5 Fun Things To Do: Nov 14 – 20
THU 15
Butchering, Brining and Gravy: Part of the ongoing educational and culinary scratch series. 6pm. Newport Vineyards, 909 E Main Rd, Middletown. newportvineyards.com
FRI 16
David Tessier Trio: Supergroup of local music. With The low Cards and Karma Rocket, presented by 75orLess records. 9pm. Askew, 150 Chestnut, PVD. fb.com/Askewprov
8th Annual Masquerade Ball: Sojourners House’s 8th annual Masquerade Ball. This ball will feature a cocktail hour, a silent auction, a cash bar and a cake competition brought to you by RI Food Fights. 7pm. Providence Biltmore Hotel. 11 Dorrance St, PVD. artsnowri.com
SAT 17
The Viennagram/ Quahogs/ Ravi Shavi: Folk, country and space rock. 8pm. Machines with Magnets, 400 Main St, Pawtucket. machineswithmagnets.com
SUN 18
Stranger Stories Haunted: Local writers tell true tales of hauntings. 6pm. Stillwater Books, 175 Main St, PVD. stillwaterbooksri.com
TUE 20
Point Street Reading Series: Still called that even tho it’s on Richmond St now. 7pm. Alchemy, 71 Richmond St, PVD. alchemyri.com
Corruption Rules…Again in Rhode Island: State election results great for corruption fans, national not so much
Election time has come and gone. we can’t tell you how exciting it was this year – our first election since Corruption Rules went public. Elections always make us a bit nervous because things may not always go our way and they are often a referendum on how well we are doing. But this is Rhode Island so “What, us worry?” We’re happy to say, this year most of it was good news, especially in Rhode Island. As you should know by now, Corruption Rules has long advocated and promoted all forms of political corruption in Rhode Island and throughout the country, and have now gone public as a soon-to-be nonprofit, PAC, and maybe a church or temple. While we certainly support the use of corruption for people to personally enrich themselves, if you are one of those who actually want to do good things in a corrupt system with flawed people, you will often have to turn to or overlook it in order to succeed, as we have seen time and time and often more time again in Rhode Island and nationally.
Unfortunately, we have some work cut out of for us nationally with the Republican loss of the House in Congress, something that could have a devastating impact on President Trump and his ability to function effectively. We did fortunately gain some Senate seats but make no mistake about it, much damage has been done, especially with Trump’s efforts to cover up all the great stuff that he and others are doing. Our only compensation for this is it should up the entertainment value tremendously, one of the great side benefits of political corruption and conflict. Only because it’s actually true, unlike House of Cards, Wag the Dog, or Lex Luthor’s presidency.
Not so much in Rhode Island. While Republicans are our favorites nationally, we support Democratic rule in Rhode Island, due to their exemplary track record and willingness to screw over many living and working here in order to cater to political insiders and special interests, as well as run the state into the ground. We are especially thrilled with Governor Raimondo’s and Speaker Mattiello’s victories, and the fact that Democrats carried not only all the major offices, but many formerly Republican local offices.
Nationally, while we are especially proud of Trump for having taken crime commission, lying, hypocrisy, narcissism, being mentally challenged, dishonesty, childishness, bigotry, sexism, homophobia, scare tactics, the spread of hate and fear, perversion, groping, destroying the country, and other remaining forms of corruption and malfeasance up a notch or ten, we have always been concerned that he may need to tone it down a wee bit. When fact checkers are thinking of only reporting anything truthful you say for the sake of efficiency, it might be time to reconsider some things.
While we applaud people for taking risks, creative thinking, and trying to bring things to new levels, we try to encourage corruption practioners not to go too overboard or off the wall. It doesn’t do us any good when you lose power, effectiveness or your office, turn things over to the other side, or end up in prison, especially when you are likely to take a bunch of people with you and they start to talk. On a self-serving note, it’s bad for our image. Ultimately we want to be seen as great strategic thinkers and tacticians, not criminals.
