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December 21, 2009
When the right wing converged on health care town hall meetings in Rhode Island this summer to try and undermine public support for extending health care to all Americans, Ocean State Action was there, organizing hundreds of reform supporters to show up and be counted, not just for any reform but for real reform that made coverage affordable and held the insurers accountable.
When state legislators slipped a provision into the state budget to eliminate the office of the health insurance commissioner, Ocean State Action was there, mobilizing a wide range of allies from business to labor to health care providers to successfully preserve the office to serve as a public watchdog on insurers.
When a leading corporate lobbyist tried to once again block legislation allowing for stiffer fines for corporations who do not clean up toxic pollution in the state, Ocean State Action was there, speaking at a press conference outside of the lobbyist's office -- and helping ensure that the General Assembly finally passed the polluter fines bill in 2009.
And when three dozen Rhode Island progressive activists from unions, community and environmental organizations came together for the New Voices Campaign Leadership Program, a three-day training to learn the nuts and bolts of political campaigning, it was only because Ocean State Action was there -- leading this training to build the progressive movement.
To read more about all of the work Ocean State Action has done in 2009, click here.
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News You Can Use in the Ocean State
- "More unionization would be good for economy," guest column by Robert Reich in the Providence Journal (February 2, 2009)
- "Class war being waged in Rhode Island," column by Jim Barron in the Pawtucket Times (January 26, 2009)
- "Gubernatorial Hoovers make it worse," guest column by Paul Krugman in the Providence Journal (January 6, 2009)
- "A call to prayer for legislators," column by Ed Fitzpatrick in the Providence Journal (January 1, 2009)
- "Guarantee health reform, not higher profits," guest column by Vivian Weisman in the Providence Journal (December 23, 2008)
Reports and Fact Sheets
Ocean State Action has compiled several reports and fact sheets relating to issues facing Rhode Island. These contain information that is essential to understanding the problems our state faces, and how we can responsibly fix them to make Rhode Island work better for everyone. The reports and fact sheets address, among other issues: the health care crisis in Rhode Island, including how it affects small businesses; tax and budget policy, with recommendations of how we can responsibly fix our state's budget deficit; and a report entitled "The Next New Deal," a comprehensive look at how the nation can get back on track for a 21st century economy. There are also links to reports and fact sheets compiled by other groups with info essential to all Rhode Islanders.
See reports and fact sheets here.
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Visit the Rhode Island Policy Reporter at What Cheer! for up-to-date policy analysis and reports.
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