By extending the state of emergency we are making a mockery of the very idea. The legislature is meeting regularly. When PC can host a packed house at the Dunk for a nationally important game there is no "emergency".
A Governor who can so blatantly flaunt the executive orders and directives she expects one million people to follow - no matter how important or wise those directives may be - will be unable to command the respect of others. Why should anyone listen to her now?
This is really outrageous. Only the General Assembly should have such power.
@GovDanMcKee
and his unelected staff are out of control. People should simply say "enough" and engage in mass disobedience of what I think is an illegal executive order to begin with.
The governor's order creates an "enforcement task force" to police the new mask-or-vax policy, and also lets Dr. Alexander-Scott "assess civil penalties for violation of this Order"
Over 400 people signed up to testify by phone b/f deadline for tonight's House State Government committee hearing on the proposed extension of the Governor's emergency powers. There will also be live testimony. Make your voice heard. Room 35 circa 4:45 PM. Please come if you can.
Seems kind of hard to claim with a straight face that we are living in an "emergency" when your "emergency" mask mandate order doesn't go into effect for 5 days but conveniently right after the last pre-Christmas shopping and party weekend. Funny that.
This is 100% true. However this issue should continue to be discussed and highlighted ad nauseum rather than memory holed. Not because the bill will pass but because it encapsulates an appalling mentality by certain legislators who should all be voted out of office.
Former House Minority Whip Nick Gorham’s shorthand for bills not-going-nowhere was
#NGN
. All my instincts tell me S2552 seeking to fine the unvaxxed and double their income taxes is -love or hate the idea -
#NGN
. Doubt a lot more words will change that.
"Unlawfully present". No one actually speaks or writes like that. Which means someone at WPRI is afraid to offend the PC police and just use the word "illegal". How pathetic for a news organization to be so cowed.
@allahpundit
@stephenfhayes
@JonahDispatch
I generally enjoyed your posts over the years. One word of advice? Your disdain for Trump was so deep that it came to coat everything you wrote. It would pop up as an aside here, a parenthetical there, in places it didn't belong. It detracted from what were usually good takes.
I for one am glad to see my Democratic colleagues setting an example of a return to normalcy and refuting the idea masks serve any purpose. Good for them! Let's hope
@GovDanMcKee
takes note and doesn't cave to fringe positions pushed for political reasons.
As
@GovDanMcKee
is struggling with announcing another INDOOR mask mandate, there’s this. 👀👀👀
YOUR thoughts? Hypocritical? OR...the right thing to be doing? (Getting "back to normal"?) Talking about this now on
@wpro
#438
-9776
BREAKING: Former Somali Prime Minister Hassan Khaire rallies for Rep. Ilhan Omar (Minneapolis, USA):
"This is not a Minnesota issue. It's not an American issue. It's an issue of Somalis."
Not a single American flag. Zero English.
@JacobBrierBTC
Last I checked this State has been run top to bottom entirely by Democrats in the legislature for decades and in the Governor's office and every executive position since 2010 so do tell me what the "GOP" has to do with this oil spill?
Last night one of the Reps said they were concerned that kids would go to Florida on break calling it a "petri dish". An admin official told me something similar the other day. They really believe this nonsense. And Florida is doing better than RI! Incredible.
I still can't believe RI businesses get their mask mandate lifted today but children must wear them til March 4th.
I'm thrilled for the businesses! It's long overdue. But the children deserve urgency and instead got the opposite.
The whole bill is offensive but the "doubling the income tax to punish people" is in many ways the most revealing and worst part. Covid will eventually be history for all practical purposes. That money grabbing punish those who don't bend to my will mentality is forever.
RI's equity warriors want to double the income tax AND charge a $50 monthly fine to anyone who is unvaccinated.
This would disproportionately hurt black and Hispanic taxpayers.
I know nobody cares and nothing matters anymore, but the powers Stefan Pryor is asking for in this latest Governor's Budget Amendment are audacious and outrageous. The General Assembly has to say no.
Dr Alexander-Scott is entering her last week leading the Health Dept as she weighs a bid for Congress. Right now she's supposed to take a month off using comp time, then be a consultant for 3 months
Here's the terms of the consulting deal: $46,000 a month
Watching progressives complain about energy rate increases while they do everything in their power to increase the cost of oil and natural gas, prevent nuclear and force us to use subsidized overpriced green "energy" would be funny were it not a serious problem.
