Good governance and electoral reform seems to be the current flavor of the week in Rhode Island politics.  

Whole political futures now hinge on ideas such as:  
elimination of the master lever, Governor and Lieutenant Governor running mates, a constitutional convention (i.e. con-con) and more.

However, these reforms could take months, or even years, that is, if they actually ever come to fruition.  

I ask you to consider what can be done now, today, and prior to election 2014 to support good governance and electoral reform.  

Recently, on The Coalition radio show on AM 790 WPRV we hosted civic leader Ray Rickman (The podcast is posted below) tune-in to around 46 minutes into the show, where Mr. Rickman informs us; "Block Island has double the number of registered voters as it does adults who are legally able to vote" 

I hope some of the reformers are listening...

-Tony Jones
@tonyjonesinri

WPRI 12 and The Providence Journal have recently announced that they will be holding a televised Democratic gubernatorial primary debate on June 10th. How the debate will go is yet to be seen,  but one thing is perfectly clear: candidate Todd Giroux is not invited.  

It seems that the local media outlet has once again taken it upon themselves to decided who is, and is not, “electable”

The is par for the course for said media outlet, in 2012 WPRI famously shut Rhode Island second district congressional candidate Abel Collins out of the debates.

While I agree that Mr. Giroux is a bit of a dark horse candidate, the average voter suffers from an ever increasing loss of faith in government, and many people may find the idea of a concerned citizen actually seeking public office to be quite refreshing.  

Apparently, WPRI isn’t impressed.     

This is not a Democrat v. Republican v. Libertarian v. Independent issue, this is an issue of fairness in our democracy, and people of every political ilk should be concerned.

Let Todd Giroux Debate! 

Po Taxpayer, Christine Havok and I are VERY excited that The Coalition has a new over-the-air home in AM 790 WPRV -Talk and Business. 

We look forward to bring our irreverent brand of round-table discussions of the topics of the day to a much broader audience. 

Starting April 6th, catch us LIVE Sundays @ 6pm 

http://www.coalitionradio.us/
http://www.790business.com/
http://player.listenlive.co/25591

Ed Doyle invites you to help save Sparky's Coney Island Restaurant. 

Sparky's has been part of Rhode Island for nearly a century and, because of the unfriendly Rhode Island attitude toward small business, it may be forced to close. 

Join-in on Saturday, February 15th @ 11:00 AM to get some great lunch and help out Sparky's before it is no more. 

Sparky's Coney Island System
122 Taunton Ave.
East Providence, RI

RSVP Via Facebook: www.facebook.com/events/632789440089950/

Some of the regulations most responsible for job-killing are the ones that are placed on adult education. Currently, most of the nation’s colleges do not providing the kind of training that small to mid-size businesses are in need of, and businesses that hire untrained individuals must dedicate a large amount of money, time and resources to provide such training. There is a need for skilled individuals, but they are prevented by state regulations.

Here is the problem: each state regulates vocational training, so that any group or business wishing to provide this training must follow a largely time-consuming and expensive process, that has no guarantee of success. The licensing requirements are so extreme that no school or program has been licensed to teach the skills needed to assist the owner and/or operator of a small to mid-size business. There are decent-paying jobs waiting for trained people in areas such as: customer service, purchasing, shipping/receiving, communications, marketing, management, etc.

A small-business owner is a lot more likely to hire an employee who can assist in day-to-day operation and add value to the company. Traditional colleges and universities are not set up to train to the full spectrum of skills that are needed in businesses operation. Most business owners would love to hire on a person and delegate tasks such as: creating mailing lists, filing financial records maintaining websites and social media accounts, updating spreadsheets, etc. They would hire, if they could find capable, trained employees. The easing of the regulations on post-secondary vocational training would encourage private enterprise to create small schools and training programs that actually prepare students for the demands of the small to mid-size business. 

Cities and towns everywhere could implement such programs that would provide unemployed and underemployed residents with the skills in need to obtain these in-demand jobs. The business owner could base the assistant’s rate of pay to the amount of time this new employee now saves the operation of the company. For example, if an owner estimates that the assistant saves him or her 10 hours a week, at a business that makes $100 per hour, the assistant would then earn $1,000 a week, and that business owner could use the newly generated free time to engage in sales, promotion, or anything else that would generate new business and  increase earnings. This new business could significantly exceed that cost of taking on an employee, and provide for what that assistant earns.

Tony Jones
www.tonyjones.org 

Regulate Rhode Island is an entirely grassroots movement, and your help talking up marijuana regulation

Take Action: 

Call Speaker of the House Gordon Fox and ask him to make marijuana regulation a legislative priority for the House in 2014! Call him now at (401) 222-2447 or email him at rep-fox@rilin.state.ri.us 

You can also look up and contact your state representative and senator by clicking here and visiting the RI Voter Information Center. 

Here's a suggestion of what to say when you contact a legislator: 

"My name is [your name], and I live at [your address]. I am contacting you to express serious concern about Rhode Island's failed policy of marijuana prohibition.Treating marijuana as a crime wastes government resources, enforces racial discrimination, and undermines public health and safety. Law enforcement efforts should be focused on serious crime, not marijuana.Instead of continuing the counterproductive policy of marijuana prohibition, Rhode Island should regulate marijuana like alcohol with a system of licenses, taxes, and age restrictions. By regulating marijuana we can take control away from illegal dealers, allow police officers to focus on serious crimes, and create jobs to boost Rhode Island's economy. I urge you to make marijuana regulation a top legislative priority. Thank you."