A Blog Called Hope

Yesterday, we learned of the passing of one of Rhode Island’s longest serving state legislators, Rep. Paul W. Crowley. Earlier today, Chairman Lynch sent out the email below inviting people to share a memory of Paul or offer condolences to his family via this site.

From the chairman:

Yesterday, Rhode Island lost a true leader who embodied everything that is good and right with public service. Rep. Paul W. Crowley was a champion and legislative giant in the Rhode Island House of Representatives, serving the people of his beloved Newport for nearly three decades.

Paul cared about the things that were important to all Rhode Islanders. He pushed for reforms, even when they weren’t popular, and passionately pursued efforts to bring increased accountability to our public schools.

He stood up for the people of his community, leading the charge to scrutinize insurance companies who passed outrageous premiums on to coastal homeowners.

Above all, Paul was respected by leaders from both sides of the aisle because of the quality of his character and willingness to never back down from a fight. His warm smile and affable nature drew people to him, and he was always quick to grace the room with a tune from his Irish ancestry.

He was a man of his word, and his presence in the General Assembly with be missed for years to come.

Today the thoughts and prayers of all Rhode Island Democrats go out to Paul’s wife, Diana, his three children and the entire Crowley family.

We’ve dedicated some space at A Blog Called Hope where you can share a memory of Paul, or post condolences to his family and friends.

Our friend Paul has left us far too early, but his legacy will live on through his family, those he cared about, and the good people of his district. Today, we remember Paul’s lasting contributions to our community and say ‘thank you’ for a lifetime of dedicated public service.

Senate Republicans are apparently back to their old, dirty tricks again. This today from the Washington Post:

The Senate today shelved a measure that would have required the withdrawal of most U.S. troops from Iraq within nine months, the latest in a series of defeats this week for Democratic-sponsored provisions that sought to restrict the Bush administration’s Iraq war policy.

The vote on the measure, an amendment to the 2008 defense authorization bill, was 47 to 47. That was 13 votes short of the 60-vote threshold the amendment needed because of the inherent threat of a Republican filibuster.

The Republican’s efforts didn’t sit well with Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, who just released the following statement:

“I share Rhode Islanders’ frustration at President Bush’s failure to change course in Iraq. That’s why I’ve voted for every measure that would put pressure on the President to redeploy our troops and seek a new direction. It’s time – long past time – for our troops to come home.

“I’m proud that Rhode Island’s own Jack Reed is among the leaders of our fight. His amendment today would have set a smart, responsible strategy to safely redeploy American troops – but once again, the Republican minority in the Senate has used Senate rules to block the way.

“We face a simple question: is it in the long-term best interests of our nation for American troops to remain in Iraq? Americans have overwhelmingly answered no. I will keep fighting to bring our troops home safely, and bring them home soon.”

From Political Wire

Think Progress reports that ratings numbers show more television viewers for both Fox and CNN watched Sen. Jack Reed’s (D-RI) Democratic response to President Bush’s much-anticipated speech on Iraq then watched the President’s actual remarks.

Meanwhile, a CBS poll released yesterday found that most viewers felt the President’s plan to reduce troops did not go far enough. Almost half (47%) want more troops home by next summer than Bush allowed for, and the number of respondents who said the troops should either be reduced or removed completely (68%) did not differ significantly after the speech than responses from before.

Perhaps even more troubling, only one third of respondents felt the surge had made a positive impact in Iraq, despite an encouraging report from Gen. Petraeus. Two thirds feel the surge has had no impact or has made violence even worse.

Congressmen Jim Langevin and Patrick Kennedy today sent a letter to Congressman James L. Oberstar, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee asking that the needs of Rhode Island be kept in mind as the Committee prepares to develop a legislative response to bridge safety nationally.“While small, Rhode Island’s high population density and significant maintenance costs pose challenges to state leaders trying to upgrade our aging roads and bridges,” said Langevin. “Mr. Kennedy and I will continue to advocate for our constituents and make sure the state Department of Transportation has the resources to keep the traveling public safe.”

This letter was written after inspections revealed Rhode Island’s bridges were substandard. The inspections were prompted by the tragic collapse of the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis this summer.

