I agree with Roberto Dasilva, give the kids back middle school sports and bring on the receiver to file bankrupt. The receiver can then make middle school sports a priority by canceling these outrageous union contracts that are choking the life out of East Providence taxpayers.

Heres a thought.....

Instead of writing to Chaffee, why dont you write a letter to Tsonos? He said 2 weeks ago there were 'plenty of other places to cut'

Talk about playing to the moronic masses! Classic Democratic hack issue! Like 'RECESS'.

Hey Bobby, why don't we cut pensions for hacks who double dip and give the money to 'the kids'.

Thank you Budget Commission for doing what Tsonos and Furtado and Rossi (the Democrats who were locally elected to work on this) could not do on their own!

Letters like this that play to the sympthies are the same type of themes that the 'Union Hack Working Families of RI' played to in the last election.

Guess what, we aren't buying it anymore!

If you want your kid to play sports, cut somewhere else. Start with DaSilva's public service union hack friends pay, benefits and pensions

And lets not forget folks....

When Gina Raimondo's pension reform bill was put up for a vote, DaSilva voted AGAINST

Hey kids, DaSilva doesn't give a damn about your school sports..... As long as he can borrow money from your future incomes to pay for it....

And he and his fat cat buddies can keep their fat pensions..

Shameless!

We look forward to Mr. DaSilva's letter to the citizens of East Providence with concrete ideas and action plans on how to fund sports and reduce the deficit. Until such time as he, the council and school committee are prepared to provide leadership in this area, please spare us the 'platitudes with attitude'.

Hi everyone. As I've said before, keep it civil.

Schools can do something on how to prevent bullying, there should always have rules and regulations that must be implemented. Bullying issue is a human violation in which students are not aware about it. On this note, parents should also take part in preventing bullying because kids will suffer if this issue will be ignored. I felt happy and relieved when I knew about SafeKidZone, it has an application called panic button. It has the best features like danger zone, safe zone and crime data and it also have a capacity to track you phone through GPS. Check out their site http://safekidzone.com/

@ Rep. DaSilva. Thank you for writing on our behalf, hopefully it does some good. @ RR make your point without being offensive. It's always better received when there is a bit of class attached. Furthermore, everyone deserves to get paid for their service. I understand Rep DaSilva is a Police officer and also puts in several days per week attending meetings at the State House. Quality of life is I'm sure affected (as is his family) so benefits and pay are not out of the question. @ Abigail: comments like this are encouraged and condoned when you allow your other writers to offend your readers with their uneducated writing and rhetoric.

Where is "RR" being offensive or un-civil?? no profanity, no obscenities, . . A little
"rude", a little "crude" - ok, possibly....but certainly not offensive!!! He his voicing his feelings, his opinions. Until someone crosses the line and starts writing in expletives,
I personally see no reason for Ms. Crocker's comment.

If you're going to play moderator Ms. Crocker, than you need to realize that people have strong feelings, and strong view points. This Blog, this venue, it is NOT Middle school.....don't play principal - Let Mr. Dasilva refute, rebut, and respond to "RR's" statements. Or do you hold some sort of "allegiances" to the unions too????

To Mr. Dasilva...........How about we let the citizens of East Providence decide for them selves??? Let's put it to a vote??? Cut the union's benefits (especially pension payouts) in favor of sports in our middle schools, or cut the sports and let's keep paying the pensions and health care benefits to union members...ESPECIALLY those union members who have been collecting these benefits longer than they actually worked!!! All good things must come to an end! The strong-hold that unions have over our towns, cities, and states are drowning us!! Because they performed some service for the public, the public is suppose to support them for the rest of their lives!?!?!?!? I THINK NOT! They were paid to perform the duties they chose to do.
Let the unions take care of their members! I take care of MY family, and MY family takes care of me!!! I don't go around to my neighbors and ask them to support me........ BTW, This just doesn't apply to unions either............Politicians are the first ones to have their hands out.............here's a thought - Less politicans, less politics!

@Dermody...........you are WAY off base! People are entitled to their OWN opinions....just like you.......I don't agree with what you wrote, but I am not "suggesting" (unlike you) that we censor comments because someone (like you) doesn't agree with them.................

This is not Miss. Posts book of etiquette, this is the reality of saving our city and for many their retirements (no not the Union retirements) the working man’s retirement. Retirement in the home he worked all his life for. Some think it is ok to tax him out and let someone in that can afford to pick up where he failed (sound familiar)but national politics aside, We are locked in the battle of our livelihoods and there is little room for “Politically Correct” discussions. So if you don’t like it turn the computer off.