Having said that, it’s important to remind people that the pro-corruption movement never really loses. We always win, although not always to the same degree. While we have our favorites and ups and downs, as some people and organizations are higher practitioners of the art than others, since all individuals are flawed and both parties their own versions of crime syndicates, corruption to some degree never ends. We can certainly work with the national Democrats who in part gave us Trump and many Republican victories over the decades due to people getting tired of their corruption, ineptitude, in-fighting and other things. Remember, the Democratic message during the last Presidential election was “why vote for the last person you would want near the White House when you can elect the second to last.”
The bottom line is that anyone coming into contact with politics by voting, supporting candidates and parties, getting involved with campaigns, or working for government, practices some form of corruption, whether committing it, enabling it, or seeing it but looking the other way. Everyone in politics is working for us. You can’t avoid it. You are also working for some version the Firm (IMDB the Tom Cruise movie to know what I’m talking about). If you prefer one over the other, any individual or party that gains power will likely give it back at some point, which spreads the riches around and means good news for almost everyone.
In Rhode Island, it’s primarily the Democrats we support, and thanks to Tuesday’s election they hold every major statewide office, most of the legislature, and most local offices. Rhode Island’s own version of taking things to higher levels was victorious in the gubernatorial race. We were concerned about Governor Raimondo going potentially overboard but obviously in Rhode Island, there was no need to worry, at least for now. Let’s not forget Rhode Islanders do occasionally wake up from their comas when poked or beaten upside the head, and we want none of that.
Raimondo deserves credit for writing a new chapter in the book on how to best make corruption and mismanagement work best for politicians. It begins with winning the Governorship on pension reform where many pensioners lost their COLAS, while the state lost mega millions through ridiculous investments that only made money for her business friends, while city pension problems were ignored. That was just the start.
She won overwhelmingly this year on a platform of incompetence and corruption including UHIP, DCYF mismanagement, the initial botched tourism program, truck tolls, questionable political hirings, questionable contributions tied to state business, road repair screw-ups, loss of the Pawsox (remember, she was part of the initial proposed move to Providence that started the public uproar that led to them leaving), a questionable CCRI free education program, deciding not to wear an American flag because it’s decisive, support in part of illegal immigration, initial failure to lower state flags after Buddy Cianci’s passing, questionable tax incentives and management of Commerce RI, sleazy campaigning including accusations of holding damaging information until after the election. Some put the cost to the state of her abuse and mismanagement at over 1 billion dollars and a few people being hurt in some way. Let’s not forget the state ranking at the bottom of the barrel when it comes to many important issues.
Despite all this, she accumulated a massive war chest used to beat back Mayor Fung on a couple of issues, purchase better approval ratings and vote counts, and gain national prominence, often mentioned in the national media as someone headed for the Presidency or some prominent national position. The lesson here: if you have a bunch of screw-ups that hurt lots of people and cost the state tons of money, patch together some sort of record, give away lots of free stuff, and attack the other guy with lots of money and you’ll do fine.
When Governor Raimondo says let’s keep going, let’s hope she means it. Let’s hope she continues on this path, setting a great example for pols everywhere, and continuing to make us proud. Hopefully, she’ll move onto national prominence where she obviously belongs and continues spreading the good word and doing good deeds throughout the country. In fact, she could be spokesperson for our planned economic development initiative to promote Rhode Island as a great training ground for corrupt politicians. Maybe call it “Corrupt ‘R Us.”
While Mayor Allan Fung accomplished some things we approve of, such as the police scandal and resulting State Police report, rent scandal, refusing to debate in the primary (although note that this could have hurt him) and wearing a Trump hat, he lost us with his calls for line item veto, Inspector Generals, and investigations of Raimondo’s pension actions with Ted Siedle, someone who should stay home minding his own businesses. Plus he’s supported by radio man John DiPietro, who we have a problem with for trying to be some kind of reformer and rabble rouser against many of our favorite politicians. As is often the case with state Republicans and so-called reformers, they are often their own worst enemy by launching awful campaigns (part of Fung’s problem), failing to effectively fight corruption, or becoming as corrupt as the other guys when they get the chance. Overall, we felt Fung’s record was too clean, and his intentions to clean things up could potentially result in much damage, if he actually followed through. After all, in Rhode Island, reform often means just changing who has access to the proverbial cookie jar.
