Tonight when Rhode Islanders go to bed, the main issue on their minds will be how to maintain a fair job to put food on the table and provide a better lifestyle for their children. After all, in a state that continues to rank toward the bottom in national unemployment, it is a fair assumption that this is a leading concern for most Rhode Islanders. I can assure you that the last thing on 99.9 percent of Rhode Islanders’ minds during this economy is whether they should shift party affiliations … again. So how tuned in is our political leader Linc Chafee with the average Rhode Islander?
In these difficult times the focus should be on family, not corrupt politics. Our young adults are forced to leave their families and the place in which they grew up simply because of the lack of jobs. They are graduating from college with mortgage sized student loans and are searching for new states to raise a family. Hard working families in the middle class are losing their homes because their paychecks continue to decrease while property taxes continue to increase. Seniors are having a hard time paying for quality health treatment and prescriptions. Despite endless promises by one political party that voting for their plans will decrease health costs, the reality is that health costs continue to increase at unrealistic levels. Rhode Islanders’ 1st Amendment rights and religious freedoms continue to be imposed upon by special interest groups, forcing citizens to act against their consciences. Rhode Island continues to rank toward the bottom in public education. And Rhode Island received an “F” in business friendliness by the Kauffman Foundation.
During these hard times, we look to our political leaders for solutions to these dire problems and hope they will provide a path to ensure Rhode Island will once again be a quality state in which to raise a family. After all, we do elect politicians to lead, not sit around pointing fingers and doing nothing. So to fall in line with the true leader he is, Linc Chafee recently set up a press conference to address a major concern in Rhode Island.
Did he announce that Rhode Island moved up significantly in the ranks for education? Has unemployment dropped enough to provide jobs for our graduating college students? Have property taxes been reduced in line with the national average? Unfortunately our fearless elected political leader did not announce any of these; he could not even announce the dreaded pothole situation in the state has improved. So what was the point of his press conference? Linc Chaffee wanted to announce that he was changing political parties … again.
While most of Rhode Island is fighting to save their jobs and provide for their families, all Linc cares about is saving his own job. This one act says a lot about the character of the new leader of the RI Democrat Party. Instead of focusing his time and resources on improving the economy, Linc is strategizing with political advisers while Rhode Island families continue to struggle.
The main question to ask us all as Rhode Islanders is why we continue to settle for less. We do not deserve to be in the bottom in education and employment year after year. We do not deserve to have our families torn apart because of the lack of jobs. We do not deserve to lose our houses due to exorbitant property taxes so our elected politicians can provide lavish lifestyles for their supporters. And we do not deserve a one party government whose new leader continues to prove politics is more important than Rhode Island families. Linc found his home with the Democrat Party; however, Rhode Island deserves better.