"I am favor of cutting taxes under any circumstances and for any excuse, for any reason, whenever it's possible." ~ Milton Friedman
Once again, the people of Rhode Island who are sick and tired of reckless spending, ineffective government programs, and high taxes came together at the State House to voice their frustration to the General Assembly. Inclement weather would not stop the event, as about a 1,000 people gathered on the south side of the State House on Wednesday. After a number of rousing speeches, including an unexpected guest appearance by Governor and Mrs. Carcieri, the crowd "stormed" the Statehouse, marching into the Rotunda and eventually up to the third floor, where the legislators' offices are located. To the delight of the protesters, Speaker Murphy was still in his office, which he exited to briefly address the crowd. Overall, the second Tea Party was another great success!
I'd like to extend a special thank you to five individuals who attended the Tea Party and helped OSPRI promote the Transparency Train: Shannon F., Adam D., Ryan B., Justin C., and Opeyemi O. Thank you!
Although the Providence Journal chose to not cover the rally before the event, they could not ignore the throng of protesters that came to the State House on Wednesday afternoon. You can find the Projo's coverage of the event below.
OSPRI sent out a press release this past week illustrating how the state could create over 6,000 jobs simply by eliminating the Estate, or "Death," Tax. To read the release, see below.
Longtime OSPRI volunteer Will Grapentine had a piece published in the East Bay newspaper discussing the importance of the Tea Party movement. To find the letter, see below.
Last week I included an update from Block Island in a case that involved a private citizen requesting, and being denied access, to see public documents from the School Committee. When the Block Island Times published the story how the Attorney General had found the School in violation for initially withholding the documents, the Times decided to request access to the legal bills just for complying with the initial request. The legal bills were released, which prompted the Times to write a follow-up piece with a big surprise. You can find the link to the article below.
The RI Votes database is now fully updated for the current legislative session. More than 2000 bills were introduced in the House and Senate, and you can find them with sponsor and voting records as well as brief summaries of each bill, all through the RI Votes section of the Transparency Train (see link on left).
Be sure to check out the new
OSPRI blog! The Transparency Train
blog will continue to feature updates regarding the latest available data, but we are unveiling a new OSPRI blog that will have news updates, Op-Eds, videos, and more!
SAVE THE DATE: The 2nd annual ATF Party, hosted by OSPRI has been tentatively scheduled for Saturday, July 11th. This year's party will be bigger, with a wide range of activities for the whole family! More information will be released soon.
As always, OSPRI President Bill Felkner continues to traverse the state in order to spread the word about our organization and the Transparency Project. He has spoken before neighborhood organizations, taxpayer groups, college students, and local public officials. If you are interested in having Mr. Felkner address your group, please contact me via phone (401-228-6691) or email (info@oceanstatepolicy.org).
Finally, if you have any questions about OSPRI or are interested in getting involved, don't hesitate to contact me!
Save the date for this year's Anti-ATF party where we gather to enjoy our liberties (and some good food, beverages and 2nd Amendment activities).