This is never going to end. Covid is never going away. It is endemic. It will be with us forever like any number of other viruses, mutating over time. Vaccines for most people neutralize the effects but there is no "cure". It is time to go back to normal life. This is ridiculous.
Walz is going to withdraw as the VP candidate before the convention and the media will ignore it and pretend they never heard of him by Labor Day. Mark it down.
NEW:
@GovDanMcKee
will remove the indoor vax-or-mask mandate this weekend and end the mask mandate for schools next month (as long as Covid trends continue to improve), per a notice sent to local officials - briefing coming up at 1:30p
Hey
@wpri12
do you think maybe, just possibly, next time you write on a controversial issue your article might include even a slight nod to a dissenting viewpoint rather than read like a Mike Bloomberg press release?
1. There may never be a vaccine. 2. If a vaccine is developed it will, practically speaking, take months or years to get into widespread use. At what point does the "state of emergency" end? At what point do we end government by one person? Why are we not overseeing this?
Our Governor admits that there is no endgame for emergency powers, masks, distancing, limited gatherings. “Until we have a vaccine this is how we’re going to have to live”. Translation: “I have no plans to cede my control”. RI is at < 1% positivity rate.
One example of how
@GovDanMcKee
mandates are going to kill business. Movie theaters have struggled since this began. Christmas box office is huge for them. School vacation etc. Now I can go to Lincoln and wear a mask or Attleboro or Bellingham and not. Hmmm. Tough choice.
BREAKING: Climate activists throw soup at the Mona Lisa painting in the Louvre Museum in Paris.
I'm pretty sure all climate issues have disappeared now.
If a gubernatorial candidate ran an add insinuating North Smithfield was a dump I might be a little put-off. Can someone explain the strategy here? Cranston is the 2nd largest city. That's a lot of voters to offend in a small state. This comes from listenting to DC consultants.
I agree with this. I also think it is high time all 113 state legislators make it plain where they stand on this abuse of power. Let's have a vote so people know where each Rep and Senator stands.
I urge the General Assembly
@RIHouseofReps
@RISenate
to reconvene and assert their authority to end this never ending state of emergency pursuant to their statutory duty.
@GovDanMcKee
&
@RIHEALTH
cannot be allowed to rule without affirmative legislative approval for 2 years.
Rest assured citizens. As gas prices hover at $5 a gallon, inflation roars, baby formula is still hard to find, and the economy teeters on recession, the Rhode Island General Assembly is focused on the issues that matter:
A new report shows in Rhode Island, 450 people will have their student loan debt canceled, equating to $3.4 million in loans. In Massachusetts, 2,490 borrowers will be debt-free, equating to $19.5 million in loans.
One of the biggest nat sec/humanitarian crises of the past 50 years is unfolding in real time over a series of days with no end in sight, caused largely by his actions, and the President is on vacation, ducking questions and essentially MIA. This is truly remarkable.
The Governor has been operating under extraordinary emergency powers for well over a month now with zero legislative oversight. Yet House Oversight Committee has no apparent plans to convene to do its actual job of oversight at a time when oversight is needed more than ever. Why?
Siena is one of the best restaurants in Rhode Island. We often go to Smithfield location but Federal Hill was our preferred spot especially with guests. People might blame Covid but the real blame lies with the government response.
Siena on Federal Hill is closing after 17 years. Another blow to Providence’s restaurant scene during this pandemic.
Their other locations will remain open.
This was something very important to me. My original bills going back several years were flawed. Gregg rewrote it last year to make it infinitely better and pre-Covid it looked promising. 2021 should be the year this passes.
Why should someone with a high school diploma who works in the building trades or a single parent who works in an office job or at a restaurant pay tax money to subsidize an English major at URI? The elitism of these "progressives" is staggering.
Don’t make college free.
Make it paid.
Being a student is a *full time job*. College students should be paid to study, like they are in other countries.
And let’s end this thing where we joke about 20-somethings subsisting on ramen bc they can’t afford fresh food. Not funny.
This is infuriating. The most infuriating thing about it is that the project is now just a stadium. No developments, no housing. Nothing. And if the team doesn't make it? We're stuck with a stadium with tons of debt and no revenue. THIS is why you don't make deals like this.
As Governor, I will oppose mandating the COVID vaccine for grade school, college, employment or otherwise. Kathy Hochul needs to let the public immediately know exactly where she stands on this issue that is extremely important for so many New Yorkers.
Tis the season for people to take walks on bills they oppose but are afraid of the political consequences of voting no. More respect for those who at least take a stand.