Have some dignity Bobby, and leave office like Devall. All you reps say you want to help the taxpayer, but the only thing you are willng to do is to empower union hacks for the vote.

Lynn Vargas, you are the nosiest person in our neighborhood. You are always in everyone's business. If you are running for the senate seat don't let Rogers run your campaign like the last time, because you could never beat us. You are a 3x loser you backed Larissa-Republican, Lynn Vargas- you the Republican and George W Bush- Republican. You should of listened to your husband and stayed out of politics, but then again your husband is a good guy who didn't want to put up with this political bs and a better man for putting up with you. Frank we love you and what you have done wish that you would reconsider senate seat please. Lynn I do have to give you some credit you are a horrible at politics but you are a good at changing oil. You can always go to the dentist to get those teeth looked at maybe that would improve your smile unfortunately I don't think it would improve your politics. .

Dear Rep,
I didn't see anywhere in your letter where you tell us where the money is? Another unfunded mandate by an out-of-touch politician, PLEASE join Sen Devall and don't run for re-election.

Dear Governor Chafee:
Recently, the state budget commission appointed to the city of East Providence has decided to no longer spend money that the city does not have in an effort balance the budget...

Lynn are you going to the Mayer Roger's fundraiser, I heard that is where going to announce that you were running for the senate seat? Wondering who your date to that is going to be maybe Coogan,or Larissa or both this should be interesting. Oh by the way you should just use your real name on the patch and stop hiding behind the "Rumford Resident" your giving Rumford a bad name like you almost did in Riverside but Thanks to Frank Devall for stopping you.

There was nothing uncivil about my posts......

I guess if you support OKeefe and not the union hacks, you are censored ?

Well I have yet to see a uncivil opinion. People cant always handle the truth so they cry. Listen up cant take the heat get out of politics or peoples business Mrs. Vargas. I don't like to be pick on and I am just a citizen so explain to me Mrs. Vargas why my name is always coming out of your mouth.Freedom of press or speach still stands in the land I was born and raised in.

Hi, all. None of the previous comments were intentionally deleted by anyone at Patch. We are looking into the issue. I welcome you to re-post any constructive thoughts pertaining to the article. We do reserve the right to delete comments that are threatening and harassing and thus violate our terms of service. http://eastprovidence.patch.com/terms

I agree with Roberto Dasilva, bring on the receiver to cancel all of the abusive union contracts and make middle school sports a priority, lol

If it weren't for municipal union hack politicians like Representative DaSilva we would never be in this position where middle school sports would be in jeopardy. It is really rich that he is commenting on this subject. Thankfully, Treasurer Raimondo & the majorities of both parties in the legislature got together to modify crazily exorbitant state worker pensions & save this state from imminent bankruptcy overcoming union toady Rep. DaSilva and his ilk who tried to thwart the process every step of the way!

Mr Dasilva is a union hack, like I said in a earlier post, do us all a favor and don't seek re-election like Mr Devall.

@Lindsay...so, if someone "deems" a comment to be "threatening" or "harassing" then "someone" will intentionally delete them???!?!?!?!?!? there was nothing threatening or harassing about ANY of the comments that WERE intentionally deleted!! "someone" you, abigail, or whomever, INTENTIONALLY deleted them because they were not agreed with!!!!!!!!!!!! What a "Crock"!!!! oh, I mean "Crocker"!!!!

Abigail needs to read the first amendment to the constitution of the united states.

Obviously, freedom of speech does not pertain to this website/blog. The "editors" feel that it is they're "right" to censor everything that is written here. I'm not sure....do we need this blog?? Who's paying for it??? I sure hope the City of EP isn't dishing out money for a website that censors its citizens???!?!?!

It would be fair and prudent to take Lindsay at her word that the removal of the posts was unintentional.

Although some bloggers routinely walk the fine line between what is proper and what is not, and a small minority occasionally cross that line, there appeared to be a curiously aggressive reaction by Abigail to the posts about Mr. DaSilva in particular. Just as is the case with a football referee, the calls should be right and should be consistent. Wrong or inconsistent calls naturally raise doubts about the fairness and impartiality of the arbitror.

