Archive for the 'Press Releases' Category

RISC Calls for Probe of Bristol-Warren NEA Activity

Posted on September 2, 2010 by Rhode Island Red

The Rhode Island Statewide Coalition (RISC) is calling on the Superintendent of the Bristol-Warren School district to immediately investigate whether inappropriate – -and possibly illegal- -political campaign activity associated with the approaching Primary election was conducted during a portion of the teachers’ official orientation session held Monday, August 30th.

Superintendent Melinda Thies has received an official complaint by Bristol Rep. Doug Gablinske who claims that Pat Crowley of the statewide National Education Association (NEA) delivered political remarks and went so far as to urge teachers in attendance for an official orientation session to vote against Gablinske in the approaching September 14th Primary. Gablinske has been a supporter of reforms to public employees’ pensions and other elements of their contract compensation packages as well as a supporter of the state’s new Education Aid Formula.

“It’s outrageous, it’s inappropriate and RISC is demanding to know if, in fact, there was illegal political campaign activity conducted by the local teachers’ union and statewide NEA during an official teachers’ orientation, on public school grounds, during a professional teachers’ forum,” blasts RISC President Jim Beale. Beale notes that several hundred teachers and other school staff assembled for the orientation are paid for such out-of-classroom orientation days by the school district as part of the duties associated with their professional contract. Continue reading ‘RISC Calls for Probe of Bristol-Warren NEA Activity’

Filed Under: Big Labor, Liberals and Leftists, Press Releases and Reformers 0 Comments

Erik Wallin: Kilmartin is Part of the Problem

Posted on August 27, 2010 by The Ocean State Republican

Attorney General Candidate Erik Wallin today congratulated Representative Kilmartin for his proposal to “crack down” on public corruption in Rhode Island. “In a press release today, Representative Kilmartin detailed what he would do to enhance a public corruption unit in the Attorney General’s office and create a tip-line — and, since he clearly just took my proposal and put his name on it, I will say that I agree with him.”

For over a year, Wallin has spoken about the need for a Public Corruption Unit/Task Force staffed by three seasoned prosecutors and a forensic auditor as well as a 24-hr tip-line all working together with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Rhode Island State Police. Each of these proposals, including increasing prison and pension penalties, and more, are all embodied in Wallin’s twenty-four page Honest Operation of Public Entities (HOPE) Act (which was released on May 25, 2010 and can be found at www.wallinforag.com).

“As an almost 20 year veteran of the General Assembly – many of those years serving in the leadership – Representative Kilmartin has had ample opportunity to get passed this type of proposal. My HOPE Act codifies this Public Corruption Unit as I believe it is more important than any one Attorney General and should always exist to protect Rhode Islanders. So I ask: where was Representative Kilmartin on this issue for the last 20 years and if public corruption “never sleeps” then what was the 20-year delay?”

Wallin continued, “We don’t need a 20-year political insider as Attorney General – someone who feels that it is appropriate to hold a political press conference inside a courtroom just a few short weeks ago. That type of thinking clearly shows that he’s part of the problem – not the solution.”

Press Release: Erik Wallin for Attorney General

Filed Under: 2010 Elections, Corruption, Press Releases and Republican Candidates 0 Comments

Rhode Island’s Gubernatorial Wonder Twins

Posted on August 20, 2010 by The Ocean State Republican

With former Senate Finance Chairman Frank Caprio recently obtaining the endorsement of the Laborers’ Union, it is now official that there are two candidates in the race for Governor that the public employee union bosses can count on as Governor. Mr. Caprio now openly joins former Mayor Lincoln Chafee, who received the endorsement of the American Federation of Teachers, as the Choice of Public Employees Unions.

The Rhode Island Republican Party notes that with Republican John Robitaille as the only credible voice left for the taxpayers, the voters will fortunately have a clear choice in the race for Governor – between one of the Wonder Twins and a real reformer.