As for Rep. Trillo, how can you not have a special place in your heart for someone who was State Chair for a Presidential candidate who is (see list in the 5th paragraph from the top). We applaud Trillo for supporting Trump and recognizing what he has done for our movement and country and Trillo does have his scummy side that we admire. For a minute, we thought he might really be serious about cleaning things up although crashing his yacht into a rock with music blaring, accusations about deals with Raimondo, and ridiculous poll claims, plus a bunch of other things convinced us otherwise. We do admire him for trying the poll shtick even if it gave him no credibility, but Trillo deserves credit for turning Patricia Morgan and the Republicans to the dark side by removing her credibility and ensuring a Raimondo victory.
Special kudos go to the national Republican Party for withdrawing funding for Fung and a lifetime achievement award for the Rhode Island Republican Party for continued ineptitude in fighting Democratic corruption in the state.
As for the statewide races, the only one of any interest was the Treasurer’s “race”, if you want to call it that. As we’ve seen with Raimondo and Seth Magaziner, clearly the last thing Rhode Islanders want is a Treasurer with any real investment competency that could save substantial money while making the state more money, and not pay ridiculous sums of money to Wall Street. Mike Riley should have realized this and saved himself a lot of time and backed off since fortunately no one wants to hear that argument.
Maybe it was his campaign tactics of seeming to withdraw mid campaign, then threatening to beat up NEA leader Bob Walsh for betraying the teachers, and give up doing anything for the greater good to just hunt corruption perpetrators down for sport in a post that made Riley seem like he shouldn’t be near a computer when he’s off his meds. To Riley goes a special thanks for being someone recognizing the corruption and need to change, but eroding any credibility by at times acting like a lunatic and again, running a poor campaign. At least he was smart enough not to spend any money during the election, something we heartily recommend to all reform candidates to show sincerity and avoid looking like they are trying to buy an election.
While Peter Neronha was a definite shoe-in, we hope he will avoid any investigation to determine who’s at fault and responsible for any past Rhode Island scandals. Let’s have a moratorium, for the good of the state, since we really need to heal. Again, we need to move forward and hope that despite a reputation for fighting corruption, he’ll realize it’s not important to place blame, and not what Rhode Islanders really want. And we heartily recommend adopting AG Kilmartin’s public record policies. we believe some stores supporting our efforts offer special bulk rates for government agencies seeking black magic markers.
On the legislative side, we don’t get into specific ideology too much, such as the progressives vs. pro business people. Corruption knows no ideology, political or demographic group. It’s the common denominator for all voter groups. We were happy to see what’s left of the Providence Journal support Speaker Mattiello along with Raimondo with something like “while they may have issues, it’s worth re- electing them.” Mattiello deserves commendations for preventing so many ridiculous items like line item veto, closed voting for legislative leadership, and Inspector General, while continuing to support legislative grants (and cleverly giving the highest amount to himself), last minute legislation, ignoring or covering up sexual harassment and other at best unethical activities such as Frank Montanaro Jr.’s free tuition, limiting or preventing access of legislators to discussing and voting on legislation, as well as conducting questionable campaign tactics including claiming he didn’t know what account he was writing checks from. There are also questions about his involvement with 38 Studios.
Many rightfully buy Matiello presenting himself as a superhero who, as he states, is a firewall to protect the vulnerable public from ultra left-wing groups. This was another example of voters weighing good vs. bad about someone and despite bad being awful, re-electing him. We also commend his statement that he will more likely deal with news outlets that treat him fairly and are objective. We’ll adhere to that request by calling him Rhody Trump, calling all media criticizing him fake news, and reporting his every move. The good news is we can then probably get tons of good interviews with him. In fact, we should be able to get a direct pipeline between Corruption Rules and the state legislature.
By the way, did you notice that reformers happy with the Pawsox leaving never mentioned the corrupt way Mattiello killed any chance of them staying. This is another great example of supporting corruption when it suits your ideological or other purposes, and why corruption is here to stay. We obviously oppose closed votes for Speaker and Senate Majority Leader and urge all legislators to vote for Nick Mattiello as Speaker. After all, your legislative life will depend on it.
