event is FREE of charge.
There will be a very brief business meeting of the East Providence Republican City Committee at 7:00 PM sharp to take care of some necessary year-end business ahead of our January committee reorganization. I anticipate that this portion of the evening should not take more than 15 minutes to complete. The rest of the evening will be devoted to holiday merriment and the celebration of everything we have to be thankful for in East Providence this holiday season.
We hope you can make it on the 17th. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Bob Carlin
Chairman, East Providence Republican City Committee
(401)345-6608 / chair [at] epgop [dot] org
‘Just Say No’ to the Judge Frank Williams Kool-Aid
The following letter was written by Jim Cavanaugh of Narragansett. Jim and Frank go way back. Down deep inside, Jim is really going to miss Frank … NOT!
Sorry folks but I, for one, will pass on the Judge Frank Williams cool aid. Why? For starters we both served on the 1987 RI Constitutional Convention and therefore we both should have a good understanding with respect to the meaning of each article, Unfortunately one of us flunked the test and it aint me. My particular beef with the judge goes back to the “so called” trial he presided over where an organization I headed, Rhode Islanders for Constitutional Right of Access to Beach and Shore (RICRABS) attempted to force the state (Governor Out to Lunch Almond) to provide a remedy for enforcing the provisions in Article 1,Section 17 which very clearly in plain no, mumbo jumbo, English describes the peoples basic rights with respect to seaside shore access. Unfortunately for the people the Judge:
Acted more like a lawyer for the Governor than as a judge. The bias was plainly obvious. Suspect he was brown-nosing for the high court job. During the many breaks lawyers in private off the record conversation let me know that we had no chance regardless of the evidence. They were correct.
Displayed absolute contempt for the constitution and even had the unmitigated chutzpa to call important provision “Only suggestions”. Sounds impossible? Check the transcripts.
Threatened our attorney with sanctions for submitting too little and then to much evidence.
Dismissed out of hand almost all of our evidence which started with history going back to early Roman times, English common law, colonial law, the Rhode Island Charter from King Charles to Roger Williams, original documents on loan from the Oxford English archives, etc, etc.
His first act was to remove Governor Almond from the case. Guess why.
It worked. Governor out-to-lunch Almond promoted him to the top job. And the folks? Their constitutional right of shore access is officially in the toilet. Could the General Assembly start charging a “By the head” beach entrance fee like the Town beach in Narragansett? Yep.
At his hearing before the selection committee, or should we say his beatification committee, I was the only witness to testify against the guy. I testified to the fact that the judge would ignore the constitution and would do so in spades. And that is exactly what he did.
Jim Cavanaugh
130 Tupelo Trail
Narragansett, RI
New RNC Ad Hammers Obama Over Blagojevich
Who said the presidential campaign was over? Here’s a new ad by the Republican National Committee, entitled “Questions Remain,” asking President-Elect Barack Obama and his staff (paging Rahm Emanuel) to come clean over his ties to corrupt Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
President Bush Welcomed to Iraq By ‘Journalist’
President Bush made a surprise visit to Iraq on Sunday. During a press conference with the Iraqi Prime Minister, an Iraqi “reporter” in the audience attempted to assault the President of the United States by throwing his shoes at him (which, in the Middle East, is considered a sign of disrespect). However, the president, with his cat-like agility, was able to successfully duck and weave both of them! Hail to the Chief!
Five general observations:
If it were not for the action of President George W. Bush, there would not be a free Iraqi press corps at all.
President Bush made every effort to defuse an embarrassing situation for the Iraqi government by downplaying and minimizing the event. Very classy of him considering the circumstances.
If the reporter had been an American, the Secret Service would not have been so “hands off” regarding the attempt to injure the president.
The Iraqi reporter only did what the New York Times and MSNBC reporters wish they could do.
Said Iraqi reporter is probably not going to like his new government provided “accommodations.”
What Conservatives Must Now Do
First and most important is to build up mighty, grassroots networks across the country. This is something that conservatives must do, not Republicans, who need to work on their own grassroots party network. Conservatives have become too good lately in lecturing Republicans on what they must do. We need to lead by building a powerful political movement, and the Republicans will then naturally follow.
The radical, liberal-left agenda is tailor made for generating grassroots firestorms in opposition. Included in that agenda is national legislation to remove all state restrictions on abortion, all parental notification, waiting periods, informed consent, and partial birth abortion restrictions. Instead we are slated for taxpayer funding for abortion on demand. Another beaut is national legislation to remove all state protections of gun rights, such as conceal and carry permits. Then there is the federal takeover of health care, the federal shutdown of proven, reliable energy production, global warming regulation to shut down what is left of the economy, the “fairness” doctrine to shut down talk radio, and national legislation to take away workers’ rights to a secret ballot election to determine whether they will be forced into a union in their workplace. That last item also includes forcing union contracts on businesses, small, medium and large, in place of the current system of free negotiation.
And we haven’t even gotten to tax increases yet. Nor the trillion dollar deficit Obama will propose in his first budget, which will increase federal spending to the highest levels in peacetime in U.S. history, by far…
Read More: The American Spectator
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