Like the fictional Wonder Twins, Caprio and Chafee think they can change their image during this campaign in order to fool the voters into thinking they are something they are not. Caprio is still a creature of the financially irresponsible General Assembly, and Chafee is still a waffling politician who is beholden to special interest groups. Don’t be fooled.

Many know how Mayor Chafee gave a sweet heart deal to the Warwick Teachers’ union by circumventing the School Committee to give teachers a 19.4 % pay raise with no health insurance premium co-share (ProJo 5/3/94). A deal that a former Warwick School Committee Chairperson was quoted at the time as saying “the city taxpayers could not have done any worse” and that “[e]ven a monkey can manage to give everything away.” (ProJo 5/3/94 and 5/4/94).

But not as many know the story of how Caprio as Senate Finance Chairman tried to the increase the pension benefits of state workers who belonged to the Laborers Union. In the final days of the 2001 legislative session, Caprio introduced a “controversial union-pension bill”. (Projo 6/30/01) This bill required “an estimated $250,000 in state payments to a second pension fund for 1,100 state workers who belong to the Laborers International Union of North America.” (ProJo 6/28/01)

Caprio “introduced the bill at the request of … top Laborers officials”. (ProJo 6/28/2001) Legislators such as Senator Michael Lenihan and Representative Tony Pires dubbed it a “double-pension bill”, which would put the state “on the hook and making it fiscally responsible for a pension system over which it has no control.” (ProJo 6/28/2001)

After hearing this criticism Caprio acknowledged that the wording needed “some attention to clarify the issues” (Projo 6/28/2001), but after he made changes to the bill’s wording it still died in the House (Projo 6/30/2001). Also, in 2001, Caprio co-sponsored legislation, along with Senator Tassoni, to give pensions to state workers after only five years of service instead of ten years (01-S176).

The teachers union bosses never forgot what Chafee did for them as mayor and know what Chafee will do for them as Governor. Caprio appears to be calling in his chits with the Laborers and expecting the same payback. If either of the Wonder Twins is elected Governor, the taxpayers will be left wondering what new super taxes they will be stuck paying to cover those hefty political debts to the union bosses.

Press Release: Rhode Island Republican Party

Filed Under: 2010 Elections, Press Releases and Republican Party 0 Comments

RI Clean Slate: A New Hope, A New Beginning

Posted on August 16, 2010 by The Ocean State Republican

A press conference about the RI Clean Slate will be held by the RIGOP at the RI State House today at 1:00 PM.

The state of our State is a little bit frightening these days, and if we did not have some hope that we could turn things around, most of us, like so many other people already have, would probably pack up and leave.

We stay, however, not just because we love our home state, but because we share a vision for making Rhode Island great again. We have a strong hope and we see a clear path to returning Rhode Island to economic, cultural, and political vitality. And we trust in our fellow citizens to rise up against the status quo and let our voices be heard.

If you share our optimism, if you share our belief in a future here for our children and families, if you know that Rhode Island should be first and not last, then please join us in taking a stand.

Whatever your party affiliation, and whatever your view of the national political scene, if you believe that one party rule is bad for all of us, and that the lively experiment needs a new direction, then help us wipe the slate clean.

We can do no worse with a clean slate, and if our 90 candidates are right, then we will do much, much better.

Press Release: Rhode Island Republican Party

Filed Under: 2010 Elections, Coming Events, Press Releases, Reformers and Republican Party 0 Comments

Constitution Ride Across America Rally | Wednesday

Posted on August 16, 2010 by Rhode Island Red

A fellow Patriot, Daren Gardner, is riding his motorcycle to all state capitols in the contiguous 48 states and then to DC. The East Bay Patriots is the host for RI. The rally begins at 10:00 am and ends at 12:00 noon at the RI State House.

No signs or campaign material, just lots of flags, flags, and more flags. This rally will have a different message. The rally will be positive and uplifting and it is our hope that the citizens who attend will leave with inspiration and a desire to take a step forward to protect our freedom, our nation, and our US Constitution.

