LARRY EHRHARDT
State Representative - District 32
North Kingstown

 

Announcement:

 

 

The following article by Nicholas Gorham, (R-Coventry, Foster) and Richard Fleury (R-West Warwick), members of the Rhode Island House Of Representatives, was published in the Providence Journal on September 23rd. It represents the best piece of political writing I have seen thus far in the 2002 campaign. - Larry Ehrhardt

On R.I.’s Animal Farm, The Pigs and the Dogs Grow Richer

"Somehow it seemed as though the farm had grown richer without making the animals themselves any richer— except, of course, for the pigs and the dogs." Animal Farm, George Orwell (1945).

Having seen (and voted against) the state budget last June, I am fairly certain that in Rhode Island, the dogs who have "grown richer" are in Lincoln, at a casino masquerading as a dog track. But the broader question, of course, is how to locate the remaining characters of Orwell’s fable here in Rhode Island? On this point, closer examination of Orwell’s classic satire provides the necessary clues.

Published in 1945, Animal Farm, parodied the hypocrisy of the communist revolution in Russia. Because the socialist theory had failed to take into account the greed and self-interest of those in power, the revolution’s demise had been assured almost from the beginning. The seeds for revolution in Animal Farm were sown by the corrupt practices of the farmer Jones, who was overthrown by the farm animals in a bloody battle on the farm. While the farm animals believed they had achieved a revolution that would bring fairness and equality to their farm, in fact they were outsmarted by the pigs who had led their revolution. The pigs’ dictatorial practice of socialism wrought the same corruption and oppression of the farm animals as under farmer Jones. In the end, the pigs ruled supreme over the farm animals; the pigs had become exactly what they had replaced.

Rhode Island’s Animal Farm began in 1935, with the "Bloodless Revolution." Promising constitutional reform, Governor Theodore Francis Green and others united the R.I. Democrat party, electing a Democrat majority to both the House and Senate for the first time in our state’s history. The people of Rhode Island overthrew the corrupt Republicans who had ruled supreme over the state for nearly 70 years, from the 1870’s to 1935. The Democrats’ revolution promised constitutional reform of the powers of the General Assembly. At first, it all seemed to work. The Democrats abolished the Boards and Commissions—the trademark of Republican usurpation of executive powers—in favor of more representative forms of government. Curiously, the Democrats never delivered on the key constitutional reform that had fuelled their overthrow of the Republicans more than any other: trimming the plenary power of the General Assembly. And slowly, the Democrats began to form their own boards and commissions, which they controlled with their own people from the Democratic party. As Orwell wrote:

"Once again the animals were conscious of a vague uneasiness. Never to have any dealings with human beings, never to engage in trade, never to make use of money— had not these been among the earliest resolutions passed at the first triumphant Meeting when Jones was expelled?" 

Slowly but surely, the Democrats gave the General Assembly more and more power. In 1952 the Democrats created the legislator-dominated Unclassified Pay Board, taking control of all the salaries of key positions in state government. In 1976, they created the legislator-dominated Lottery Commission, taking control of a huge flow of money through society, and controlling all other gambling in the state. They created and then took control of RISDIC, and thwarted efforts at reform that would have avoided the worst banking and financial crisis in our state since the Great Depression. Even when the General Assembly leadership changed from one Democrat to another, they created more and more boards and commissions, giving more and more power to the General Assembly and its Democrat leaders. One Democrat House Speaker after another has ruled our state with such supremacy that there was rarely debate on important issues—especially constitutional issues that would trim their power.

He announced that …meetings would come to an end. They were unnecessary, he said, and wasted time. In [the] future all questions relating to the working conditions of the farm would be settled by a special committee of pigs, presided over by himself. These would meet in private and afterwards communicate their decisions to the others.

Last Spring, when we tried to get only 26 Democrat members of the House to join all 14 Republicans in merely requesting a debate on the constitutional reforms the Democrat Party had promised nearly 67 years ago, it was obvious that the almighty grip of the Democrat House Leadership had doomed the effort almost before it began. And, of course there was no debate. We fell two short, with only 38 signatures. Dissidents signing our petition and daring to support even the notion of a debate were punished.

The animals "did not know why-they had come to a time when no one dared speak his mind, when fierce, growling dogs roamed everywhere…

Likewise, in June 2002 when Republicans tried to allocate just a fraction of nearly $17 million in state revenue for property tax relief/school aid to rural and suburban communities, one sensed that, indeed, "fierce, growling dogs roamed everywhere." So the Democrat Leadership and its sycophantic following, opted to use this revenue not to help reduce property taxes or provide additional school aid in their own districts, but instead to make the wealthy dog owners at Lincoln Park grow richer.

The R.I. Democratic Party and the General Assembly leadership have completed Orwell’s fable. With their numerous boards and commissions controlling every aspect of state government, the Democrats running the General Assembly, like the pigs in Animal Farm, have become precisely what they purported to replace.

The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which.

In the 67 years (1935-2002) the R.I. Democratic party has run our state through the General Assembly, has the farm really improved? Our taxes are among the highest in the country. Small businesses loathe to even get near the place. The General Assembly spends far beyond our means. The Democrats running the General Assembly offer far too many promises that are outlandish and expensive. This June, when they realized they couldn’t cover state expenditures with current revenue, they sold 20 years of future revenue (i.e. "cigarette bonds") to make up the difference. In a year when the Assembly will lose 25% of its membership due to downsizing, the Democrats in control increased the General Assembly’s own budget by more than $2 million! Even when the Democrats contract, their spending expands! The Democrats running the General Assembly have even used our institutions for higher learning to solve (or perhaps hide) embarrassing situations. How many times must the Democrats running the General Assembly abuse their power before the people of Rhode Island have had enough? The reckless spending and abuse of power will continue unabated—until we on the farm do something about it in this election.The Republican candidates for General Assembly make four simple promises to the people of Rhode Island:

  1. We shall give the citizens of Rhode Island the power to vote up or down a Separation of Powers Constitutional AmendmentWe shall eliminate unnecessary state government spending by taking a zero-based budget approach to the next state budgetWe shall pass legislation establishing a consistent and equitable school aid program.

  2. We shall pass legislation directing the Economic Development Corporation to preclude a container port from ever being developed at Quonset Point.

Please consider, more than ever before, voting for a Republican General Assembly candidate. The Democrats have been given their chance and 67 years is long enough. It is time for a real change.

####