Well ladies you are doing a great job of proving my (our) point that "Patch" can and is edited at the whim of those who do not like the truth. Abigail you have a post I sent directly to you and from what I see the comments I have made are coming home to roost. It is sad that a national blog that has received such accolades is being reduced to a pitiful joke, but you are succeeding at proving the citizenry of EP right. Singular interests are controlling the city and you are helping hide the people’s voice. Here is a copy of the e-mail you have not responded to, an acknowledgement would have sufficed to make me believe you were acting in earnest, but you two chose to try to deny it was “Patch” that is causing the loss of comments. Here is your chance to prove your true concerns.
REPOST THE COMMENTS AS THEY WERE.
I know they are in your servers and you have full access to them.
SO FIX IT!!!!

Abigail,
It is with great sadness that in this great country there is still a small pocket of small minded people that are still capable of thinking that by censoring the freedom of people to speak their thoughts that this censure will make the spoken sentiments go away. I have heard this complaint from others on Patch and assumed there were retractions that these people decided to affect themselves. But after having several comments I have posted today, and a whole section of posts summarily removed from the Patch site I am most disappointed with your action to censure the freedom of the people to post their minds. I read those posts and there were no issues of civility as you had alluded to. Just because you received pressure form a higher political source to act, I would have thought you would have been stronger in your convictions. Just because someone was upset with the truth being said does not give you or anyone the right to deny the right to speak out. All in all I felt the whole truth and efforts of each person to speak their thoughts was very evenly stated. There were comments directed directly at you and I have to say you deserve them for the immature way you responded and especially the way you acted to try to remove the posts like they didn’t happen. Such actions will just embolden these people (me included)to speak out again with even stronger numbers and more cutting comments till the truth is fully heard without your immature and unnecessary intervention.

Mr Dasilva is a Union hack and should not seek re-election as Mr DeVall is doing.

You reposted exactly what you "wanted" to repost.....and you call yourselves "journalists"???!?!?!? Hypocrites are more like it. . . . . .

I find when I read Mr. Da Silva’s letter he makes the point that his own son is facing the loss of school sports. This is sad situation but not a good reason to lobby for taking more money out of the pockets of the citizens. Money many cannot afford to pay, and spend it to benefit a small group of affected students. To say sports prevents bullying without any proof is outrageous, If anything sports serves to further divide the student body into those that are organized in sports and those that suffer from the bullying often supported by the “sports clique”. Anyone familiar with organized sports knows that there are winners, and those that have their faces rubbed in the fact they lost. It is a fact of life and spending more taxpayer money will not change that reality. In the class of “67” there was a sports associated group of students known as “RIC” (real in crowd) a moniker they chose to remind everyone how much better they were than the others in their class. Let’s see if this post gets eaten by Abigail’s server.

@RR (rumford resident) the hypocrites I am referring to are - Abigail and Lindsay, the so-called "journalists"..........please pay attention "RR" ...........thnx!

@RR (again)........"Server issue" .........I've been in the Computer Industry for over 30yrs.........it wasn't a "server issue" !!! I cannot find my previous posts anywhere!!! and WHY would they be somewhere else, and not still attached to this specific conversation!?!?!?! they were purposely removed and/or deleted!

Thanks Ray.

Perhaps the Patch servers are legacy Soviet Union or imports from present day China

GMA or whoever you are,

I present no thesis, report or conclusion, what I do present is my opinion based on bringing two children thru the sports and extracurricular activities that are still offered today. If you think that electronic media has an influence on bullying then where is the revulsion for allowing cell phones in schools? You appear to speak as someone with teaching experience or background, at least your casual references to John Hopkinsand Harvard University and other specialized reports tends to support that observation. The real point is that the city does not have the money for these programs right now. Hell there are teachers using their own funds to supply necessary daily supplies. A politician and supporters allegedly using groups of students coached to present a slick and biased presentation for the purpose of swaying public opinion and furthering their efforts to sway officials to use more taxpayer money to benefit a small portion of the citizenry surely does not require a thesis, contrary it takes common sense. Common sense not distorted by innuendo and rhetoric ineffectually supported by vague allusions to great university studies and school pageant techniques used to influence feeble minds. This letter to the Governor does not speak for the majority of EP taxpayers and needs to be shown for the self-serving effort to gain favor on Election Day that it is. If you have proof contrary to my opinion please present it.

