A Blog Called Hope

Happy Thursday, folks, let’s have a little fun with this one. Get the creative juices flowing and write what you think should appear as the caption underneath this photo from today’s Kent County Daily Times of House Republican Whip Nick Gorham, who lost control the other night at a Coventry Town Council meeting and had to be escorted out of the building by the Coventry Police.

Keep it clean please (this ain’t Craigslist) and relatively nice.

In a follow-up to the Student Labor Alliance’s last rally held last Tuesday, January 22, about 100 students gathered Tuesday at Providence College and marched across campus, around the administration building, to be met by many of the janitorial staff who will be striking this weekend. The strike has been planned due to a breakdown in negotiations of a new three-year contact between Hurley of America, the contractor which employs the janitorial staff, and the SEIU Local 615. The current contract will expire tomorrow, on the 31^st.

The weekend long strike has been organized in response to the unfair labor practices conducted by Hurley management, including threats and intimidation. Faculty supporters of the janitors will be holding their classes off-campus on Friday so they do not have to cross the scheduled picket line and student supporters have committed to join the picket line.

The Student Congress of Providence College has joined with the Faculty Senate and the Providence City Council in passing a resolution urging that the college pressure Hurley of America to pay a living wage for the contracted janitors. Additionally, our fellow Democrats Rep. Kennedy, Sen. Whitehouse, and State Rep. Gemma have all sent letters to the Office of the President, Rev. Shanley. While the College has publicly stated its neutrality in the struggle, many among the administration have expressed a willingness to pay higher wages to the janitors. An hourly wage of about $14.42 would be necessary to adequately cover the living expenses for a two-parent, two-income household and the average hourly wage of a full-time worker is about $11.43.

It would be enlightening to see how much PC’s profits have grown in the past decade relative to the growth of the janitorial staff’s wages. Additionally, it would be instructive to see how significant (or insignificant) a portion of the PC budget is spent on the janitorial services relative to profits for the College. I’m sure, however, that information will remain private.

Here are the activities that have been scheduled for the weekend.

ee how significant (or insignificant) a portion of the PC budget is spent on the janitorial services relative to profits for the College. I’m sure, however, that information will remain private.

Here are the activities that have been scheduled for the weekend.

Thursday:
1) Candlelight Vigil at the River Ave gates at 11:30pm-12:30am as the contract expires.

Friday:
1) 7 am Coffee Line at the Fennel Gates (Huxley and Eaton)
2) Picketing with the workers all day long

Saturday:
1) 10am Picketing/flyering Welcome Address
2) 12-4pm Picketing/flyering Concannon tours
3) 6-7pm Picketing/flyering basketball game at the Dunkin Donuts center

Sunday:
1) Flyering Sunday 11 am Mass and Peterson post-mass activity

So, I’m sure everyone has seen this article in Monday’s ProJo about Carcieri’s appointment of his pal Adelita Orefice.

Adelita Orefice, the former director of the Department of Labor and Training who this month was named deputy director of the Office of Health and Human Services, did not assume a vacant position, as the administration said.

The classified position was established for her.

After his State of the State address, one would assume that he would follow his own advice and tighten government spending. Rather, he appoints his political ally to a position with an $119,000 salary. Seems hypocritical doesn’t it?

Chairman Lynch has called of the Governor to rescind the appointment.  Read the entire press release here.

“The governor’s latest display of arrogance is nothing less than outrageous and today I call on him to immediately withdraw the Orefice appointment and start following some of his own fiscal belt-tightening recommendations.”

Sign our petition and hold the Governor accountable.

Thankfully, tonight is President Bush’s last State of the Union Speech. After nearly eight years in the White House it really is amazing to see how George Bush has increasingly grown more unaware of, unconcerned for or decidedly unmoved by the will of the American people. Our friends over at the DCC want to hear from you, in your own words, and are asking folks to make a short video outlining what you want to hear in the state of the union speech and what you believe should be America’s top priorities.

