When asked whether the teacher group or administrative group had taken a pay cut in recent years, just three districts reported actual decreases: East Providence, North Providence and West Warwick. Another 28 districts, slightly more than half of those surveyed, reported pay increases as a result of steps or COLAs, according to [Department of Administration Director, Gary] Sasse.

The Providence Journal, R.I. mayors say they weren't warned of cuts in state aid, December 20, 2009

Did you know?

Blogs like this one are becoming more and more frequent on the Internet. Here's one that appears under an article linked to yesterday's RISC-Y Business:

I'm a public school teacher. I hate teacher's unions. I would never have joined one if I had a choice. I was pressured by the union rep at my school until I finally caved. I spent months trying to stop them
 from taking my union dues for political purposes with which I disagree. I finally ended up quitting to raise kids and do not look forward to having to deal with unions when I go back to work. I love teaching kids and cannot imagine any other career, although I'm trained as a chemist. Guess I get to fight that battle again when I go back to work next year. UNIONS SUCK!!!

Join the conversation @ www.myrisc.com

This week's poll on www.statewidecoalition.com:

R.I. mayors say they weren’t warned of cuts in state aid

PROVIDENCE — Before last week’s explosion of angry rhetoric, finger-pointing and political infighting, there was a meeting.

At around 11 a.m., the day before Thanksgiving, Governor Carcieri quietly convened the mayors of Rhode Island’s four largest cities — Providence, Warwick, Cranston and Pawtucket — inside his State House office. Budget officials had determined the week before that state government’s ballooning current-year deficit had grown to $219 million.

Capers Jones: 15 Suggestions to improve RI's economy NOW!

After being away from Rhode Island and working in other states, many of which are in better shape than we are, it is interesting to consider what might be done to improve the Rhode Island economy.  Following are 15 suggestions:

1. Repeal the Caruolo law immediately.  It is one of the worst laws ever passed in America.  It has no value and harms everyone, including unions.  It provides no benefits for school children and chews up thousands of dollars that would be better spent on actual education instead of legal fees.

2. Relax or eliminate about 90% of Rhode Island's unfunded state mandates.  Few of these ever had any value; many are extremely harmful.

3. Ask our senators and representatives to sponsor legislation that will eliminate harmful Federal mandates such as "no child left behind."

4. Suspend affordable housing until after the recession.  With no mortgages and no jobs, affordable housing units are only dragging down the real-estate market.  The larger affordable housing units are already being foreclosed because nobody is living in them.

5. Pass enabling legislation to consolidate Rhode Island towns.  The most administrative units a state this size should have are five; one for each county.

6. In anticipation of large-scale consolidation of town governments, pass legislation to reduce the size of the general assembly.  We will need no more than five senators and 10 representatives.  Most of our economic problems are due to the general assembly, which consistently passes more bad laws than good ones.  In addition, the general assembly has consistently ignored Rhode Island's economic problems until it is far too late to fix them.

7. Pass legislation that eliminates all campaign funding by individuals and unions.  With only 10 representatives and 5 senators needed, they can be allotted campaign funds from public sources.  Campaign contributions are the main reason for the poor performance of the general assembly, which only favors major contributors and ignores everybody else.

8. Eliminate COLA at once.  COLA should never have been added to Rhode Island pensions in the first place.

9. Consolidate our department of transportation with either Massachusetts or Connecticut.  Our DOT is dysfunctional, expensive, and has little value.

10. Use some of the funds saved by eliminating the RI DOT to open up motor vehicle offices in locations with a high density of population, such as South County.  The Rhode Island motor vehicle offices are among the worst in America.  This is not because of the workers themselves, but because of misguided attempts to save money by doing something harmful and stupid.

11. Consolidate all Rhode Island school systems into one state-wide system.

12. Pass legislation to make Rhode Island a "right to work" state. 

13. Do not enact tax increases of any kind prior to the end of the recession.  If we have significant tax increase the recession may never end; and certainly not before 2015.  Without tax increases, we may begin to recover by the end of 2011 or early 2012.