One other legislative point. We were thrilled to see RI Republican Chair Brandon Bell lose handily, both his own election and the party’s statewide and local elections. The last thing we want is for anyone in the Republican Party to gain confidence they can be effective at anything. We shouldn’t give him this advice but maybe now he’ll have more time to teach Republicans how to help and campaign for one another should they have a chance of winning vs. trying to elect Democrats.
We were happy to see Nellie Gorbea campaigning for Mattiello along with making changes to voter info without any public input. We support voter abuse and recognizing our version of quality candidates so we’re glad to see she’s coming around to our side.
On the local side, we support Mayor Elorza’s victory, even though we were taken back by his attack on challenger Deedee Witman for her work with our idol, Buddy Cianci, and Allan Fung. We applaud many of Elorza’s governing tactics including avoiding teacher contracts when kids can’t get a proper education and failing to appoint police officers while crime is rampant to be able to say the city is running a surplus, purchasing products for unpopular policies from a business employing his former chief of staff as a lobbyist, paying tens of thousands of unapproved payments to lobbyist Joe Walsh, being unprepared for the school bus strike, the speed camera fiasco, establishing practices that hurt local businesses, and maintaining a billion dollar pension deficit with a questionable solution at best, and other questionable financial practices. In our minds, a tremendous record.
We have a special message for Ken Block. Go away and mind your own business. Are you that brain dead to not realize that in this state, exposing corruption benefits and is wanted by no one. It’s really poor practice to assume just because you exposed the firefighters’ side deals and they immediately inspected your business that it was anything but a timing coincidence, and your besmirching of firefighters is unforgivable. We do, however, want to thank you for not using the Moderate Party in a way that would have really hurt our efforts, and not doing anything similar today. Not that we want to be too helpful or give you any ideas, but for every scandal you uncover, you are probably missing thousands, so you better work harder.
The 2022 statewide elections have now begun, and promise to be much more exciting, with many potential candidates already lining up for Governor and other statewide offices, a reduced Congressional delegation, and new terms for Mayor of Providence. For those running and voting, we want to make it clear that whether you are a voter, politician, party supporter, government worker or whatever, remember that corruption can and will continue to be your best friend. We will be sure to keep you informed so you can make intelligent decisions about who to support and vote for, or how to use corruption for your own candidacies or political activity.
Special thanks for all your past and anticipated future support from the Corruption Rules team, and we look forward to serving you by publicly continuing our state’s tradition of practicing and promoting all forms of corruption. Not to be immodest, but things should improve greatly thanks to our ongoing public participation and advocacy.
Be sure to watch for our training programs and other services that will help you be part of our great political process. Oh, and be sure to vote. It’s your civic duty after all. It’s our civic duty to remind you that once you do, you can’t avoid coming into contact with corruption. There is nothing you can do about it. Our job is to make you realize that and the fact that there is nothing you SHOULD do about it.
There you have it. Rhode Island, with Democratic control, continues to be in good hands and leads the country by example. Remember, despite what people may claim, despite their yelling and screaming, Rhode Islanders don’t really want to end corruption. It’s not because they are too stupid or lazy. It’s because they are too smart.
To all of you in the reform movement, please keep up the good work anyway. Sure you have had some victories and put roadblocks in our way but in the long run, you are losing the war. And you will continue losing the war if you keep up what you are doing, the way you are doing it. If it will make you feel any better, there is a way you could really make a dent in stopping state political corruption if you really want to but unfortunately, it’s not our job to tell you what it is. Maybe you can figure it out. Hint: It’s Rhode Island, therefore we are open to bribes. After all, we’re not hypocrites and corruption rules.
Junk Food Midterm Recap: Is Anyone Surprised? No Surprises” playing in my head over and over again. In my mind, the song’s famous xylophone riff loops while half-speed, black and white images of Governor Raimondo, Mayor Elorza and Speaker Mattiello smiling, waving and dancing appear before me.
On Tuesday November 6, Rhode Island’s Democrats amplified their control of government, retaining power as a diverse unit with broad goals and convictions. In the gubernatorial race, Governor Gina Raimondo was handily re-elected, while claiming 52% of the vote. Mayor Jorge Elorza crushed independent challenger Dee Dee Witman, winning nearly all precincts in the capital city. For his part, Speaker Nicholas Mattiello defeated Republican challenger Steven Frias by a wider margin of victory than he did in their infamous 2016 mail ballot showdown.