It’s actually pretty easy: Make your video, put it up on YouTube and email the DCCC with a link to your work. Make sure you send us a link as well, and we’ll be sure to post it here. The entries will be judged by an all-star panel of politicos and celebs who will pick submissions to be featured in national spots focusing on the Democratic plan to move our country forward in a new and better direction.

I think it would be wise for Governor Carcieri to reconsider his plans to slash government spending on social programs.  While it’s heart-warming to hear the Governor talk about no new tax increases, and that we’re “already too highly taxed,” it’s foolish if Rhode Island is expected to overcome the budget deficit, especially in the current recessionary period when revenues from personal income taxes are shrinking.  Much of the current economic hardships facing the state are due to the slowdown in the economy.

I invite Governor Carcieri to read a report written during the last recession by Peter Orszag and Joseph Stiglitz.  The report essentially reads that given the two options of cutting spending or raising taxes, the latter option is the least harmful for the economy during recessions.  

The reasoning is pretty straight-forward, although anathema to Republican thought.  Basically, everything is dependent on an individual’s propensity to consume.  And as Americans, we all love to spend our money on stuff!  A reduction in government spending on goods and services will reduce consumption by exactly the same amount.  For every dollar that the government does not spend, the economy does not generate that economic activity.  Conversely, if taxes are increased by $1, there may be a drop in consumption by 90 cents while savings is reduced by 10 cents.  This scenario is less harmful to the economy that the former. 

A cut in social welfare spending will not only harm those who are economically disadvantaged, it will harm the entire Rhode Island economy more than an increase in taxes.  This is due to the aforementioned propensity to consume.  Additionally, while some of us spend all or most of our money, there are others who spend only some of it and save the rest of it.  An extra dollar of income is relatively less valuable for someone making over $200,000 a year than it is for an individual making $11.50 an hour.  Individuals with fewer dollars to spend a month are more likely to spend more of their dollars than are those with much greater resources.  The wealthier are much more likely to save a larger proportion of their income, so the additional impact on the economy would be compounded by their savings rate.  As those in the lower economic brackets see larger reductions in their benefits, the economic impact would be much more profound than a tax increase on those with high economic resources would be.

I know everyone hates taxes, but a longer and more destructive recession would be much worse.

Governor Carcieri just doesn’t get it. Last night, his state of the state address was long on rhetoric, but once again, short on details. What’s worse is, some of the details he did provide just don’t make sense, the math simply doesn’t add up, and you need to know that.

While House and Senate Democrats are working to streamline government and make it more lean and efficient, the governor is spouting empty rhetoric that doesn’t solve the problem. Here’s just one example:

The governor is banking on $5 million in new revenue from a proposed law to ban and fine folks who get caught talking on a cell phone while driving. At $50 per offense, that means that 227 would need to be ticketed every day of the year in order for the governor’s numbers to work.

Whether or not the proposal is a good public safety measure is certainly a matter for debate, but there is no way state and local police are going to have the time to stop and fine one-tenth of our state’s population for driving while talking on a cell phone, it’s just not realistic.

Check out what Carcieri flack Jeff Neal told Pawtucket Times scribe Jim Baron when asked how they expect the numbers to jibe.

Carcieri spokesman Jeff Neal said the administration “has no reason to believe” that the estimate for the revenue the measure would generate would not hold. He did allow, however that, “Since it is entirely new, it is difficult to project. If the General Assembly believes the initiative will garner less or more” revenue, it can make adjustments.

Translation: “It’s their problem to figure out.”

Boy, that’s leadership!

Currently, there is an emerging labor dispute between the janitorial staff at Providence College and Hurley of America, the contractor which provides cleaning services for the College.  Unfortunately, Providence College is stuck in the middle.  This is an all-too-common occurrence: universities often contact out cleaning and food services in order to save money, and the contractors providing those services pay wages which typically are not in accordance with living standards and housing costs.  For a personal example, read this letter to the editor of The Cowl, the Providence College newspaper.