14. Enact serious conflict of interest regulations that demand that all union members in elected offices, or those whose spouses are union members, recuse themselves from voting on any law that affects union salaries, benefits, or pensions.

15. All government contract negotiations should be public and information should be provided about planned compensation levels or changes in benefits.  Government workers are paid by public taxes and therefore tax payers have a right to know where the money is going. 

Rep. Rod Driver: Message to colleagues in the General Assembly

Dear Colleague

Rhode Islanders must be bewildered at the General Assembly.  For five months of the year we do little.  Then we rush through 200 bills in two days … and adjourn.  (In 2009 we essentially did this twice.)

On those two days, I for one can’t find and read the bills on the computer monitor fast enough to decide how to vote.  The task becomes even more impossible as floor amendments are introduced.

Anyway, one fourth of the bills introduced become laws.  Most others never come out of committee.  No, they haven’t been voted down.  They’ve been “held for further study.”  

Holding a bill “for further study” would make sense if it meant what it said.   But it doesn’t!

When a House committee meets to hear testimony on scheduled bills, the committee chair often opens the meeting -- before any witnesses have spoken -- by calling for a vote to “hold all the bills for further study.”   Of course you can’t have “further study” of a bill on which you’ve had no study!  But the motion passes – usually unanimously. 

Nonsensical as this action sounds, it has a devious purpose.  Strange rules* in both the House and Senate say that when a bill is “held for further study” in committee it need never be voted on again.   That’s why I vote “nay” on every such motion.   (Only if the leadership approves, will such a bill return later for a real vote in committee.)  

After the committee has voted to “hold all  the bills for further study,” witnesses who have been waiting (sometimes for hours) are allowed to make their case for or against bills which are probably already dead.  Often by the time the unsuspecting witnesses get to testify, many committee members have gone home.

If we want bills to get more-legitimate consideration in committee, we must start by voting “nay” on  the motion to “hold for further study.”   Then, after proper study, we can have real votes on the bills. 

Regards, Rod

*In the House this rule was adopted in 2005.  It is older in the Senate.

Pittsburgh debates ‘fair-share’ tax

Scott Moody: Raising taxes no longer an option in R.I.

Recently, Rhode Island’s state legislators were informed of a pending $219 million budget shortfall in the current fiscal year, 2010. Taxpayers need to stand up now and proclaim that raising taxes is off the table when closing this budget gap. Here are a few points taxpayers can use in their arguments.

First, the last half century has seen Rhode Island’s state and local tax burden creep ever higher. In fiscal year 1950, Rhode Islanders enjoyed a state tax burden of only 6.5 percent of personal income, which was below the national average of 7.4 percent. Fast forward to FY 2007 and Rhode Islanders face a tax burden that grew by 77 percent to 11.5 percent and now exceeds the national average of 10.9 percent.

Gary W. Trott: Slow learners

Senate Democratic leaders on Wednesday said they ‘cannot rule out’ tax increases as an alternative” (“R.I. Senate leaders say tax increases are possible,” Dec. 17).

Our representatives on Smith Hill still don’t seem to get it. More taxes and more spending by government aren’t the solution to the situation that we are in. They are the problem.

Gary W. Trott West Warwick

Lawmakers to question schools, courts on budget

PROVIDENCE (AP) — Lawmakers want to hear how Rhode Island’s court and higher education systems plan to cut costs to deal with a growing state budget deficit. The House Finance Committee has scheduled hear­ings starting Monday on how these agencies will scale back spending to help reduce a $220 million budget shortfall.

Judiciary and higher education officials will appear before lawmakers on Monday afternoon. Lawmakers have scheduled a hearing Tuesday with officials from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Educa­tion.

Republican Gov. Donald L. Carcieri submitted a budg­et plan Monday that would balance the budget by cut­ting funding for local government and hospitals. The pro­posal would also sell land and delay a payment to the rainy day fund.