Governor comes under fire for stimulus plan
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Stimulus Plan Under Fire
Gov. Don Carcieri is being criticized for his plans for the stimulus money.
Senate President Teresa Paiva-Weed, talks about the stimulus plan on “10 News Conference.“
Published: February 13, 2009
Updated: February 13, 2009
PROVIDENCE—Gov. Don Carcieri is now coming under fire for his plans for the federal stimulus money.
His proposal to use some of it to pay staff salaries is not flying with the president of the state Senate.
Carcieri is appointing a committee, made up of people on his staff, to dole out the federal stimulus money. But that drew a negative response from Senate President Teresa Paiva-Weed.
Paiva-Weed said she hopes the governor will change his mind and not pay those salaries from stimulus funds.
You can see the complete interview on “10 News Conference” at 6:30 a.m. Sunday or online.
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Reader Reactions
Wow a legislator complaining about how the Governor is going to spend money, talk about the pot calling the kettle black. None of these people we have in government currently have a clue to the REAL world. They have ALL presided over an inexcusable budget deficit, and if any one of them had any decency they would start to correct the problem by forgoing their salaries until we were back in the black. No wonder the terms “politician” and “lawyer” are now looked upon with the same derision as “carpetbagger” once was, as all 3 are synonomous with getting rich at the expense of others.
High time we take control back from the despots who now control our state governemnt as was written in the Declaration of Independence…
“when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government”.
Anyone disagree our state government has a long, long history of abuses?
Thought not.
What do you people expext. Anytime the government gets involved, WE THE PEOPLE LOSE. I feel the only way out is to pick a bank, take all your money out. Do not pay your property taxes, make the towns give something up, LIKE WE THE PEOPLE. As this buy rhode island forget it, buy outside the state I do. I do believe there is a Constitution, that these people are to protect, not step on
Hmm, what a surprise. I’ll bet his niece will be on that Committee. That’s a Republican for you.
Are you all surprised? After all this IS RI. Wasn’t this money sapose to create jobs not just line pockets and keep his people living well. Carcieri has always been as bad as the top bank exec’s we are all angry about. My advise to the Senator is to give this to the White House as a prime example of misappropriation of funds. I believe Obama actually has a web site now. I think he will get a kick out of this one. Anyway Carcieri will get away with it he always does.
You people have it all backwards! It’s not the Governor that is screwing the people of RI, it is the legislature. They have all but destroyed this state over the last couple of decades. In any case, this stimulus plan is a disaster. It is not designed to foster job growth in the private sector (the profit center) but instead create additional agencies and jobs in the public sector (the cost center). GOD forbid that THEY foist this debt upon our grandchildren. We may never get out of this mess. When the state of RI itself is the largest employer in the state you know we have big problems. If the Governor is going to use stimulus money to pay the salaries of existing state workers, it is obviously because we are underfunded for the staff we have right now. In the real world (the private sector) if you cannot afford to hire additional employees then you make do with whom you have on staff. Oye Vay!
that is just so stupid, why can’t they just use people who are already on the government’s payroll?
Do you recall when he first ran for governor, he didn’t want to be a “career politician”, sure sounds like one to me. This is a governor who has all the ways to cut his budget, all he has are dollar amounts , but in actuality can’t show how he is saving any money. Who are all these brilliant people on these committee’s. If they can come up with figures on how much they could save, I would think they have the know how to prove it. For example with the Medicare program, he can save all kinds of money, but yet finding out they don’t have the staff to do the work, what is the thought process here. You force people to retire, you want to cut the state work force, and yet you have no people to do the work, sounds like your workforce is too top heavy, too many director’s and so on and not enough workers. Who are the people thinking these things through, maybe they should be looking for another job….Oh I forgot there are no jobs in RI.
Oh, yeah, that’s right, he needs to appoint another committee! Hm, wonder if that “committee” will be made up of any of the 10% of the unemployed in the state he runs. I’ll be not! Can’t wait to see this.
Gov. Carcieri wants to use that money to pay his STAFF? What does that tell you about what’s going on at the TOP? If, in fact, this governor uses that money for that reason, he should be impeached for misuse of federal funds. Maybe this is just the kind of thing that needs to happen to open the eyes of the people of this state who think this guy’s doing such a great job.
Ridiculous.
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