@IanDon
@SethMagaziner
@AllanFungRI
I don't thing Seth Magaziner has sounded off enough about the unfolding disaster of the Biden Administration myself. Ian - can you ask him to make a list of Biden's accomplishments? Does he support Biden and VP Harris for re-election?
So Brown is attacking Raimondo for being insufficiently pro-choice? Fascinating. Apparently I have severely underestimated how much popcorn I will need this election season.
How about we just give them basic nutritional food at a reasonable price and skip all that other stuff? I mean "culturally appropriate"? What the hell does that mean?
Free lunches must also be healthy, locally-sourced, culturally appropriate, and, include vegan, vegetarian, gluten free and other specific options. We should strive to eliminate poisonous foods from school cafeterias
NEW: ICE has arrested an illegal immigrant from Guatemala who is facing felony child molestation charges in Providence, Rhode Island, and was released from custody after the local jail in Cranston, RI ignored ICE's detainer request. The man entered the US illegally as a "gotaway"
What happened to the Democratic Party? Will any Democratic politician in or outside of Rhode Island stand up and say "Yes, I agree with Pelosi and Schumer on this issue"? If not, why not?
19 of last session's 75 members of the House are not native to RI including several very recent transplants. Those are the ones I am certain of. There are likely more. This ad is absurd and an insult to our collective intelligence. Mean Girls indeed.
One of the downsides of the internet is that the type of fool who used to partake in liquid courage at the end of the bar before spouting off can now don a keyboard warrior costume to make themselves look important to a wider audience. The spinelessness of the archetype remains.
The annual thing where the revised budget comes off the copy machine still warm to the touch and everyone then votes on it needs to end. It's ridiculous. And it never changes.
The House Finance Committee approved the budget on a 12-3 vote almost immediately after its release, sending it to the full House floor for a debate and vote next Friday. Three Republicans voted no, Asked why,
@Blake_Filippi
said, “I’ve got to read it.”
Rhode Island’s statewide ban of single-use plastic bags begins Monday. We want to know if you support the ban and what type of bag you prefer. Leave a comment below and vote in our poll.
Traditional "old school" Rhode Island Dems need to pay attention to stories like this. Your Party isn't what it used to be. It's not just no longer JFK's Party, it's not even Bill Clinton's. A lot of true believing socialists masquerading as Dems these days. Know who you vote for
This a foolish and ridiculous statement which shows she is either A. Delusional or B. Thinks so little of the voters she is pandering to in the primary that she will say anything, no matter how obviously false, to try to gain their votes. I suspect it's B.
House Democrats just voted down an amendment designed to protect against third trimester abortions based solely on bigotry, racism, homophobia, sexism or a desire not to raise a child with Downs Syndrome. Amazing.
So... checking with staff on this whole Rhode Island EV mandate and... supposedly the Gov's order only applies to state vehicles not the general public. If true that means every press tweet from multiple sources this morning was... wrong. Good job all!
This is weak and pathetic. I'm not unrealistic about GOP chances here but most voters in CD1 have no idea who Amo is or what he stands for. This just shows contempt for the people he is asking to vote for him. Not a good sign as to priorites and how he sees RI v DC.
I wonder how many of these people caught up in this college admission bribery scam have publicly lectured the rest of us about wealth inequality and privilege. I would love to see a list of their political donations as well.
NEW:
@POTUS
says we must secure the border NOW, “The simple truth is there is a worldwide migrant crisis and if the United States doesn’t secure our border there’s no limit to the people who might try to come here.”
Oh.
I don't want to hear another "progressive" House member push for increasing taxes after they voted for a corporate welfare, insider deal that left a minimum of $20 million in potential annual state revenue sitting on IGT-Twin River's profit sheets.
No issue here with GA Dems meeting in person to elect caucus leadership but every Rhode Islander should (again) be asking why it is that the House Oversight Committee (at minimum) is *still* not conducting oversight of the 9(!) months of emergency power exercised by the Governor.
Left early today but went to office to grab something. Looked up at TV and saw Ray at the rostrum. Did a doubletake because it wasn't Joe then remembered Ray was Deputy Speaker now. Thought "Cool. Good for Ray." Didn't give a second thought to his skin color. As it should be.
My father is a fully disabled Vietnam veteran. This is an insult to him, every veteran of that war and, frankly, everyone who ever served this country's military. Accepting this endorsement shows complete contempt for our military and their families by the candidate.
