One of my favorite shows as a kid was Married…with Children. Protagonist and shoe salesman, Al Bundy, often would say, “Let’s Rock!” just before facing a challenge. I adopted the phrase, using it most prominently when I was a sixteen year old dishwasher for a local Holiday Inn right before large stacks of dishes from a recent wedding reception came my way.

Well, my Philadelphia Flyers are facing a similar (LOL) challenge in the Stanley Cup Finals. Having come back from a 0-3 hole against Boston, fighting back from an 0-2 hole against Chicago, they face their 5th elimination game of these playoffs. They’ve gone 4-0 so far but this BlackHawks team isn’t your mom’s Boston Bruins, sorry Bruins fan. Now down 3 games to 2, I feel like the Flyers are much like the Rhode Island citizen – lose and there is no tomorrow.

As we enter into this election cycle, will we – citizens of Rhode Island – man/woman up and take a stand for ourselves and our children? Will we say no to the politics of the past? And to de-cliche this post just a bit, the question facing us this election cycle is whether or not we have the cajones to try something different and demand accountability from elected officials.

If we don’t then all we can expect and deserve is more of the same crap we’ve gotten for so many years. So Rhode Island,

Let’s Rock!

On Wednesday evening, I was in attendance at Cranston Mayor Allan Fung’s announcement that he planned to seek reelection to the position of mayor. As the mayor pointed out many people in the crowd from union leaders, police officials, regular townsfolk, and GOP candidates, I had this thought, “If all Republicans took the Fung Approach, we’d be able to wrest control away from Democrats.”

Perhaps I’m biased (I am) but no Republican in this state has been more impressive than Mayor Fung in how he has dealt with competing interests, remained a forceful executive despite having no fellow Republicans on the City Council, and navigated a city through various budget landmines with many, many, more on the horizon (thanks, General Assembly!).

And yet, I never hear his blueprint for success mentioned in Republican circles. Often times, Republicans in this state position themselves as anti-union and pro-management allowing Democrats to style themselves as pro-average joe. In Cranston, a Democrat would have a very difficult time doing the same against Fung as he has demonstrated a willingness and ability to negotiate with different unions, winning taxpayer concessions time and time again. Fung has been able to be fiscally responsible AND able to get away from the stigma that Republicans alienate unions. From all accounts, the union/city negotiations are not zero-sum games.

Put it a different way take a look at below and tell me which one rings true to you:

Anti-Union = Statewide Republicans

Anti-Union = Allan Fung

Republicans would serve themselves well in taking a softer stance with unions, and rather labelling them the bain of our state, work to resolve the issues with them as co-collaborators. Novel idea? Sure, but it seems to be working well in Cranston.

A couple of months ago, I bought a bike to try to get back in shape. At 5′10″, 200 pounds is just not a good carrying weight unless I played professional football (I don’t). The last few days, I’ve gotten back on the bike and started riding around. Over the next few months, I’m going to try to trim down to 170. If I get there, that will be sweet. In college, I was a lean mean fighting machine. In my 20s? Not so much. Now in my early 30s, I want to take care of myself so that (Lord willing) the 40s/50s aren’t so rough.

One of the odd things about getting back on my bike is my surprise that I am not as nimble as I once used to be. It used to be so easy to ride with no hands and balance. I used to be able to twist and turn my neck with nary a concern. Not so much now…My back was even feeling it after riding about a mile yesterday. But those aches and pains are just giving me more motivation to get back out there every day. I have a beautiful wife and three beautiful kids. I want to see them grow up, so just call me Bikemaster D.

As a person who uses the transit system daily, this is depressing news. It seems RIPTA is considering rate hikes or service reductions. Sigh. I now have a dilemma. Right now I pay 3.50 to go to and from my house to Kennedy Plaza everyday.  Back in April 2008, RIPTA raised it’s fares from$1.50 to $1.75. Why? The reasoning seems to be based on “the rising costs of fuel“. Back then, fuel costs were surging into the $3.75+ per gallon range. In 2010, average fuel prices are much less so one would think that the increase in 2008 in addition to the lessor fuel costs would have helped RIPTA cover its costs. Alas, no.

RIPTA is facing a budget deficit and is hoping that the fare increase will cover the gap. RIPTA will be holding public hearings in July (see first link in this post) to discuss the increase. Here are my questions:

• Why hasn’t the ‘08 increase coupled with lower fuel costs assuaged any budget deficits RIPTA is facing?
• How, specifically, does this fare increase address the current budget deficit?
• What, if any, demand elasticity models have been done to see if demand will decrease with a fare increase?
• Overall, is RIPTA a solvent entity or will it continue to need to increase fares every two years by significant amounts in order to meet rising costs?

We’re such a small state, one would think we’d be able to execute a transit system that is viable and healthy. But it seems just like other programs in this state, someone’s asleep at the wheel and either the taxpayer or the commuter will have to pay for the poor planning of these government run programs.

To use a cliche term, Rhode Island deserves better.