A rally was held at Providence College today at 3pm in support of the janitors and despite the cold, rainy weather a crowd of 60-70 students, faculty, city councilors, and community members were in attendance to show their support.

The janitors are represented by the SEIU Local 615, and the current contract between the employees and Hurley will expire on January 31st.  While the details of the contract negotiations are still largely a private matter, the janitors who ensure that the campus of Providence College is clean every night would like to see their wages and benefits increase.  Likewise, they would also appreciate pleasant working conditions free from their supervisor’s harassment and intimidation.

A full-time janitor makes about $11.50 per hour.  This would be great when I was 18 living at home, but when you do the math it is only $460 a week – before taxes.  Most of these janitors have families they are trying to support and their wages have not kept up with the rapid increase in Rhode Island housing costs (especially in the past 5 years).   According to a report published by the Poverty Institute called the “2006 Rhode Island Standard of Need,” the janitorial staff at Providence College does not earn a “sufficient net income to meet basic needs” of housing, food, transportation, child care, and medical costs.  Both the Providence City Council and the Providence College Faculty Senate have passed resolutions in support of the janitors, calling for a living wage increase in their salaries.

The more fundamental problem at issue is the general undervaluation of low-skilled work in a dynamic American economy.  The irony of low-skilled work is that it is also generally labor intensive (i.e. janitorial staff, housecleaners, garbage collection, etc.).  As a society, to ensure that low-skilled work receives a living wage, we must acknowledge its value.  While doctors, lawyers, investors, and engineers are all rewarded with generous salaries for their education and skills, it must be understood that janitors are also valuable members of the community, performing important functions which should be duly compensated.

We here at the Rhode Island Democratic Party join with the many others and express our support for the janitorial staff at Providence College.  For more information and to offer assistance please contact Kevin Moore at kmoore08@providence.edu.  You could also send an email to the President of Providence College, Father Shanley, asking him to support the janitors by voicing his concern about a living wage.

Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick Lynch joined other AGs from across the country in announcing a new compact with the social networking site, Myspace.com, meant to protect children from online predators.

Mitt “The Plastic Man” Romney set up a photo op with a 51-year-old single mother from Michigan who recently lost her job and health insurance. So there they are, seated together at her kitchen table, with Plastic Man looking engaged and full of empathy - the only problem was the whole thing was a set up. The campaign invited the media into this woman’s home, but never told anyone she was the mother of a paid Romney staffer. Aside from being uniquely disingenuous, it speaks to just how desperate the Romney campaign must be getting. They really couldn’t find another supporter in Michigan that wasn’t related to someone on the campaign payroll? Either they’re completely frantic or just plain stupid - you make the call.

Politico had the story:

Romney has campaigned in Michigan on a pledge to help revive the state’s struggling economy. In introducing Sachs, Romney discussed the economic difficulties in the community and described the particular plight of his hostess — but made no mention of her ties to his campaign.

“It means a real tough setting for a mom with two sons,” Romney said. “One son is still in high school. Another son [is] getting ready to go off into the police academy in the west.”

Ironically, when it came time to take questions from the reporters gathered around Sachs’ kitchen table, Romney joked: “If you don’t want to answer any questions, that’s fine, too. What I’ve learned is, if they ask a question, you can answer something else.”

“Oh, ok,” Sachs responded, laughing along with Romney.

“Just talk about the general subject,” Romney suggested.

Talking to a small handful of reporters after Romney and most of his press pack had left the kitchen, Sachs offered details about her age, job situation, and her effort to sell her home.

When asked about her children, she only said that one was “20, soon to be 21″ and that another was a teenager.

The Associated Press distributed a photograph of Romney and Elizabeth Sachs kitchen chat, which ran on the Boston Globe’s Web site and CBS’s Harry Smith interviewed Romney from Sachs’ home.

Don’t forget to tune in for MSNBC’s Democratic Presidential debate tonight at 9 p.m. There’s still time to submit a question.