Daren will speak on the destruction of the Constitution, present an honorary Constitution to a sitting legislator (Jon Brien), then 11 candidates will speak, and pledge to uphold the Constitution when elected.

Event Hosted by East Bay Patriots
Helen Glover and Steve Wright to emcee

Speakers include candidates John Robitaille, Michael Pinga, Tim Burchett, Dan Gordon, Phil Duquette, Ernie Greco, Doreen Costa, Deloris Issler, John Loughlin, Sean Gately, Karin Gorman, Bob Healey, and non-candidates Terry Gorman and Dexter Liu.

This is a national event and will have national coverage. If you go to the website http://craa2010.com and click on ‘Ride Calendar’ you will see, after clicking on Rhode Island, that the sponsor is East Bay Patriots.

Please support this event!

Please invite as many fellow patriots as you can.

Source: East Bay Patriots

Filed Under: Alerts, Coming Events and Press Releases Closed

R.I. Right to Life Strongly Opposes Confirmation of Kagan

Posted on June 29, 2010 by The Eye of Providence

Providence, RI — Rhode Island Right to Life (RIRTL) strongly opposes the confirmation of Elena Kagan to the office of Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court.

The National Right to Life Committee (NRLC) has carefully studied various memoranda and other material written by Ms. Kagan during her tenure on the White House staff of President Bill Clinton (1995-1999), as well as other writings and actions by Ms. Kagan as a clerk to Justice Thurgood Marshall, as an academic, and as Solicitor General of the United States. Their analysis can be found at http://www.nrlc.org/Judicial/NRLCletterToSenateOnKaganJune232010.pdf

The White House documents reveal Ms. Kagan to have been a key strategist – perhaps, indeed, the lead strategist within the White House – in the successful effort to prevent enactment of the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act during the Clinton Administration. The Kagan-backed strategy did, in fact, prevent enactment of the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act during the Clinton Administration. Ms. Kagan played a key role in keeping the brutal partial-birth abortion method legal for an additional decade.

Moreover, soon after the first cloned human mammal (Dolly the sheep) was created in 1996, Ms. Kagan defended the position that the creation of human embryos by cloning should be allowed, as long as the embryos were used as research subjects and not allowed to develop to birth (a policy that in later years came to be known as “clone and kill”).

And in 1998, Ms. Kagan addressed the question of whether physicians in Oregon should be prevented by federal law from using federally controlled drugs in the practice of assisted suicide. Ms. Kagan opined that federal legislation would be a “terrible idea.”

According to RIRTL Executive Director Barth E. Bracy, “Ms. Kagan’s statements and actions indicate that she is radically opposed to even modest attempts to protect innocent human life. And her professional history paints a picture of a social engineer rather than an impartial arbiter of justice.”

About Rhode Island Right to Life: Rhode Island Right to Life was founded in 1970 with the mission to advocate for a state, nation and world in which the innocent lives of the unborn, the disabled, the elderly and the ill are valued by the citizenry and protected by civil law. RI Right to Life lobbies for legislation that advances the cause of the sanctity of human life at both the state and federal levels. RI Right to Life is the state affiliate of the National Right to Life committee.

Barth E. Bracy, Executive Director
Office: 401.521.1860 / Mobile: 401.225.8646

Press Release: Rhode Island Right to Life Committee

Filed Under: Abortion, Judiciary and Press Releases Closed

Wallin Campaign Announces Lammis Vargas Joins Campaign Staff

Posted on May 3, 2010 by The Ocean State Republican

Erik Wallin, Candidate for Attorney General today announced today the addition of Lammis Vargas to his campaign. “I am very pleased to announce that Lammis Vargas is joining my campaign for Attorney General as Deputy Campaign Manager. She is an extraordinarily talented person who brings with her a wealth of political experience. We are excited to have her on board.”