While Rhode Island is a classically blue state, there were some questions going into election day about the margin of support that existed for Governor Raimondo, Mayor Elorza and Speaker Mattiello. Outside of their own bases and party ideologues, some pundits predicted that there was a silent majority of voters who would help challengers take some of the key elections away from Democrats this cycle.
Unsurprisingly, however, the 2018 election results will not only allow the state’s leadership to remain in power (with Attorney General-elect Peter Neronha substituting for outgoing Attorney General Peter Kilmartin), but also displayed that the Democrats’ communication and get out the vote efforts were extremely effective in harnessing their existing supporters and expanding the number of voters in their corner.
While much of the gubernatorial fanfare going into election day revolved around Trumpian-independent Joe Trillo’s feud with Republican nominee Allan Fung, and whether Trillo was dividing the conservative vote in what would, without his presence, be a tight race between Mayor Fung and Governor Raimondo, reality hit hard on election night, with Mr. Trillo amassing a humiliating sub-5% of the overall vote, and Mayor Fung falling tens of thousands of votes short of a serious challenge to Governor Raimondo.
Dee Dee Witman built a grassroots coalition of support ranging from public sector unions to Mayor Elorza’s Democratic primary challengers Kobi Dennis and Robert DeRobbio, and while some may attribute her defeat to a late entry into the race, the reality is that, despite some resistance, Mayor Elorza has commanding control and influence on the city’s East Side, and beyond.
For Speaker Mattiello, a second hurdle remains for him to fully remain in power — one he will almost certainly clear — in having to be reinstalled as Speaker by his fellow members of the House. But in the HD15 race this election day, Mattiello demonstrated that his legislative grants, car tax phase-out and handling of the PawSox stadium-financing saga have seemingly increased his base of support, even as a Democrat in a conservative district.
These results, coupled with the political obliteration of the Republican or other non-Democrat challengers in the US Senate and Congressional races, the Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State and General Treasurer races, led to a predictable outcome in 2018 Rhode Island election, one that featured no surprises.
Calling All Creators
What Cheer is located on the second floor of 160 Westminster, and it is every writer’s dream: There are long tables as well as office desks, comfy chairs and window seats, bookcases and library-like nooks and crannies, even conference rooms for meetings and workshops. Staffed and open seven days a week, they provide coffee, tea and wifi (and free B&W printing) to members. And there’s good news for the struggling writer: They offer various levels of membership. There’s even an option for “fans” of creators, the Patron-level that will allow folks to access the space even if they don’t consider themselves writers.
Want to try it out? A good day to visit is November 18; in honor of NaNoWriMo, What Cheer is opening their doors to anyone who’s hoping to push that word count (with the help of coffee AND donuts) from 10am – 5pm. You’re also invited, at any time, to sign up online for a free tour and day pass. Visit their website for more details! whatcheerclub.org
5 Fun Things To Do: October 31 – November 6
FRI 2
Twenty Stories Turns One: The book van celebrates 365 days around the sun. 6pm. Twenty Stories, 1005 Main St Unit 8206, Pawtucket. twentystoriesla.com
FRI 2 – SUN 4
RI COMIC CON: The galaxy brain of local geekdom returns with a new jampacked convention full of everyone’s favorite pop culture notables. Times vary per day. Dunkin Donuts Center, 1 Lasalle Sq, PVD. ricomiccon.com
SAT 3
OK GO: Indie rock that will include the group’s renowned videos. Expect choreography from treadmills to the vomit comet. 8pm. The Vets, 1 Ave of the Arts, PVD. thevetsri.com
We Will Not Be Erased: A rally for transgender rights. 11am. RI State House, 82 Smith St, PVD. yourqueerstory.com
SUN 4
Code Name: Dynastud: New England Premier of the latest Richard Griffin film, about a gay superhero in an America where homosexualtiy has been outlawed. Until recently, this would have qualified as dystopian science fiction. 5:30 – 8pm. Route One Cinema Pub, 652 E Washington St, North Attleboro, Mass. scorpiofilmreleasing.squarespace.com
Operation Stand Down: Helping veterans help themselves
The US Census says that more than 70,000 veterans live in Rhode Island. The US Department of Housing and Urban Development 2017 Point in Time report said that 95 of those veterans are homeless, but it is difficult to determine definitively how many are homeless or severely struggling and in need of further support and services. Operation Stand Down is an organization that provides “A Hand Up, Not a Hand Out” for homeless and at-risk low-income veterans with or without disabilities. Their “housing first model” helps provide permanent or traditional housing, along with a plethora of other services that are aimed at getting individual veterans the support they need to start getting back on their feet.
