If you would like to post a note of condolence to family, you may do so here.

PERNA, ANTHONY A., 72, of Smithfield Ave., Providence, passed away on Wednesday. He was the son of the late Angelo and Teresa (Sylvester) Perna.

Mr. Perna was the Owner of North End Auto Body on Smithfield Ave. in Providence. He was also a communicant and usher at St. Raymond Church in Providence and often volunteered in the Church’s efforts to feed the homeless.

He leaves his daughters, Denise DeCesare and her husband Marciano, Lynn Lynch and her husband William, Lindsey and Ashley Perna; his son, Anthony A., Perna, Jr. and his wife Kathy; his grandchildren, Marciano, Anthony, and Jason DeCesare, Jarred and Blair Lynch, Katelyn and Alex Perna; his sister, Angela O’Brien; and a niece, Lori Golato. He is also survived by his former wives, Ann (Lambias) Perna and Cheryl Perna.

Visitation Friday MORNING, 9:30 - 11 AM in the A.A. MARIANI & SON Funeral Home, 200 Hawkins St., Providence, with a Mass of Christian Burial to follow at 11:30 AM in St. Maria Goretti Church, 155 Power Rd., Pawtucket. Burial in St. Francis Cemetery, Pawtucket. In lieu of flowers donations to: St. Raymond Church, 2 Matilda St., Providence, 02904. WWW.MARIANIANDSON.COM.

McCain Presidential ticket in 2008

At a press conference to be held later today, the DNC plans on revealing the Republican ticket for this upcoming election. John McCain’s running mate is of course…

EXXON-MOBILE!

I know this may shock some of you. You MAY have been thinking Mitt Romney or some other misguided Republican surrogate. But who has done more to prop up John McCain and carry the Republican machine this election cycle than Exxon-Mobile? Not only has Exxon-Mobile donated well over $2 million to the McCain campaign, but Exxon-Mobile has also posted record quarterly profits as Americans struggle to afford the lofty price of gas. What’s more Republican than leasing a candidate and his votes and fleecing the average American?!?

Personally, I think Exxon-Mobile is the PERFECT choice for the Republican ticket in ‘08.

After eight years of Bush’s maniacal mastermind, it’s time to start thinking about who the next virulent VP will be.

Perhaps Mitt Romney? A real people-pleaser. And if by people, you mean George Bush and John McCain. Mitt Romney has shifted his positions to align himself with the President himself and McCain.

Maybe Governor Crist? That’s if you want a man who breaks the laws of campaign fundraising and steadfastly praises the work of Bush when it comes to Katrina recovery and the war in Iraq.

Okay, what about Tim Pawlenty? If you’re comfortable having a VP who has a history of breaking the law, standing by Bush, and fear mongering, then Pawlenty is your man… Or you could ask Dick Cheney to hang around for four more years and serve as McCain’s VP.

For more information visit, The Next Cheney.

Image courtesy of Tarfumes.com

Here is the scoop from Talking Points Memo:

“Ten senior Hess Corporation executives and/or members of the Hess family each gave $28,500 to the joint RNC-McCain fundraising committee, just days after (Republican John) McCain reversed himself to favor offshore drilling, according to Federal Election Commission reports.”

Here is more from USA Today:

McCain and the Republican National Committee received a burst of oil money after that shift. The New York Times said “the largest collective response from a single company” — more than $300,000 — came from Hess. On its Caucus blog, the paper delves into “whopping” contributions from two people with apparently modest incomes.

]]> http://www.ridemocrats.org/blog/2008/08/05/hess-stuffs-300000-in-mccains-oil-slick-pockets/feed/ http://www.ridemocrats.org/blog/2008/08/05/obama-energy-is-a-national-priority/ http://www.ridemocrats.org/blog/2008/08/05/obama-energy-is-a-national-priority/#comments Tue, 05 Aug 2008 15:15:05 +0000 ridemocrats http://www.ridemocrats.org/blog/?p=234 The newest ad from the Obama campaign highlights Senator Obama’s plans for energy in America

Today, Senator Barack Obama outlined his energy plan for the United States. Central to his proposal is the need to shift away from America’s reliance on foreign oil and find alternative energy resources.

