Our country is in free fall. It's not just a Rhode Island thing. It starts at the top. We are in for a very rough time. There is a president-elect and his toadie, one who isn't in office yet and the other isn't an official gov't. employee. Both give orders and make unreasonable demands that neither has the right to do. Both like to place blame so they accept no responsibility. They are cagey when they speak. We know what they imply but solid evidence doesn't exist.
Our governor is the same way. He is the deciding vote on Commerce so now we have a Stadium that nobody wanted. The deal was that this 'group' would build 250 affordable apartments first and then their stadium. The stadium is done but there is no sign of any apartments. The Washington Bridge has been inoperable for a year. One of his first statements, made in anger' was that he was going to hold someone accountable. Who? The original workers are old or dead. It's been 'fixed' since and now it doesn't work. There is always an excuse and always looking to blame someone. We can't get bids since the plan was wrong. Now we have 2 bids and one has a bunch of lawsuits. My guess is we'll go with the lawsuits. That's what we do in this State. We'll pay through the nose for a questionable job.
The homeless - When he became Governor, he mentioned the homeless so earnestly & sincerely.
He was pleading that if we had a spare room to take someone in. Did he? Providence carries the load. It has many empty buildings. Our own RI elites buy or already own them. They turn them into fancy hotels or unaffordable condos. They donate money but throwing money doesn't solve the problem. They should take one or two of their buildings and create small apartments or shelters. Neither will require the sums they put into their fancy buildings. The money they donate would be put to better use.
Then we have the RI Bridge fiasco. We didn't learn our lesson the first time, so we signed another contract with the same company that fouled up our system before. This company has been in the news before. Their work is shoddy. I'm not a techy, but shouldn't there be some kind of firewall between departments that are on the same system?
This RI Bridge system affects those who need it the most. They are the poor, the elderly, and, yes, some of the homeless.
There is only so much that the rest of us can do. We keep donating food, clothing, goods. We are ordinary people with families to support, have limited funds, and are on the verge of being tapped out.
Our politicians will hold fundraisers for their campaigns, charging anywhere from $50 to $1000 for a meet-and-greet and a watered-down drink.
The homeless don't get invited. They are pushed aside like they don't exist. When the subject of homelessness comes up, they nod their heads, say "Oh, the poor things" and change the subject.
We can accumulate all the money in the world but when we die, we can't take it with us. If one believes in a Higher Power, it's not going to ask how much money you made. It's what you did.
We need leaders who are intelligent, have common sense, and compassion. We don't have that today but I hope we can do better.
Forty years ago when I was first in Providence we didn’t have people living in tents. We did have rooms you could rent. We’ve lost affordable housing and stopped building more.
Horrific.
This is is the kind of systemic evil that capitalists refuse to call violence, when it clearly is.
Many of our elected officials have forgotten their duty for the common good & insuring social justice for the vulnerable & voiceless.
Our country is in free fall. It's not just a Rhode Island thing. It starts at the top. We are in for a very rough time. There is a president-elect and his toadie, one who isn't in office yet and the other isn't an official gov't. employee. Both give orders and make unreasonable demands that neither has the right to do. Both like to place blame so they accept no responsibility. They are cagey when they speak. We know what they imply but solid evidence doesn't exist.
Our governor is the same way. He is the deciding vote on Commerce so now we have a Stadium that nobody wanted. The deal was that this 'group' would build 250 affordable apartments first and then their stadium. The stadium is done but there is no sign of any apartments. The Washington Bridge has been inoperable for a year. One of his first statements, made in anger' was that he was going to hold someone accountable. Who? The original workers are old or dead. It's been 'fixed' since and now it doesn't work. There is always an excuse and always looking to blame someone. We can't get bids since the plan was wrong. Now we have 2 bids and one has a bunch of lawsuits. My guess is we'll go with the lawsuits. That's what we do in this State. We'll pay through the nose for a questionable job.
The homeless - When he became Governor, he mentioned the homeless so earnestly & sincerely.
He was pleading that if we had a spare room to take someone in. Did he? Providence carries the load. It has many empty buildings. Our own RI elites buy or already own them. They turn them into fancy hotels or unaffordable condos. They donate money but throwing money doesn't solve the problem. They should take one or two of their buildings and create small apartments or shelters. Neither will require the sums they put into their fancy buildings. The money they donate would be put to better use.
Then we have the RI Bridge fiasco. We didn't learn our lesson the first time, so we signed another contract with the same company that fouled up our system before. This company has been in the news before. Their work is shoddy. I'm not a techy, but shouldn't there be some kind of firewall between departments that are on the same system?
This RI Bridge system affects those who need it the most. They are the poor, the elderly, and, yes, some of the homeless.
There is only so much that the rest of us can do. We keep donating food, clothing, goods. We are ordinary people with families to support, have limited funds, and are on the verge of being tapped out.
Our politicians will hold fundraisers for their campaigns, charging anywhere from $50 to $1000 for a meet-and-greet and a watered-down drink.
The homeless don't get invited. They are pushed aside like they don't exist. When the subject of homelessness comes up, they nod their heads, say "Oh, the poor things" and change the subject.
We can accumulate all the money in the world but when we die, we can't take it with us. If one believes in a Higher Power, it's not going to ask how much money you made. It's what you did.
We need leaders who are intelligent, have common sense, and compassion. We don't have that today but I hope we can do better.
Yes, Thank You Duane! Spot on!
Thank you Duane!!
Forty years ago when I was first in Providence we didn’t have people living in tents. We did have rooms you could rent. We’ve lost affordable housing and stopped building more.