Ocean State Policy Research Institute

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Letter to the Editor - Providence Journal in response to Political Scene July 13, 2009

Thanks to the Providence Journal for reporting on our new website, ristimuluswatch.org (Political Scene, July 13). The paper accurately described how our site provides an outlet for Rhode Islanders to express their views on proposed stimulus projects. We don't give visitors our opinion on the projects because we don't want to bias their responses.

Unfortunately the paper's inaccurate reference to Ocean State Policy as a "GOP Group" defeats the purpose of this bias-avoidance approach. We hope the paper's error will not skew the information collected.

The Ocean State Policy Research Institute (OSPRI) is a non-partisan, non-profit think tank. If looking for a convenient generalization, may we suggest "center-right." This is not meant to alienate Republican friends of our effort, but to include the Democrats and Independents in the ranks of our board, scholars and supporters, of which there are many.

And on that subject, we are proud to have had Susan Carcieri join our board more than 6 months after our incorporation. However, it is grossly inaccurate to suggest that the Governor's wife "co-founded" the Institute. Her participation signals an embrace of our principles, not a hand in crafting them.

At OSPRI, our bias is an affinity for open, honest and limited government. We favor market-based solutions and traditional American values at work in a society where individual liberty is balanced by personal responsibility. One supposes these are ideals that Reagan put on the map, but one must recall that a good deal of Reagan Republicans were Democrats.