Senator Obama’s plan calls for tapping into our own oil reserves. In addition to the utilization of our reserves, Senator Obama set forth three steps to increase energy production and reduce the cost of energy for American consumers. These include:

“To do this, we will invest $150 billion over the next decade … and leverage billions more in private capital to build a new energy economy that harnesses American energy and creates 5 million new American jobs,” Senator Obama explained.

In addition to his energy plan, Senator Obama expressed his support for windfall profits taxes on big oil that will provide $1,000 to people struggling with the high energy costs.

For more on this story visit, CNN.

To learn more about Senator Obama’s energy policy, visit BarackObama.com.

Here is the video from Senator Obama’s speech.

Obama in Lansing, MI on August 4, 2008.

Click below to view Senator Obama’s newest ad on energy.

Senator Obama’s “Pocket” ad

“U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) today announced that the city of Woonsocket will receive a $2.5 million boost in its efforts to build two new middle schools and recreational facilities off Hamlet Avenue.

The new schools will replace the existing middle school at Park Place.  In April, Reed helped secure $600,000 in federal funding to clean up and restore this former industrial site.

“I am pleased we were able to provide the City of Woonsocket with a flexible source of financing to help build these new schools,” said Reed, a senior member of the Banking Committee, which oversees federal housing policy, and member of the Appropriations Committee, which provides all federal spending on HUD programs.  “This redevelopment project will help relieve overcrowded classrooms and improve the city’s public school system.”

For more information visit, Jack Reed’s website.

]]> http://www.ridemocrats.org/blog/2008/08/04/reed-secures-25million-in-federal-aid/feed/ http://www.ridemocrats.org/blog/2008/08/04/keep-it-classy-republicans/ http://www.ridemocrats.org/blog/2008/08/04/keep-it-classy-republicans/#comments Mon, 04 Aug 2008 18:29:38 +0000 ridemocrats http://www.ridemocrats.org/blog/?p=231

Despite an array of personal attacks by Republicans, Obama promises to only question McCain the politician, NOT the person

“I’m not going to assault Senator McCain’s character. I’m not going to compare him to pop stars. I will, however, compare our two visions for our economic future.

Senator McCain wants to keep giving tax breaks to companies that ship jobs overseas. I want to end them and start giving incentives to companies that create jobs here at home. Because I don’t think 463,000 lost jobs this year is economic progress.

He wants to give $300 billion worth of tax breaks to big corporations and the wealthiest Americans. Under his plan, more than 100 million middle class families won’t see a penny in direct tax relief. I want to put a tax cut of up to $1,000 into the pockets of 95% of working Americans. And if you’re a family making less than $250,000 a year, my plan won’t raise your taxes one penny — not your income taxes, not your payroll taxes, not your capital gains taxes, not any of your taxes.

Senator McCain is opposed to regular increases in the minimum wage — I want to index it so that it rises with rising costs. He thinks the Earned Income Tax Credit is fine as it is — I want to expand it. He has no plans to make childcare more affordable or help people get paid sick leave — while I do.” -Senator Barack Obama, August 2, 2008.

National Urban League Annual Conference, August 2, 2008.

“Is that the best you can come up with?… Is that really what this is election is about? Is that what is worthy of the American people? Even the media has pointed out that Senator John McCain, who started out talking about running an honorable campaign, has fallen back into the predictable political attacks, the demonstrably false statements. Here is the problem… These negative ads, these negative attacks, spending all this time talking about me instead of talking about what he’s going to do. That’s not going to lower your gas prices. That’s not going to help you stay in your home if you’ve fallen behind on the mortgage. That’s not going to help you find a job if it has been shipped overseas. It doesn’t do a single thing to help the American people. It is politics as a game. But the time for game playing is over.” -Senator Barack Obama, July 30, 2008.

Senator Obama in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on July 30, 2008

Senator Obama’s new “Low Road” ad in response to John McCain’s “Celebrity” ad