Comments

• On the article Middletown Council: Businesses Should Pay to Use Second Beach

  Bill

  12:10 pm on Wednesday, May 22, 2013

  OK, for some reason, my comment looked like it posted but didn't actually post. Anyway, to repeat, we in RI (the Ocean State) value our waterfront and public rights of way. The only thing the Town can charge for is parking and facilities. I can't see how there would be an enforcable penalty of trespassing which complies with the State Constitution ensuring public access to the waterfront. It seems to me like they would be better off creating a business parking proxy system whereby during non-peak hours (mornings/evenings) a business could apply for a number of short-term parking spaces which allow them to issue off-peak passes for things like exercise sessions. The business entity would be paying for a service (parking). There wouldn't be an enforcement issue (can someone be charged with trespassing in a public place?) and there would be value added to the Town by filling the empty parking spaces during off-peak times.

  Reply

• On the Blog Post Are You Wearing a Helmet or Being Stupid?

  

  Bill

  12:34 pm on Friday, May 17, 2013

  I assume that was my comment given that I was notified that it was live but don't see it here. If so, the one questionable word I used was 1) an euphemism; 2) not directed at anyone; 3) Not profane or offensive according to the FCC;

  It seems to me that it complied with the terms of service. Also, if it was a great comment, you would have opted to either censor it or not approve it. Obviously, the editors can't hope to edit every comment, but given that there is no explicit list of profane words which violate the terms, how is one supposed to know?

• On the Blog Post Are You Wearing a Helmet or Being Stupid?

  Bill

  11:10 am on Friday, May 17, 2013

  I have been nearly hit countless times while riding my bike, so much so that I rarely ride anymore. I always wear my helmet. The one time it was actually put to use was also in my driveway. I was returning from a ride and hit the 4" lip at the end of my driveway with my wheel turned just slightly. I bumped forward and inadvertently jammed on the front brake. The wheel turned hard and I went ass over teakettle. Banged my helmet and dragged my face across the asphault. Fortunately, the helmet protected my juicy brain and my facial hair (mostly) protected my beautiful face.

  Reply

• On the Blog Post House Leadership Package... Is It Enough To Get Us Going?

  

  Bill

  6:34 am on Thursday, May 16, 2013

  So let me get this straight. You have to mindlessly vote with the majority in order to get anything done. Meanwhile, if you are one of two people (potential future speakers) you can do whatever you want. Don't those two statements stand at opposition. Sadly, in out State Government, they don't. 90% of the Dem. politicians are sheep. The other 10% wield their power as corrupt overlords.

• On the Blog Post House Leadership Package... Is It Enough To Get Us Going?

  

  Bill

  4:21 pm on Wednesday, May 15, 2013

  Perhaps getting things done by mindlessly voting with the majority is the cause of our financial armageddon? Aside from that, I several in his post that he finds several bills good and others decent with ammendments. Isn't that how things are supposed to work?

• On the Blog Post It's Time To Make Rhode Island Great

  

  Bill

  10:36 am on Wednesday, May 15, 2013

  First, I'll state that gun control is totally unrelated to the issue of RI's deteriorating condition. That said, I want to respond to this: "I cannot understand why the American male thinks he's still so under threat from some outside force, that he clings to an amendment right that is obviously outdated."

  As we have recently seen in the news, the Government is actively subverting and pursuing group and individual liberties. The IRS has openly admitted targeting groups and distributing non-public information. The Justice Department is attacking the press. The President has declared that it is legal for him to kill an American citizen (even on American soil). It seems to me that the 2nd Ammendment was becoming an anachronism in the 'Currier & Ives' era, but has quickly returned to one of our essential rights which should not be infringed.

• On the article Is Rhode Island Bad for Business?

  Bill

  12:34 pm on Thursday, May 9, 2013

  Here's the funny thing. We have all the components to a great State for business. We have excellent college-level schools in both professional and technical fields. URI offers top notch business, pharmacy, and engineering degrees. New England Tech offers some of the best vocational degrees in the country. We have mild Winters and Summers. We have proximity to major metropolitan hubs (NYC, Boston). We have a decent shipping port and a nice airport.

  What we lack is skilled and motivated human capital. There are a bunch of reasons for this.

  1. We don't foster new business development in potential growth fields.
  2. We don't support and promote existing business in potential growth fields.
  3. It's far easier for a skilled worker to find a job elsewhere than create a job/business here.
  4. The cost of living vs. income ratio in the skilled workforce is so high here that it is difficult to move here from other parts of the country.

  I'm sure there are others I am missing and I didn't state the reasons for #4 above, but all of it translates to business unfriendliness. #4 is especially contributory to #2. If we have a small office of a large company in a growth sector such as defense, it's far easier for a company to hire a worker from another State to work in another State and fly in once every month or two for meetings.

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• On the article GoLocalProv Ranks MHS Best On Island

  Bill

  3:44 pm on Wednesday, May 8, 2013

  I suspect this is the answer: "assess and weight each school's latest NECAP and SAT scores..." In other words, MHS teachers are far better at teaching to the tests than PHS or RHS.

  Reply

• On the Blog Post Reed Leading Push to Tax Internet Retailers - Really?

  

  Bill

  8:58 am on Monday, May 6, 2013

  Keep in mind, Jack Reed is a U.S. Senator, not a State Senator. He would be pushing this as a Federal law which would require U.S. companies to collect sales tax on online purchases. As to the lack of computer skills in State Government, I agree with one exception... I registered for a State saltwater fishing license. I went online, purchased it and downloaded a pdf to my phone. It was really that easy. No convoluted proprietary system which is non-intuitive; No secondary form to mail in; Just a simple form. I was shocked!

• On the article Proposed STEAM Charter School Aces Review

  

  Bill

  11:25 am on Friday, May 3, 2013

  "Why not put a program like this in the Newport Public Schools?"

  Because the unions won't allow it. They say they are willing to do whatever works, but at the same time, they loudly argue all the negatives of anything that has been shown to work. Plus, with State and Federal mandates, public schools can't hope to implement a deviation from the base curriculum (aka, teaching to the test) without the wrath of Government crashing down on them.