Vargas most recently worked for the Rhode Island GOP as both the Executive Director and Director of Operations. Vargas joined the RIGOP in August 2007 as Director of Operations and served as the Executive Director from 2009 to April 2010. As Exective Director, her duties included controlling the all day office operations, assisting with candidate recruitment, organizing State Central Committee meetings, coordinating work with the Budget Committee, administering the statewide electronic Voter Vault program, fundraising for the party, scheduling/planning of fundraising events, producing RNC correspondence/reports, coordinating the Get Out The Vote effort statewide, and developing relationships and working with both urban and suburban community groups. Lammis also oversaw the Diversity Outreach Program including expanding the Party’s presence in diverse communities around the state and helping to communicate the Republican platform in those communities.

Vargas, who is of Colombian descent and bilingual, was born in Providence and raised in Central Falls. She graduated from Central Falls High School and has a Justice Studies degree at Rhode Island College. She also served as an assistant in the Providence office of former United States Senator Lincoln Chafee from 2005 through January 2007.

Vargas serves on the Womens Fund of Rhode Island Board and is a member of the National Federation of Republican Women and Republican National Hispanic Assembly. She also serves on the Juvenile Hearing Board of the City of Pawtucket. She has served as the vice-president of both the RI Latino Political Action Committee (RILPAC) and the RI Latino Civic Fund and is the past president of the Latin American Student Organization of Rhode Island College.

“Now that my campaign is in full swing and we are aggressively pressing forward to bring my message of battling political corruption, gang violence, and the child predators that continue to plague our state, her addition to the team is a critical link in the campaign chain,” Wallin added.

Contact: 401-575-2633 or press [at] erikforag [dot] com

Press Release: Erik Wallin for Attorney General

Filed Under: 2010 Elections, Press Releases and Republican Candidates Closed Tags: Erik Wallin.

Rhode Island Tax Day Tea Party II | April 15

Posted on April 6, 2010 by Rhode Island Red

It’s Time to Party!!!

Have you had enough of out of control government spending and elected leaders who refuse to be accountable to the will of the people? Join us on 4/15/10 for the Second Annual Tax Day Tea Party at the Rhode Island State House in Providence and let your government officials know that YOU HAVE HAD ENOUGH! Last year, 3000 people showed up to peacefully protest the actions of elected officials from Smith Hill to Capitol Hill.

Bring your flags, make your signs, and bring friends and family for what promises to be an incredible event! Featured speakers include famous former Patriot offensive lineman, John Hannah, Cool Moose Candidate Bob Healy, local radio talk show hosts Helen Glover, John Depetro, and Matt Allen, and many more! Enjoy Balloons for the kids, Patriotic Music, Colonial Re-Enactors, and the company of like minded citizens who want nothing more from government than to be left alone to prosper and raise their families. Don’t miss out on this History making event!

Date: Thursday, April 15, 2010
Time: 3:00pm-6:00pm
Place: RI State House (city side steps), Providence, RI

See Bus information for availability from your area at http://riteaparty.net. Ample parking available in the Providence Place Mall Parking lot across from the State House.

Please email colleen [at] riteaparty [dot] com for printable flyer to post around your town or to volunteer for the event! Please be sure to bring a non-perishable food item to donate to the RI Food Bank for our flood victims!

News Release: Rhode Island Tea Party

Filed Under: Coming Events, Press Releases and RI Tea Party Closed

Erik Wallin Endorsed by 15 GOP Committees & Caucus

Posted on March 29, 2010 by Phil Hirons

Rhode Island Attorney General candidate Erik Wallin announced today his endorsement by 15 local Republican Town Committee Chairs and the Rhode Island State GOP Chairmens’ Caucus.

Responding to the action, Wallin said, “I am very pleased that each of the 15 Chairs and the state GOP Chairmens’ Caucus have endorsed me. These are dedicated local Committee Chairs who have shown their support of my campaign to battle corruption at every level of our state, to crack down on gang activity and crime, and to stand up to continuing encroachment on states’ rights by the federal government.”