Operation Stand Down got its start in 1993, with an outreach weekend that offered services to homeless veterans. They were recruited and bussed in, staying in tents for the weekend. They were given the opportunity to meet with doctors, dentists and social workers and get a haircut and new clothes, among many other services, all while meeting and reconnecting with fellow veterans. This event, the Annual Stand Down Weekend, which has since become a staple in the Rhode Island veteran community, grew in stature, as did the organization. The small staff of volunteers determined that more needed to be done to curb veteran homelessness in Rhode Island and went to work on securing grants and funding to start developing housing.
In 2001, they opened their headquarters and first housing complex in Johnston. The complex consisted of seven apartments, which were quickly occupied. They currently own and operate 59 units of permanent and transitional housing located on five campuses throughout the state, housing 88 veterans and their families and providing rental assistance for close to 300 other veterans. They assist more than 2,000 veterans a year through all of their programs, which include employment services, VA benefit assistance, a veteran food pantry, case management and legal assistance. They have a staff of 14 people, in addition to a board of directors and many volunteers.
Operation Stand Down was founded by veterans and continues to employ veterans, which Director of Development and Legal Services Dee DeQuattro Rothermel, Esq, says is their greatest strength.
“Operation Stand Down RI follows the veteran-helping-veteran model. The majority of our staff are veterans themselves or currently serving in the National Guard. Because of this, staff members are able to relate directly to their clients through shared experiences and a common culture.”
Operation Stand Down receives funding through grants, donations and many popular fundraising events, including steak fries, galas, bike runs and 5Ks. They also have sponsorships from both local and national businesses. People and businesses are drawn to Operation Stand Down because of their dedication to their mission.
“It takes a mission that is meaningful and important,” DeQuattro Rothernel says when asked what it takes to run a successful non-profit organization. “It takes a dedicated staff of professionals who are dedicated to executing that mission to the best of their ability.”
DeQuattro Rothernel boasts that they have recently rolled out a full-time legal program, which will fill a major gap in services, and doubled the size of their employment program, which will benefit individuals as well as the state.
“One of the veterans we recently helped was a National Guard member who had been sleeping on the drill shed floor,” she says proudly. “We were able to hook him up with housing and find him meaningful full-time employment so that he could support himself and afford a place to live.”
It is important to Operation Stand Down that the veterans they support are willing to put in the work needed to improve their own lives. When asked what their motto, “A Hand Up, Not a Hand Out,” means to him, President and Chairman Anthony DeQuattro says: “It means that we will lift up our brothers and sisters and get them the assistance they need, but we are not a hand out. We expect that our clients are active participants in the process and want to help themselves.”
Operation Stand Down is located at 1010 Hartford Ave in Johnston. As a non-profit, they are always accepting donations to help better the lives of homeless and at-risk veterans. For more information, call 401-383-4730 or visit their website at osdri.org
In Their Own Words: Write-In Candidate Greg Ferland for State Rep, District 31
WhMotiif: at’s the biggest problem facing our state?
Greg Ferland: Really? Just ONE? Okay … if it’s just one it’d be fiscal mismanagement.
Motif: Rank these in order of how much they impact children’s education: nutrition in schools, infrastructure, school culture/learning environment, adequate supplies, teacher incentives. How would you address these aspects of education?
Greg Ferland: I am unable to definitively rank the issues presented, as I feel as there is many issues with our educational system. I’d rather empower teachers to teach and due away with all the bureaucracy they are forced to deal with daily.
Motif: How do you feel about supreme court decision that effectively makes every state right to work (Janus v. AFSCME)?
