By Rhode Island House Minority Leader Michael W. Chippendale
At a press conference earlier this year about the failed Washington Bridge, Rhode Island’s Democratic leaders had a simple message for voters: “We need money for this bridge—vote Democrat, because Republican’s can’t help.” It’s a familiar tune in the Ocean State, where Democrats have held control for over 80 years, but as the state lags behind on nearly every measurable front, it’s worth asking: are Rhode Islanders being strung along?
Let’s take a look at the results of this political monopoly and what it’s costing Rhode Island every day.
From Manufacturing Hub to Ghost Town
Rhode Island was once an industrial powerhouse, bustling with industry and well-paying jobs. But after decades of Democratic policies, the state’s economy has dwindled into a service-based afterthought nestled nicely between Boston and Manhattan. Young people are fleeing for states with opportunity and ample housing, while Rhode Island’s population grows older and the tax base shrinks. Republicans argue this shift isn’t just bad luck; it’s bad policy. Citizens Bank, Hasbro, CVS, PawSox, Fain Tower, Providence Place Mall, etc. – how much more can Rhode Island’s economy lose before voters wake up to the cost of staying the course?
Pensions: A Broken Promise
Public sector workers were promised a stable retirement by the very same Democrats who in 2011 enacted the Pension Reform Act. This “reform” left retirees working years longer and scraping by without cost-of-living adjustments. While Republicans pushed for reinstating the COLA when the funds were available, Democrats shot it down in a Budget vote. Meanwhile, retirees are left wondering why their years of service seem so easy to overlook. Who’s looking out for them—and who’s just looking away?
RhodeWorks: A Toll of Broken Promises
Rhode Island’s roads and bridges are infamous for their disrepair, and Democrats assured us the RhodeWorks toll system was going to fix that. But as Republicans warned as the law was being passed, the truck tolls were ruled unconstitutional, leaving Rhode Islanders with crumbling infrastructure, heavy traffic, potholes galore – and no money coming in to pay the bonds to fix these problems. Each day spent stuck in traffic or paying for wheel alignments is a reminder of a project that fell flat. The Democrats promised better roads, but it’s clear that promise was just a detour.
Housing: Kingdoms, but No Homes
Rhode Island’s affordable housing laws, now more than 30 years old, have yet to deliver meaningful results despite over a billion dollars of public investment. Instead of homes, the biggest growth has been in the “empires” of more than two dozen housing agencies, each with layers of executives earning six-figure salaries while housing inventory remains critically low. Buyers from Boston, armed with higher salaries, are snapping up the few homes on the market, leaving local families struggling to find a place to live. Year after year, Democrats propose more spending, despite poor returns on this investment, rather than stepping back to let developers build. Their housing policies have done little to add homes but have done plenty to create high-paying roles in public housing agencies.
Public Education: A System on Life Support
Year after year, Democrats pour money into public education, but test scores and Math and Language Arts levels remain dismal. Rhode Island’s schools rank among the worst performing in the nation – 41st of 50, and families are fighting for limited charter school spots in search of better outcomes. Republicans argue that school choice could bring hope, but Democratic leaders seem intent on squashing charter schools rather than fixing the public system. Parents juggling multiple jobs to afford private school might ask themselves, just who is the real obstructionist here?
Healthcare: Rhode Island’s Sick System
Rhode Island’s healthcare is in a tailspin, with overregulated facilities and low reimbursement rates driving skilled providers to Massachusetts and Connecticut for better pay. Democratic policies have built a system where wait times balloon and residents scramble to find primary care and specialists. Republicans have been calling for competitive reform, but while Democrats dig their heels in, Rhode Islanders are left waiting in the ER for hours, wondering if a change might finally bring a cure.
Skyrocketing Taxes: The Price of Loyalty
Few US states have a higher per-capita tax burden than Rhode Island, and residents feel it every time they write that property tax check. Rhode Island is ranked among the least business-friendly states in the country, a fact Republican leaders say is the direct result of anti-business regulations and endless taxation. Democrats are quick to promise more services and safety nets, but that “safety net” has turned into a tax trap that Rhode Islanders can’t escape. How much longer can residents afford this so-called “protection”?
The “Green Energy” Squeeze
Democrats’ 2021 Act on Climate –self-proclaimed as “the most aggressive Climate plan in the country” imposes some of the strictest mandates in the nation, pushing Rhode Islanders to go all-electric at the same time energy prices soar. Complying with these mandates isn’t cheap, and those who fall short face strong penalties. Republicans question why hard-working families should shoulder the burden of mandates that seem designed to drive up costs rather than reduce carbon footprints. Are Democrats really saving the planet, or are they just driven by this influential industry’s power?
The Voter’s Dilemma: Time to Wake Up?
Decades of one-party rule have turned Rhode Island into a state that is losing the sentiment behind its moto of “Hope”, yet the Democratic message is unchanged: “Keep voting Democrat—Republicans can’t help.” For some, this is starting to feel like a textbook case of Stockholm Syndrome, where voters cling to a familiar party even as it drags them down in an abusive relationship.
Voters of Rhode Island, it’s time to ask: can it really get any worse—or is it time to take the leap and break free from this political trance?
– Representative Michael W. Chippendale, of Foster, is Minority Leader of the Rhode Island House of Representatives.
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