During the past year, Wallin has spoken and attended events across the state. On each of these occasions, he said, “people have told me they are tired of the pervasive and seemingly unending corruption in our state, and that their voices are now with mine as we fight to take back our state.”

Commenting on Wallin’s endorsement, Phil Hirons, Smithfield GOP Chairman and head of the Chairmens’ Caucus stated, “Erik is exactly the type of attorney general we need in this state – someone who is not part of the ‘good old boy network’. He will aggressively prosecute anyone who betrays the public trust no matter what their affiliation – Democrat, Moderate, or Republican. He is sending the message that under his administration, the days of the corrupt in this state are numbered.”

This announcement comes following an endorsement earlier in the week by the Rhode Island College Republicans.

Press Contact: 401-575-2633 or press [at] erikforag [dot] com

Filed Under: 2010 Elections, Press Releases and Republican Candidates Closed Tags: Erik Wallin.

Statement by John Loughlin on Health Care Bill

Posted on March 22, 2010 by The Ocean State Republican

“Sadly, the health care bill that passed last night will do more harm than good. It will expand the role of government in our lives, raise taxes in the midst of a recession and slash care to seniors on Medicare. If elected to Congress, I will work with like-minded colleagues to repeal this bill and begin the process of putting people back in charge of their own health care.”

Representative John J. Loughlin II is the Republican candidate for Congress in RI-1.

Contact: Cara Cromwell
cara [at] johnloughlin [dot] org
(401) 440-0090

Filed Under: 2010 Elections, Press Releases and Republican Candidates Closed

John Robitaille: Health Care Bill is “Bad Medicine”

Posted on March 22, 2010 by The Ocean State Republican

STATEMENT FROM JOHN ROBITAILLE, REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE FOR GOVERNOR

Robitaille: ObamaCare intrudes on the sovereignty and economy of Rhode Island

Portsmouth – Today, John Robitaille, Republican candidate for Governor, issued the following statement regarding the health care bill passed by Congress.

“The Obama-Pelosi health care bill passed by Congress is not only an overt attack on the U.S. Constitution, but it will have dire consequences for the State of Rhode Island and for the country. The Federal government has no constitutional authority to force citizens of any state to purchase health insurance if they choose otherwise, and I will support a legal challenge to block it from being enforced in our state.

“The complacency of the other gubernatorial candidates, though expected, should be troubling to voters. The next governor of Rhode Island will certainly have to deal with the consequences of the greatest intrusion ever of the Federal government into the sovereignty and economy of our great state. Health care premiums in Rhode Island will increase by an average of $2,100 per family and will mean hundreds of billions of dollars in new Federal spending.

“The Democrats’ health care bill is bad medicine for Rhode Island’s small business economy. The bill would penalize employers $2,000 per employee, creating an ever higher tax on jobs for companies that cannot afford to offer health care coverage. This job-killing provision will force employers to lower wages, delay hiring, or even result in lay-offs during an extremely challenging economy and with 13 percent unemployment in the state.

“I’ve met with voters from every part of this state. The people of Rhode Island did not ask for this bill, which raises taxes, hurts small businesses, creates unfunded mandates, cuts Medicare benefits for seniors, and increases Medicaid costs to states. My opponents in the governor’s race failed Rhode Island voters by not opposing this bill which stands to widen an already onerous budget gap in our state.”

News Release: John Robitaille for Governor

Filed Under: 2010 Elections, Press Releases and Republican Candidates Closed

Loughlin Endorsed by Combat Veterans for Congress

Posted on March 21, 2010 by The Ocean State Republican

John Loughlin today announced that he has been endorsed by the Combat Veterans for Congress.

“I am honored to be endorsed by the Combat Veterans for Congress. My years in the military – whether flying a helicopter, working in a war zone or helping others prepare for their tour of duty – were some of the best of my life. I am proud to have served our country and look forward to serving once again in Washington, D.C.”