Greg Ferland: It was legally the correct decision. Unions are not “bad” as they advocate for their members rights, that’s a good thing. They’ve brought about many positive changes in workplace safety, rights, etc. In situations of some public employee unions however, it crosses the line with representation and individuals rights.
Motif: Is environmental racism in RI a problem and if so, how do you intend to address it?
Greg Ferland: I cannot answer this question as it does not fall under my purview as the district I will be representing is in North Kingstown and Exeter.
Motif: Do you favor sending troops to Worcester to recover the PawSox?
Greg Ferland: Hell yeah! Why not think outside of the box?!? Nobody was completely happy with the way the situation played out…
And I really miss Benny’s too.
Signing Up for Insurance
Here’s a short step-by-step guide to help you inch your way through the health insurance enrollment process in RI.
HealthSource RI
The Cost: Varies depending on various income thresholds. It is capped at 9.5% of income, but is often significantly lower.*
Hours: Mon – Fri, 8am – 6pm
How to enroll:
Step 1: Enrollment is from Nov 1 – Dec 31. Customers looking for coverage starting Jan 1, 2019 should pick and pay for their coverage by Dec 23.
You cannot enroll yourself into insurance after these dates unless you qualify for the Special Enrollment Period, which is triggered by six life-qualifying events: change in income, change in citizenship, birth or adoption, death in the family, moving into Rhode Island and marriage. The special enrollment periods lasts 60 days from the life-qualifying event.
Step 2. Sign up by calling 1-855-840-4774 or enrolling online at healthsourceri.com. Rhode Islanders can also attend an enrollment event in their community (healthsourceri.com/events), or call United Way of RI’s 211 line to find a Navigator in your neighborhood.
Have two forms of identification, citizenship status (they ask for alien documents), social security number, income info and your tax info.
If you have been an alien in RI for fewer than five years, you can get approved to have health insurance. You’ll only be offered the full-priced care package, which is roughly $600 – $800 dollars per month. Once you have lived in Rhode Island for at least five years, then you will be able to receive the normal price. An exception is pregnant women who can receive the normal price, whether they have reached the five-year threshold or not.
Step 3. Pay the first bill. You can do this online, over the phone or in person, or you can mail a check to:
HealthSource RI PO Box 9711 Providence, RI 02940-9711
Through a first-of-its-kind partnership, customers can also pay by credit, debit or cash at any CVS Pharmacy nationwide (more).
Step 4: You’re insured! Good job, ya did it!
The enrollment process can vary. If you are unsure about your enrollment status, don’t hesitate to call the number above for some answers. Good luck!
**
Rhode Island Free Clinic:
Cost: Free.
Hours: Tue – Fri, 7am – 7pm
Here’s how to qualify:
You must be a resident of Rhode Island. To prove this, you will need to show one of these forms: A utility bill with your name on it, or any other acceptable document/piece of mail with your RI address. You must be age 18 or older You can’t have any form of health insurance. You must meet low-income guidelines, which is 200% at or below the federal poverty level (this would be $30,360 per year). You have to represent this with one of the following documents: If employed: Your most recent tax return, last two pay stubs or a notarized statement of income. If unemployed: TDI or SNAP authorization letter, or a notarized letter of support. The letter should be written by a supporter of yours and include your name, the supporter’s name, how much the supporter makes per week, month or year, with both of your signatures. Notarize your documents at 148 W River Street, 401-222-3040. There will be a small fee to notarize your documents, so bring a few bucks. Show a current picture ID.
If you qualify, round up the documents and arrange your eligibility screening appointment, which you can make over the phone at 401-274-6347. This is not a medical appointment, but an appointment to prove that you qualify to be a patient of theirs. They will not accept you if you don’t bring all of the materials listed above.
* NOTE – the printed original version of this article erroneously stated that the cost was “Usually 9% of your total annual income.”
** NOTE – the printed original version of this article included “Pinching your Pennies?
The 9% chunk of your annual income might be a little too much, but there’s still a way to get healthcare in even the roughest and toughest of situations.” – we removed this because the 9% number is not representative of the amounts most insured pay, and is in fact much higher than average, according to HealthSourceRI.
