Friday Free Range: SariSaysMMN

While MMN has focused on our home city of Warwick and the yet to be resolved state/city automotive excise tax repair ... there are a lot of things in flux simultaneously that are of interest right now!  What did David Cicilline really do to Providence in his Mayoral tenure and in his wake?  Should he lose his District 1 representative seat or do we wait to make him a one term wonder?  Is he being considered as a criminal?  There's some good news - Our thanks to Gina Raimondo & the State house for the passage of Pension Reform law.  The big ticket benefit days are gone because life and the economy suck for ALL OF US TOGETHER.  It cannot be what it was. I would like Governor Chafee to consolidate this tiny State with it's 38/39 individual tax funded unions separate  schemes to BECOME per COUNTY schemes.  City by City Unions will never again be solvent due to individual structures that are all failing now.  Governor Carcieri was roundly rejected time and again as he warned the State House to consolidate the school & city service contracts into county funding plans.  Imagine the budget improvements of county based sharing!  Empowered payrolls, union negotiations that are fiscally healthier and grow educational funding, city services, allow vendors to make honest competition, and ... JOBS FOR MORE OF US!

Unions (all types) are for making safe and fair conditions, and they still have a purpose of BEING as essential in this day and age.  The laws of safe and fair work place environs we all enjoy today, were created from Unionization in eras when these work place conditions were not a given, nor were there laws as the rule of employment!  This is why we celebrate Labor Day!  Labor Union Lobby should work on reformation in the international job protection fronts.  Bring it home!

Rhode Island Tax based unions of the future (by county or city):  Police/Fire and life service SHOULD get the best first.  I will always believe that the PD & FD deserve highest benefit package consideration.  Teachers Unions are essential, but not under the present rules and workings of the state I live in.  Do I think Bus Drivers or Crossing Guards are equal to a highly degreed Educator?  I don't bloody think so!  Crossing guards can be 6th graders (for extra credit!) guided by PTSA folks.  Should any city employee who is seasonal and very part time be paid very Full Time scale with full benefit health plans, pension and COLA options?  NO WAY.

Tax Funded Politicians - FOUL!  I still am cheesed off at Gordon Fox for giving outlandish "COLA" raises and taking his too!  NO MORE to elected official/board tax dollar foolery done by and for the leadership's needs and not the citizen's well being.  Why do Elected officials get the free lunch big benefit packages?  We want term limits and not career skullduggery.  Benefits need to be commensurate to time in office ONLY.  How many people got elected for the purpose of the benefits and not the gig?  It is bad fiscal policy to continue allowing financial damage into Infinity and Beyond.  Our "leadership" needs to get your hands out of our pockets!  ANY tax funded job should change union protected rules regarding suspected criminality and unguarded abuse of disability payouts at all levels. Why are state or city funded workers allowed to go months and years battling an issue WITH PAY?  Turn them over to the State or Federal criminal justice branch to process cases under our constitutional rights.  Put it out in public.  Escrow their salaries during the period in question until acquitted or convicted.  If convicted, put their take back into the funding as part of their sentencing.  If found innocent, give them their escrowed money.  How hard is that?  More transparency equals less pain and expense for ALL PARTIES concerned. 

State Small Business Loans (non industrial) - I think a business deal like Curt Schilling got - should have never gotten a state loan.  Better to have voted a casino into being to compete with CT & MA if you are going to create economy not based on tax payer funding.  Schilling, for his business type - could have had private investors, SBA help with a solid business plan, and bank loans.  Just like the rest of us!  The Rhode Island small business loan structure is a huge detriment as part of our current fiscal deficits!  The report Jim Hummel put out yesterday and shared with MMN on his 6 month effort to put a comprehensive and much needed set of financial information into our hands fits the Schilling model.  The details of his business plan were NOT good.  People said NO, but didn't get to vote on it.  If a bank or set of investors, or SBA would not go for it ... (did he try that route?) ... why the hell should we agree to these loans?  If the state wants to give me some money for MMN growth, they are STOOPID.  I may or may not be worth the risk.  That's what the SBA could determine as I'd have a lot of hoops and proof required to get any loans for my small business.  Even the fed has some standards of loan approval!  

The points above are that:  We all have to live in weird times and all are contending with rules that pulled the rugs out from us by the rule makers.  Union workers are now more level to the rest of the private work force.  Not ABOVE it.  That was never the intent of the citizens.  We currently have been informed of the funds theft of ProCap  (Providence community).  I am waiting for criminal charges.  Using federal and state funding is a Federal crime, isn't it?  Is that just me?  Unauthorized fund use for private loans and what-all other abuse - each person KNEW BETTER than to take it.  GIVE IT BACK!  Sell something, downsize your living conditions, take it on the chin with bad credit reports!  You took earmarked money with bad intent for personal gain.  You HURT citizens who are not getting heating or rent or food help ... it should deeply suck to be YOU!   

Finally for today - it has come to MMN, that folks also want to discuss other Warwick issues.  I cannot inform as well as they can for their areas of concern.  Those of you with an informed view point - fire it off on MMN.  You may state your OPINION, and don't cuss. You can place set of your beliefs and facts, links and video's with me (use embedding from YouTube or other similar SMS methods) into the COMMENT SPACES.  If said comments or links are abusive or off purpose or (PG13) inappropriate, I'll delete it.  You don't have to be from RI, nor even the US to tell us how it is for YOU these days.  It is the internet.  Share your circumstances from where you live.  MMN is people's daily "stuff of life" - a conversation.  

Do good and good will follow.