“The Combat Veterans For Congress PAC is pleased to have endorsed Lt. Col. John Loughlin, USAR (Ret.) to run for Congress in Rhode Island’s First Congressional District,” said Capt Joseph R. John, USNR (Ret), Chairman and Co-Founder of the Combat Veterans For Congress PAC. “At a time when our national security is of utmost importance and the welfare of our servicemen and women is in jeopardy, we need leaders who truly understand what it takes to keep this country strong, the type of leaders who will continue to safeguard the principals laid down in the US Constitution by our Founding Fathers.”

“Today, more than ever in our country’s history, we need strong voices in Congress to rein in the out of control spending by the current unprincipled and irresponsible Congress. Representative John Loughlin is just the patriot who is up to the task – he spent more than twenty-six years in the service of our country, and as Minority Whip in the Rhode Island House of Representative he has demonstrated that he can handle an important leadership position.”

“We are grateful that Lt. Col. Loughlin is answering the call to duty once more, as are 22 other endorsed Combat Veterans for Congress in 16 states. As a native born Rhode Islander who is vitally concerned about our state, and has spent every summer in Rhode Island for 40 years, I encourage my fellow Rhode Islanders to select a Congressman who will focus on creating jobs and improving the economy, and not on spending $3 trillion on a health care bill we cannot afford.”

Representative John J. Loughlin II is the Republican candidate for Congress in RI-1.

Press Release: Loughlin for Congress

Filed Under: 2010 Elections, Press Releases and Republican Candidates Closed Tags: Rep. John Loughlin.

RI Tea Party: Time to Really Get In the Mix

Posted on February 15, 2010 by Rhode Island Red

First off, a hearty Congratulations to ALL of you who put pressure on Congressman Patrick Kennedy during this past year to heed the will of the people. You wrote, you called, you protested, you spent your own time and money to make your voices heard. And it paid off! Without a doubt, your messages finally got through. We wish Representative Kennedy well in his future endeavors. Now let’s get down to the business of making sure all of our elected leaders provide sound representation for the people of Rhode Island.

To achieve that goal, we are excited to announce that we have formed The People’s PAC of the RI Tea Party. The People’s PAC will allow regular folks to help fund campaigns and endorse candidates who represent US; not corporations, not unions, not lawyers, or any other special interest group. Just We the People. We are currently seeking a web designer who will help us set up a webpage for our PAC. If you are skilled in this area, please contact colleen [at] riteaparty [dot] com asap. We will soon send out a survey asking for your input on how we should vet prospective candidates. This is YOUR PAC, so we want to build our process around the principles which mean the most to you.

We’d also like to extend a warm welcome to our two new Board members, Lisa Blais, and Patti Girardi. Lisa has over 20 years of corporate human resource management, employee and labor relations specialist, collective bargaining expertise (negotiated private-sector labor contracts) corporate benefit negotiations, public education law and local practices expert, school and municipal contract analyst. She will be invaluable in our efforts to combat the influence of public sector unions in the Rhode island legislature. Patti earned an MBA from Harvard University and specializes in branding and marketing management. Her experience and knowledge will be vital to growing our organization and messaging to the electorate to effect much needed change.

Congratulations to several tea party members who have recently had letters to the editor published in Projo, including Angela Hoff, Alice Losasso, and Patti Girardi. Your efforts to consistently keep our voice in the media is absolutely critical to our mission and is greatly appreciated by all. If anyone has their writings published, be sure to let us know!

Finally, please note our next RI Tea Party Meeting will take place on March 10, 2010 at the Quonset O Club in North Kingstown. We will have a guest speaker (TBA) and focus on workshops for local tea party groups and other committees so that more people can become involved in the effort. Please bring your ideas!

RI Tea Party Open Meeting
March 10, 2010
6:00PM (reception)
6:30PM-8:30PM
Quonset O Club
200 Lt. James Brown Blvd.
North Kingstown, RI 02852

News Release: Rhode Island Tea Party

Filed Under: 2010 Elections, Press Releases and RI Tea Party Closed