“Anything that could potentially jeopardize safe travel through our state or shake the confidence of our citizens or visitors is completely unacceptable and must be addressed immediately,” said Kennedy. “However, it is clear that Rhode Island will need federal assistance to help solve our state’s aging infrastructure. As the Committee moves forward to respond to this national need, we are asking for support in light of the urgency of this matter.”

This, today, from the office of Gen. Treas. Frank Caprio:

As part of his effort to enhance customer service and improve the management of all Treasury operations, General Treasurer Frank Caprio has won approval from the state Retirement Board for a proposal to conduct a benchmarking study comparing the operations of the Employees’ Retirement System of Rhode Island to similar public sector retirement systems in the country.

The Retirement Board approved a plan to hire CEM Benchmarking to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the operations of the ERSRI. Caprio said benchmarking studies are a progressive tool being used by managers in both the public and private sector to measure the effectiveness and efficiency of their operations compared to similar agencies and organizations.

“This study will enable us to measure the productivity of our operation and identify areas where we can do our jobs more effectively for the people of Rhode Island,” said Caprio. “I believe state government needs to be accountable to the people it serves and conduct its operations in a transparent manner. This study will be a rigorous and open evaluation of how we are doing compared to other public sector retirement systems and how we can do better.”

Caprio said CEM Benchmarking has a database of information regarding the management of numerous public pension systems, which will be used to identify those ERSRI programs which are operating efficiently and inefficiently. The company will look at metrics such as service level, costs, transaction volumes, and plan complexity and how those metrics compare to similar public retirement systems. Representatives from the company and ERSRI staff will spend the next few months evaluating the various operations of the retirement office and will develop a report for the Treasurer to be presented as early as February.

CEM Benchmarking has provided independent, objective and actionable analysis to over 170 corporate and government clients in the United States, Canada, Europe and Australia. Pension administration is one of the company’s core industry sectors and CEM Benchmarking has extensive experience obtaining performance metrics, evaluating a client’s performance and costs based on benchmark comparisons to similar entities and identifying best practices.

“Improving the performance of the ERSRI is an essential part of my commitment to improve customer service and make government more accountable,” said Caprio. “I look forward to working with CEM Benchmarking to review the operations of the retirement system so that we identify what is working and what needs to be improved.”

This today from Congressman Langevin’s office:

Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) presented Congressman Jim Langevin with the 2007 Congressional Award at its annual Americana Gala in Washington, DC, on September 13. Langevin was recognized for his long-time support of the Paralyzed Veterans of America, as well of issues of concern to all veterans and all individuals with disabilities.

“I have had the privilege of meeting with local and national members of PVA over the years, and I am truly humbled to receive this recognition,” said Langevin, co-chair of the Bipartisan Disabilities Caucus. “While we have made great progress in some areas, we still have a long way to go to make sure that all of our paralyzed veterans are given the care and resources they deserve. I am proud to be part of a Congress that is on the verge of passing the biggest increase in VA funding in over 75 years. I will continue to make my voice heard and to make a difference.”

There are currently about 25 million brave veterans and 51 million people with disabilities—with 11,000 new spinal cord injuries reported annually. PVA works tirelessly to create an America where veterans’ benefits and health care are fully funded; where everywhere is barrier free for everyone; where wheelchair sports are mainstream; and, where the scientific community is amply funded to strive for new treatments and cures.

From the Whitehouse team:

U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) will join Roger Williams University law students and faculty on Constitution Day, Monday, September 17, for a conversation on the need to restore the independence and credibility of the U.S. Department of Justice in the wake of the controversial tenure of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.

Whitehouse, Rhode Island’s former United States Attorney and Attorney General, has played an active role in the Senate Judiciary Committee’s investigation into what went wrong at the Justice Department under the Bush administration.

Senator Whitehouse is also the author of legislation aimed at restoring a critical safeguard against political interference at Justice. During the Clinton administration, a total of only seven people at the White House and the Justice Department were permitted to initiate discussions of ongoing cases or investigations. Bush administration officials changed that policy, eventually authorizing more than 40 people at the Department and more than 900 in the White House to initiate such conversations. Whitehouse’s bill, now before the Judiciary Committee, would require the Department of Justice and the White House to notify Congress if officials beyond those named in the Clinton-era rule were authorized to discuss pending investigations.