MI: Senate OKs limit on lawmakers’ retiree health benefits

LANSING – The end of state-paid health insurance for retired lawmakers was a step closer today, as the Senate approved a ban that would affect only future lawmakers.

But the sponsor of the bill, Rep. Dian Slavens, D-Canton Township, called for banning health benefits for current lawmakers, who qualify at age 55 if they serve at least six years in the Legislature.

The Senate action today, which made minor changes in the House bill, goes back to the House for expected final approval. Gov. Jennifer Granholm also has called for ending the benefit, which has riled the public as Lansing struggles with yet another budget deficit.

Tax cut in Lincoln

LINCOLN - Amid a national financial crisis and state deficits, Town Administrator T. Joseph Almond is recommending a tax cut for local homeowners.

His recommendation to the Budget Board on Feb. 18 lowers the property tax levy by $531,616 - about $50 on a house assessed at $400,000.

Almond's proposed budget for municipal and school operations calls for $70.1 million in spending next year, an increase of $123,015 compared to this year.

Almond: Schools should be level-funded

LINCOLN - Saying taxpayers should not be funding teachers' raises next year, Town Administrator T. Joseph Almond is again recommending that the Budget Board level-fund the town's contribution to the School Department at $40.1 million.

School officials had submitted a total budget request for fiscal year 2010-2011 of $48.58 million, an increase of 3.4 percent or $1.3 million above the $40.1 million local appropriation this year.

But at the Budget Board meeting on Feb. 18, Almond urged the budgeters to reject the $657,121 the department requested for salary increases for the certified teaching staff, calling on the educators once again to agree to the pay freeze that all other municipal employees agreed to this year.

Paul D. Santilli: Central Falls teachers must embrace changes; improve classroom performance

Thanks to the interplay of federal and state tax rules, Albany's share of all income taxes paid by New York's wealthiest residents has actually been rising since the 1970s.  And it will soon rise to its highest level ever, if President Obama and congressional Democrats have their way.  This is bad news for New York's battered economy, says E. J. McMahon, a senior fellow for tax and budgetary studies, and Josh Barro, the Walter B. Wriston Fellow; both with the Manhattan Institute. 

Albany couldn't have picked a worse time to enact yet another temporary income-tax increase-- yet that's precisely what Governor David Paterson and the Legislature agreed to do last spring, as part of the 2009-10 state budget, say McMahon and Barro: 

Tom Letourneau: Special ed costs spike school expenses

I remember while I was on the School Committee, in the 90's, and both Cumberland and Warwick were on strike...and for the 1st-time "Work to Rule" was implemented by both of these very extremely militant NEA Affiliated Unions.

Our attorney, now deceased, was Bill Powers, whom also represented the Warwick School Department.

Bill had told us that he had never seen anything like how things were done in Warwick, especially as to a lot of what the language was in the teacher's contracts that brought about some absolutely mind-boggling costs, up to and including the Warwick School Department having to hire FULL-TIME teacher nurses (bringing them on staff with full benefits, etc.) to go to the homes of severe and profound special ed students, so as to help get them dressed and ready for school every day – and then accompanying these kids to school; wherein, then, at the end of the day the procedure was reversed.

Ross Kaminsky: The fourth rail

Entitlement programs or, more specifically, reforming them before they bankrupt the nation, is considered the Third Rail of Politics. We now have, however, a Fourth Rail, just as pernicious, doing just as much damage to our national financial well-being and perhaps threatening our liberty even more than Social Security and Medicare. That Fourth Rail is the growth of the public sector work force, i.e. employees of federal, state, and local governments, and the massive money- and power-hungry unions which represent them.

Small businessman says R.I. ‘Amazon law’ hurts him

BRISTOL — Hal Landen’s Web site used to carry an advertisement for B&H Foto of New York, which sells cameras and related items.

A Rhode Island consumer who clicked on that ad could buy from B&H without paying Rhode Island sales tax. Landen would receive a commission, which helped pay for his business and Web site, VideoUniversity.com.

But last year, B&H severed its ties with its affiliates in certain states, including Rhode Island.

R.I. losing out on millions in taxes from online sales

PROVIDENCE — A key factor in the dispute triggered by Rhode Island’s Amazon law is the state’s sales tax, a major source of revenue that helps pay for a variety of services and programs.

The sales tax represents Rhode Island’s second-largest source of tax revenue, behind the personal income tax, said Paul L. Dion, chief of the state Office of Revenue Analysis.

For the seven months through Jan. 31, Rhode Island collected about $480 million in sales tax, and about $566 million in personal income tax, according to estimates from the Rhode Island Department of Revenue.

Weygand, Pell grandson opt out of House race

PROVIDENCE — The field of potential candidates for Rhode Island’s 1st Congressional District narrowed this week, when former U.S. Rep. Robert Weygand and the 32-year-old grandson of the late U.S. Sen. Claiborne Pell opted out of the race.

Weygand, 61, the vice president for administration/finance at the University of Rhode Island, said he gave serious thought to reentering the political fray after Patrick J. Kennedy announced he was not running for reelection after 15 years in the 1st District seat.

Quonset eyed as barge destination

PROVIDENCE — An executive with a large East Coast shipping company told state legislators this week that the Quonset Business Park could become a destination for shallow-draft container barges now that the state-owned facility has been awarded federal stimulus money to upgrade piers in the Port of Davisville and purchase a crane that could handle the freight.

Kevin Mack, vice president of business development at Columbia Coastal Transport, said the New Jersey-based company is interested in adding the waterfront industrial park in North Kingstown to its network of stops in the Northeast and is in talks with the Quonset Development Corporation, the quasi-state agency that manages the port.

Jim Sheusi: Save the Bay

In response to the Jan. 29 letter “Stop killing jobs,” from Gordon Shearer, chief executive of Weaver’s Cove Energy: I am one of the tens of thousands of Rhode Islanders whom the “crony” state Rep. Ray Gallison represents on Narragansett Bay who opposes the LNG terminal in Mount Hope Bay for many reasons, the least of which is the loss of 10 percent of the boating season in some of the area. And is two-foot clearance under the Mount Hope Bridge, just because it’s typical, supposed to make me feel good?

He uses all the arguments to defend the project, state against state, workers against government, as one would expect any individual or corporation anticipating a fortune in revenue would. However, if he is talking about wealthy special-interest groups, the natural-gas and oil industries come to my mind.