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 Weekly Update For the week of August 21, 2009 |
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Dear William,
"With the passing today of Rose Director Friedman, my thoughts go out to the Friedman family on their loss. This country and the world have lost a genuine free market hero, and I have lost a friend in life and mentor in liberty." ~ Patrick Byrne, Co-Chairman Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice
The OSPRI office was saddened to learn of the passing of Dr. Rose Friedman this past week. Dr. Friedman was the husband of the late Milton Friedman, one of the most influential economists of our time and a true advocate of free-market capitalism. Like her husband, Dr. Rose Friedman was a brilliant economist and outspoken advocate of school choice. Dr. Friedman will certainly be sorely missed.
OSPRI President Bill Felkner is still on vacation, but look for the return of his President's Message next week!
The South Kingstown Chamber of Commerce will be hosting a business forum on Tuesday, August 25, from 12-1pm in the Chamber Conference Room at 230 Old Tower Hill Rd, Wakefield. Mr. Felkner, as well as OSPRI fellows Brian Bishop and Thomas Linehan, will sit on the panel to answer questions about regarding any analysis of the policies being considered by Congress. For more details, see below.
Thomas Linehan, the newest fellow at OSPRI, had an Op-Ed published in the Providence Business News this past week. See below for more details.
As I mentioned in the last Weekly Update, OSPRI President Bill Felkner was a guest on NBC 10's "10 News Conference" this past Sunday. See below for the link to the video.
Save the Dates! Grover Norquist, President of Americans for Tax Reform, will be visiting OSPRI on September 10th. We will have a reception that evening, so be sure to mark your calendars! Also, we have set September 20th as the date for our Second Annual ATF Party! More details will be released for both events as soon as they are available.
Once again, I am urging all of you to visit our new Rhode Island Stimulus Watch website (www.ristimulus.org) and cast your vote for the projects you feel are, or are not, critical at this time. This website was designed for you, the taxpayer, and we need your feedback!
This week, fourteen new documents were added to the RI Data website, which can be found by going to the Transparency Train. The RI Votes database is fully updated for the current legislative session: about 2000 bills were introduced in the House and Senate, and you can find them all through the RI Votes section of the Transparency Train.
As always, OSPRI continues to traverse the state in order to spread the word about our organization and the Transparency Project. We have spoken before neighborhood organizations, taxpayer groups, college students, and local public officials. If you are interested in having Mr. Felkner or one of our scholars and/or associates address your group, please contact us 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!
Best regards,
Parker Lacoste
Assistant to the President
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| President's Message |
The President's Message will return next week!
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| OSPRI joins Business Forum |
As noted above, OSPRI will be featured on a panel at an upcoming business forum hosted by the South Kingstown Chamber of Commerce. Here is an excerpt from our press release:
"...This event will replace the "meet and greet" with Senator Jack Reed that had originally been scheduled but was cancelled due to a scheduling conflict for the Senator.
'I'm very pleased to have the opportunity to sit down with taxpayers and the business community and discuss the current state of affairs in both Rhode Island and our country,' said Felkner. 'We certainly appreciate how busy schedules can get, but the business community has so few opportunities to meet as a group that we hope Senator Reed will reconsider and make time in his schedule to join us at this business forum.'"
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| OSPRI in the PBN |
OSPRI's newest fellow, Thomas Linehan, had an Op-Ed published in the Providence Business News this past week. Here is an excerpt:
"It would be one thing to say that Rhode Island spends a lot of money but gets a lot in return. But that is not the case.
Our educational system, as an example, and its product, an educated work force, continue to drive up costs and fail to attract businesses. According to U.S. Census data, Rhode Island per pupil education expenditures in the most recent year reported is the seventh highest in the United States. Our support costs - administration, student and teacher supports - are the second highest of all the states. Yet, standardized testing places Rhode Island student performance below average."
Click Here to read the full Op-Ed.
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| Felkner on NBC 10 |
As I informed you last week, OSPRI President Bill Felkner appeared on NBC 10's "10 News Conference" this past Sunday. To find the video, Click Here.
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| Save the Dates! |
As noted above, Grover Norquist, President of Americans for Tax Reform, will be in Rhode Island on September 10th, so be sure to mark your calendar!
Also, OSPRI's 2nd Annual ATF Party has been scheduled for the afternoon of September 20th. You won't want to miss it!
More details will be available soon for both events. |
| RI Stimulus Watch Update |
WE NEED YOUR VOTE!
The RI Stimulus website is designed to provide a venue for Rhode Islanders to give feedback on proposed stimulus projects. The site allows visitors to place comments, add descriptions, write reasons for or against the projects, and cast a vote. We tally the results and rank the projects as "most critical" and "least critical" depending on how you vote.
So, please visit the site ( www.ristimulus.org or www.ristimuluswatch.org) and let us know what you think about the projects in your backyard.
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| RI Data update |
There have been 42 new monthly check registers and documents uploaded since the last Weekly Update:
Barrington June 2009 Check Register
Exeter-West Greenwich School District July 2009 Check Register
Central Falls School Dept. July 2009 Check Register
Narragansett July 2009 Check Register
Johnston School Dept. July 2009 Check Register
Burrillville July 2009 Check Register
Little Compton July 2009 Check Register
East Providence July 2009 Check Register
Little Compton School Dept. July 2009 Check Register
Scituate July 2009 Check Register
Barrington July 2009 Check Register
Richmond July 2009 Check Register
Smithfield School Dept. July 2009 Check Register
Portsmouth School Dept. June 2009 Check Register
Click Here to find public documents.
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