Actor and activist Jane Fonda has endorsed Aaron Regunberg in Rhode Island's special election for Congress, going so far as to cut a TV commercial and headline a virtual event for the candidate, reports
@TedNesi
.
All part-time legislators have expertise and experience in some areas and not others. That said, we should all respectfully listen to the views of those we represent and, if we disagree and know better, seek to educate and inform, not rudely dismiss. Give Respect, Get Respect.
Most people who offer opinions abt teaching & learning have never been in a classroom haven’t taken a course in education or educational psychology have never had a real conversation with teachers or students Then you should just stop giving opinions U are not an expert
#ITeach
It is totally insane that the president has not been seen in public in like 3 days, it's been 24 hours since a staffer posted on X that he was dropping his reelection bid and we have no idea if he's even alive. Literally. He could be in a coma for all we know. What is going on?
What do you mean "full"? I thought Massachusetts was a sanctuary state
@maura_healey
? I thought you were proud of this and invited these people to come? What changed? Where should they go?
Car tax repeal happened because House GOP pushed it in 2016 and that fall Mattiello took up the cause to stave off Frias challenge. So credit goes to Republicans first, Mattiello second. None to McKee. He had zero to do with it.
I hate identity politics. It tears the nation apart. RIGOP just elected women to its top two posts. The runner up for chair was a gay woman from a mixed Jewish/Hispanic background. And no one in RIGOP cares. Which is how it should be. Dems would be patting themselves on the back.
Even the people who advocate for mask mandates don't actually believe in them. The hypocrisy of one Governor after another on this is just incredible. If masks are so important I never want to see anyone who makes that contention not wearing one in public ever again. Ever.
Hey
@RIDOTNews
while you celebrate the $22 million footbridge in Providence, perhaps you can tell us what other limited access highways with the traffic volume of 146 are in such bad shape they take precedence for repaving over the next five years while you do nothing for 146?
I am highly amused by the most outspoken advocates of "democracy" publicly ruminating in full panic mode how to undermine the democratic choice of voters for the Democratic nomination for president by pulling a backroom switcheroo at the convention. "Democracy is on the ballot!"
Much of what
@GovDanMcKee
is talking about tonight sounds like traditional moderate to conservative Democrat priorities, things Republicans might disagree on details about but could support conceptually. But an ever leftward moving General Assembly audience seems uninterested.
I find it hard to believe the congressman actually writes these juvenile tweets himself, an endless stream of which clogs my feed. He should hire a social media coordinator who isn't still in high school.
Imagine thinking that shutting down the government, and
stopping paychecks for military families, border patrol, and air traffic controllers, is a better option than picking up the phone to work with Democrats.
How out of touch are these people?
Love listening to Governor take credit for social security tax cut and car tax cut. Both started as House GOP budget proposals shot down one year adopted by Dems the next. Want change? Vote GOP.
#SOTS
Exactly. Massachusetts has no statewide idiotic mandates and so much of RI's population can easily avoid them by shopping etc. just over the line with no real personal disruption.
Why are our (thinly stretched) tax dollars paying for this man to teach (or do anything else) at URI? Would the President or Board care to comment?
@universityofri
I never thought I'd be agreeing with RFK Jr. but this is spot on. Harris and the Democrats are the true authoritarians in this race. They want to shut down free speech, tell everyone what to do and think and remake society in their utopian view.
Kamala Harris: "He [Musk] has lost his privileges."
Can someone please explain to her that freedom of speech is a RIGHT, not a "privilege"?
Kamala Harris: "There has to be a responsibility placed on these social media sites to understand their power."
Translation: "If they
So, the guy who defeated the NJ Senate president ran because he was denied a concealed carry permit.
I'm sure this will all go very well and produce a fine, informed legislator.
This is the private mansion where
@AaronRegunberg
is hosting a fundraiser tomorrow.
It has fourteen bathrooms.
Aaron, your website says you’ll “fight for an economy that works for everybody, not just the wealthy few.” This is not a good move, man.
What happened to the Democratic Party? Will any Democratic politician in or out of Rhode Island stand up and say - "Yes, I agree with President Obama on this issue"? If not, why not?
This wasn't 30 years ago. This was President Obama in 2009 on immigration.
"We can't have half a million people pouring over the border..."
About 7 years later these same positions were considered racist and xenophobic by Democrats.
Rhode Island Democrats: This person is one of your most eponymous State House testifiers and outspoken progressives. This is the face of the faction quickly taking over your party. Is this what you want? I bet for most of you the answer is no. Consider voting GOP in November.