It Sure Shines, But Is It Gold?

Coming home today I discovered a mailer Legislative Report from our esteemed State

Representative in District 69, Susan Donovan. In it she describes her legislative

achievements with all sorts of great pictures and colorful headers.

Here are Climate Act, Act of Coasts, Tax Relief for families and elderly, Health Provider Shield bill, funding for Medicaid, investments for schools and children and even some commonsense gun bans.

So, my question to Bristolians would be- with all this legislative activity, do we see any

improvements in our lives? Reality check says NO. Infrastructure is still failing, housing is

unaffordable, doctors and nurses fleeing the state, nursing homes are closing, there is a

shortage of teachers and crime is not impacted, if not on the rise.

And here lies the problem. Our elected officials are desperately trying to “rule by fiat”, i.e.- “we pass more and more laws that are supposed to alleviate all sorts of ills in the state”. Only they do not. Rather those newly minted multiple laws compound the woes of the state and its citizens.

But to add injury to insult, there certainly is a sum of money attached to every Act, Bill and ban. Taxpayer’s money. And who is the recipient? Likely some newly formed non-profit,

that is going to “develop’ the allocated sum, by paying themselves healthy salaries. The

legislator gets a shiny new PR report and “legislative record of achievement” to run on in

the next elections, with nice photo ops. And what do taxpayers get? Less than nothing,

since the deterioration continues.

What we need as a state is to get away from the yearly torrent of bills by the General Assembly, followed by a torrent of taxpayer’s money spent on dubious projects. Time is now for purse strings holders to start demanding results and be very targeted in the approach to allocating funds. We are at the point where mismanagement starts to bite. And we are not in good shape for it.

Nobody wants to do business in Rhode Island or with Rhode Island. Just look at the dismal failure to get quotes on Washington bridge replacement. And we have already spent millions of dollars on all sorts of assessments.

Time to start paying for tangible results and not throw money to the wind and expect better. Because so far it all looks like “Legislative achievements” are there for shiny record.

But if it shines, is it gold? Does not look like that so far.

Sergei Sharenko

25 Monterey Dr