Op-Ed

To paraphrase Mark Twain, “A lender is a fellow who charges you for his umbrella when the sun is shining, but wants it back the minute it begins to rain.” If that’s the case, a Rhode Island payday lender is the fellow that lends you a paper umbrella for the mere cost of 260 percent annual interest when it starts raining and then wants it back minutes later in the middle of the rain to sell you another one. May 19

This legislative session, as with those in the recent past, has been consumed by debates about how to improve Rhode Island’s economy and unemployment rate. Discussions of pension reform, budget cuts and the state’s role in aiding municipalities with their own budget woes fill daily headlines. With all this, an important sector of the economy has remained relatively sidelined over the last several months – housing. May 19

“Good warriors … position themselves where they will surely win, prevailing over those who have already lost.” May 12

It isn’t quite true that demography is destiny. But if Nicholas Eberstadt is right, our destiny is going to be shaped by demography in ways we may not expect. May 5

In a speech last month about the financial crisis, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke trenchantly noted that the initial losses from the dot-com bust were about the same size as those from the housing meltdown – yet the two episodes had very different economic consequences. May 5

Our young people look to their parents for inspiration and guidance. When we’re young, the world seems limitless, and one of the most important jobs a parent has is to nurture their child’s dreams that they can do and be whatever they want. Apr 28

When the Rhode Island Retirement Security Act of 2011 (RIRSA) was being debated on the House floor last November, I sat in the gallery with many other Rhode Islanders watching the proceedings. The discussion was spirited, but somber, and as I left the building on that cold and damp evening, I had no desire to celebrate the passage of this important legislation, only to reflect upon what Rhode Island’s future could now hold. Apr 28

The first quarter of 2012 was a record-breaking one for the financial markets. The S&P 500 gained more in one quarter than it has since 1998 and the NASDAQ had the best quarter in its history, though still below its all-time high of 5,000. Apr 21

What’s the best way to care for patients and their families? Our two organizations have been working to answer that question for 140 years. Now, we’ll be doing it together. And the people who will benefit most will be the patients and their families who we serve every day. Apr 21

The message of a recent story (“New group wants input on health exchange,” March 16, 2012, PBN.com) should not surprise us. When nearly 20 percent of the state’s economy is involved, as it is with health care, all that money is flowing through the hands of lots of folks who surely don’t want the course of that flow altered, and probably don’t really want to see it reduced much either. Apr 14