Last year, I wrote an op-ed  piece “RI Business, Taxpayers Must Fight Like Unions”. The article was published in The Providence Sunday Journal and discussed the lack of effectiveness of business’s ability to mount an effective campaign to change the makeup of the General Assembly.

During the 2010 election, good government groups led by the RI Statewide Coalition, and the RISC Business Network, attempted to rally business and provide financial support for business friendly candidates to change the mix in the legislature. Intentions were good, a strong effort was made, but it was a failure. Organized labor, meanwhile, stuck to its play book and took out disobedient democrats via primaries. They also helped elect Governor Chafee. So here we are.

Now we have a proposed budget that will take a sick cow and poison it. Small business, the backbone of our state economy, would suffer the most. Taxing our way out of a deficit will also hurt the people who can afford it the least, the poor.  The Chafee administration is now proposing taxing the veterans out of what little they have, and taxing heating oil and haircuts. What are we doing? See full story