Taking the Stage: Moderate gubernatorial candidate Bill Gilbert gets to the universal truths
At the most recent gubernatorial debate held at The University of Rhode Island Kingston campus, presented by The Providence Journal and The Public’s Radio, Moderate Party candidate Bill Gilbert made his first prominent appearance before a statewide audience. Appealing to be recognized as “the only adult in the room,” Gilbert received applause from the diverse audience following many of his remarks, positioning himself as a fresh voice with certain defined principles and a willingness to engage in extra-partisan conversation on most issues.
The Moderate Party is the only non-major political party to have statewide ballot access in Rhode Island’s 2018 general election, brought to fruition by the 2014 performance of Moderate gubernatorial candidate Bob Healey, who racked up 22% of the statewide vote. Gilbert, who is also chairman of the party, must achieve a minimum of 5% of the vote in the upcoming 2018 election to ensure his party will retain statewide ballot access in the following election.
I recently sat down with Gilbert for an in-depth episode of The Bartholomewtown Podcast, touching on his background, where he and the Moderate Party stand on critical issues, and his perspectives on running for statewide office without major party affiliation (you can hear the entire episode here).
Bill Bartholomew: How were you able to get onto the debate stage at URI and the upcoming channel 10 debate? [Gilbert was not included in previously held gubernatorial debates].
Bill Gilbert: I meet the tests of most legitimate candidates. I’m also chairman of a legitimate party. We actually have three parties in Rhode Island. There’s only a handful of states that actually have legitimate ballot access parties. And, you know, we’re one of them. But I also think more than that, if you look at my positions and my platform, I’m a candidate that wants to talk about issues. And that’s been seriously lacking in the gubernatorial race today.
BB: There’s been a lack of coverage of many of the ‘alternative’ gubernatorial candidates by mainstream media.
BG: One of the reasons why I’m running is that I’m trying to smash the two-party system. I really believe that in today’s age of technology and how much memory costs on a computer, I don’t know why we don’t have one spot that’s made by the government where all candidates that are legitimate, have made ballot access, have received their signatures, can post videos and post their positions, and where the voters can go to one central spot. They shouldn’t have to go to all over the place. I think if everything was in one centralized location, which we could do on the state server today, I think more people might be involved in the election process because it would be easier to access that information. If you make something hard, people don’t do it. If you make it easy, people will do it a lot.
BB: What sort of coalition has the Moderate Party built besides just the obvious people who are dissatisfied members of the Democrat or Republican Parties who live in the middle politically? Have you made allies with progressives or with hard right people who also are looking to sort of break the system?
BG: I think we’re stronger than ever at this point. We’ve actually sat down with some of the current elected officials. Some of the top Democrats and Republicans have actually toyed around with the idea of switching parties to become Moderates, but you can imagine how hard that is. But I’ve had broken bread with many of the top leaders in the state talking about the future of the state.
BB: At the state office level?
BG: Yes, state office, at the highest levels. That’s ongoing.
You know Bob Plain, a very progressive journalist in Rhode Island. Bob and I, while we don’t see eye to eye, we have a pretty interesting relationship. We have each other’s cell phone number. We talk a lot. And at the same time, some of the very hardcore right wing people, we also have that kind of dialogue and relationship because I think what the Moderate Party is trying to do is show that there are certain universals that I think we all hold as humans on Earth. You know, I think of myself as just a human on Earth. I’m going around the sun with everybody else on this planet. And we all want to wake up 30 days from now, 60 days from now to a better life and a better planet.
We don’t want to pollute our waters. We don’t want to have bad drinking water. We don’t want global warming. The question is, how do we get there? But then there are those issues that do divide us. There are those issues that are those social issues. Should people be allowed to smoke pot or not smoke pot? You know, the abortion question, the old litmus tests, but the Moderate Party has tried to create a safe place where we all have universals. For when it comes to those litmus tests, those personal issues, we allow people to have differences of opinion. You don’t have to be not a moderate. You don’t have to get drummed out of the party. Why can’t we believe the debate itself is what brings people to a righteous answer? We have to have the debate. We have to be able to talk about politics over dinner, or at the water cooler. So, our party really believes that those social causes, those social issues and those litmus tests, we leave those to the individual.