Carcieri urges 'bold steps' to lift R.I. out of recession
12:54 PM Thu, Nov 06, 2008 | Permalink
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PROVIDENCE -- Governor Carcieri today urged business leaders and elected officials to join forces and take "bold steps" to lift Rhode Island's economy out of the worst economic recession in a decade. "This is an opportunity for us,'' the governor told a crowd of more than 100 business and government leaders at a forum on the state's economy at the Rhode Island Convention Center. "I'm not interested in fighting about a shrinking pie. I'm interested in how to grow the pie." Carcieri's call for bipartisan action came during this morning's opening of The Governor's Forum on the Rhode Island Economy, which included presentations from a nationally-recognized labor economist, a corporate relocation consultant and an expert on tax policy and economic development. The forum was scheduled to continue until noon. Carcieri described the state's economy in blunt terms, likening it to the 1989-90 recession. "Rhode Island is back in the same sort of situation,'' Carcieri said, "and feeling it in the same way.'' Rhode Island's unemployment rate is the highest in the country, at 8.8 percent as of September, just ahead of Michigan's, and the state has now lost close to 16,000 payroll jobs since the first quarter of last year. During the 1989-90 recession, the state's unemployment rate climbed to 10 percent and the state lost 48,000 jobs in 1 ½ years. "My fear right now,'' Carcieri said, "is that it's going to get worse before it gets better." The attendees heard three presentations and were then scheduled to break into groups to come up with strategies for addressing the economic problems. The presenters were: Paul Harrington, a labor economist and associate director of the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University; John M. Rhodes, senior principal with the corporate site relocation firm, Moran, Stahl & Boyer and Jim Eads, executive director for the Federation of Tax Administrators. The forum was moderated by Jill Schlesinger, executive vice president and chief investment officer of StrategicPoint Investment Advisors.
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Yes Governor, bold and necessary steps are called for the in the best interest of the State. Step one should be your immediate resignation.
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Were any labor groups invited or is this just more bashing by the governor? They might want some input from the people actually doing the work. They might have some good ideas too.
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Duh, Don. We're in bad shape and we need to get out of it. Thanks for the update. What steps are you and the legislature taking besides mindlessly pointing out the obvious?
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So what are you saying Don, that you blew it? What were you doing all this time when jobs were being lost to China-a country without conscience...reaping the rewards with your cronies?
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Does this governor get it? The people in his state are suffering and he continues to spend money to try to resolve them. How much did this cost the tax payers? Last week, he was throwing a tantrum over a lawyer. Does he care about the people or just himself? This is a state with people, not a corporation with employees. Stop bullying everyone. Just turn in your resignation.
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Here is a great idea--anyone working on state payroll (and this, of course, includes King Don) making more than $110,000 donates $3,000 out of every $10,000 above $110,000.
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Let's just increase the pensions and benefits for all gov't workers and then when they go live in Fl hopefully they'll at least send us workers left behind holding the bag a christmas card. Think how bad we would if the Gov was Charlie Fogarty and the Legislature just rolled over him. Without our current Govenor there would be 49 states and probably only Michigan would take us.
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Did the Donald have any ideas, or was he just hoping other people would figure this mess out for him? And maybe now Costantino and the other D leaders will realize that cutting taxes for the rich was a bone-headed move!
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BASHING THE GOVERNOR AMAZING. TO START DO YOU REMEBER THE 1000 "BABY SITTERS" THE DEMOCRATS AND UNION TRIED TO PUT ON THE STATE PAYROLL? $20 MILLION PRICE TAG. HE STOPPED THE LIBERALS EFFORT. $450 MILLION DOLLAR DEFICIT THAT IS CHARGED TO ILLEGAL, YEAR AFTER YEAR. INDIRECTLY ORDERED RAIDS. MORE RECENT, 31 CLEANING OUR COURT HOUSE. HOW DO YOU RE-ELECT READ WITH 70% OF THE VOTE WHEN HE DECIDED LAST WEEK HE NEEDS TO CREATE JOBS FOR RI. WHERE WAS HE TWO WEEKS AGO. YES I'M BASHING DEMOCRATS WHO SPEND OUR TAX DOLLARS AND THIS IS FROM A RETIRED ELECTED DEMOCRAT OF THE JFK VINTAGE.
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I appreciate Carcieri for at least trying, but what's the point? The special interest groups line up to criticize any efforts to improve the economic conditions. The voters keep electing the same failed policy makers. Anyone with a brain knows the state is run by the legislature and they are in the back pocket of the unions and the poverty pimps.
Rhode Island is destined to lead the country into socialist hell. We get what we deserve.
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The first and foremost thing that must happen to this state is that the "Don" an his pro-business guru's that he has hired over that past 5-6 years be fired immediately for failure to produce. As "Don" would be the first to say, the ability to hold people accountable is key in the private sector. Produce what you promised, or, your service is no longer needed. By "Don", Bev, and the rest of $100,000 band of bumbleleens that have brought rhode island to it's knees. Please just simply resign "Don".
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Let's see now, We have the highest unemployment, the highest taxes, the most anti-business Legislators and the highest percentage of Democrats in the Legislature. Coincidence? I think not. The voters had the chance to change the Legislature, but they actually made matters worse. The only thing left to do is CUT SPENDING - with everything on the table including all the so-called "safety-net" socialist welfare programs AND CUT TAXES! If that's not done then the next best option is to move out of Rhode Island.
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Government does not create revenue, only consumes it - Ronald Reagan
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If the first six people who wrote comments do like what the Governor is doing, then quit your state jobs and go get employment some place else. I think we should end term limits for this Governor and let him stay there till he's done fixing the mistakes from the last 100 years.
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If the first six people who wrote comments dont like what the Governor is doing, then quit your state jobs and go get employment some place else. I think we should end term limits for this Governor and let him stay there till he's done fixing the mistakes from the last 100 years.
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