I will stand up and thank the editors of Patch.com and their support staff for enduring and fixing the problem we all were affected by.
THANK YOU PATCH

Patch is actually owned by AOL. If you want more info, go here: http://www.patch.com/about

Excellent points James and Arthur....

I hope this is enough 'support' to show you were trying to provide a perspective to the sports discussion that had not been heard thus far....

Classic liberal feedback from Mr Amore where they are always the smartest ones in the room and our opinions are shot down.

No one said there isn't a value to sports, but it is not nirvana....

Mr Amore probably didn't see Mr Durfee's analysis because he was at a meeting of the 'working Families or RI' getting marching orders from Val Lawson and Faria and Moura

We have asbestos issues, leaking roofs and other safety issues in the schools but we bring up SPORTS! Typical distraction from the real issues from people like DaSilva who are at the root of the deficits!

Should we bring up the recent Andover High School incident of last year. Google high school sports hazing and receive 1.3 million hits.

It is a generalization, but the original point was just that. That school sports is not an answer to every problem.

As for being the smartest person in the room, I'm sure you do feel that way. I think Mr OKeefe put it best as to that type of attitude leading to a less than stellar graduation rate in the city.

Make sure you say hello to Governor Chafee at the Communist Party meeting. I'm sure he will be there.

Another fine example of how the unions funded another hack. Your investment is paying off there as well.....

I'm sure the subject of Binding Arbitration will be discussed at that meeting (or as Val Lawson calls it Bind'in Arbitration) Just when you thought the unions learned their lesson, they bring that topic back to the forefront.....Another example of how it is 'always about the kids'......Yeah right....

Thank you for acknowleding that generalizations are dangerous and despite what you continue to write, I never said school sports is the answer to every problem. I actually agreed with you that we have much bigger fish to fry. Mr. OKeefe was absolutely out of his league when he made that comment as you are now. By the way, the man he was addressing taught in a school system that has a 96% graduation rate....but that does not matter because Mr. OKeefe made an inappropriate connection just as you have done. Barrington graduation rate 98%, Shea High School 58%....and that reflects the quality of the teachers? Switch the teachers and the graduation rates remain the same. Graduation rates are based on many factors outside the teachers' control including attendance rates, poverty levels, intinerant student populations, home environment of the student, as well as the quality of the education they get. On this subject I feel as though I am more informed (not smarter) than you. It must be a great gift to be clairvoyant and all knowing since you're sure you know how I feel...amazing gift. I will have to check with Val Lawson to see if I can continue to debate this issue. Or maybe I should ask you...you seem to know all these things...What would Val say? Hazing, by the way, is not limited to athletics...it has been used in frats, military, bands, Princeton Skull and Bones...etc.

Gregg,

My feelings are that if teachers are taking out of their own pockets to provide necessities for the student’s daily educational needs, the issue raised by sports is surely just a smoke screen to divert attention and action from much more serious problems. Hell even the orchestra played while the Titanic was sinking. And that was caused in part by the vanities’ of the powerful persons in control. You can challenge any stated position and there are always of coloring the light that shines on the subject.
BUT THE FACTS DO NOT CHANGE.
We need to tackle much bigger problems in EP and wasting public interest with lesser problems is a waste of time and money in itself. According to a report in the “Reporter” and some simplistic reasoning and math, the cost per student for the middle school sports comes in around $265.00 yearly. I paid $200.00 per month for one child to participate in the sport of their choice and did it on a real thin budget. I guess the answer may become ‘pay to play’ to keep all sides happy.

Retention rates, Graduation rates, GPA's, Test scores, all mean little if the system is so broke that it cannot run. Gregg has some very good points that are very true; however I think we should consider fixing what is most important to keeping the system healthy. WE ARE BLEEDIND MONEY PROFUSELY. Then we can fix the issues that make the system work better and attain higher standards. You can't rebuild a house until you put out the fire!!! The hot button talk and comparisons to other systems do not change the facts, and if we do not stop the losses, there will be nothing left to build on. As I have said before this is going to hurt, there is no easy way out, but the sooner we start and challenge the system fix the problems the sooner we can move on to the rebuilding toe opportunities the city has to offer.

To put a light on the original comment that sports stifles bullying, the local recent news releases show that some of the most obnoxious behavior is shown at local hockey and basketball games. These morons have set an example for the youth attending these games that will take years of constabulary contact to dull their influence, and who will bear that cost????

JJD
The Simpsons, surely you are more mature that that show !!!!

Roberto Dasliva what a moron