To the Editor:
The term “never too late to fix it” is now nothing more than a passing, fleeting old cliché that seems meaningless for all Rhode Islanders who expect honest government to actually work for them.
I was a member of AARP at one time, but quit because they spent my dues money on political positions that I did not want and did not stand for. They took it upon themselves, without ever asking any of us in any sort of survey about what we thought about their stance on the political issues they got involved in and with. We members had no say whatsoever in what we wanted to do about them. According to many reports, they lost many members because they started taking political stands with our dues money against the wishes of thousands. Their decision to do what they did was solely for their own financial gain without any concern or regard for the members. They took a page from union leaders that do the exact same thing with their union members’ dues. I have many friends that are in unions and say it’s best to keep quiet because they would face a ton of harassment if they spoke out.
Union workers are not and should not be blamed for the current problem. It was the inept elected officials that had zero foresight into the future that traded a ton of goodies in pay packages to the union members, bosses and negotiators during contract times, with the expectation that the payback for and to those officials would be union support during the election cycle. That was, and is, the whole current problem. You would have taken those goodies also, if offered to you, so please stop condemning innocent people and rightfully blame the actual culprits that are at fault, which are the inept politicians you voted for. Yes, you caused this, by making poor choices when you voted for those officials. You either did not fully know their positions, their intellect, or simply did not care about whom you voted for or why.
In reading yesterday’s newspapers along with their AARP ads and listening to yesterday’s radio talk shows along with their AARP ads, they made the same very poor and foolish political decision again. You would think they would have learned a lesson from the last time, when they supported Obama and all his left-wingers that have helped destroy the American economy, the American health care system, and on and on. Yesterday, they chose sides once again and I will wager it was done without the permission or knowledge of the remaining card carrying, dues-paying members that still subscribe to that organization. Who, in God’s name, do they think they are? Who gave them the right to choose sides? I say the AARP management people that are heading up this class warfare assault on many Rhode Islanders are on somebody’s “under the table” payroll. They may be doing it legitimately, or maybe not. They always find a way to twist the laws, so who knows? One thing, for sure, is average folks like us that are continually used as political pawns will never know! You can bet on one thing: somebody is getting something for their effort! It’s the Rhode Island way of doing business.
Gina Raimondo, our state general treasurer, the best thing since sliced bread in my mind and the best elected official in R.I. since John O. Pastore, is taking plenty of heat from her own party bosses. She is at odds with so many people, especially the union bosses, but I think she is winning the battle with the taxpayers and voters. Why are political insiders so against her for doing the correct thing? You know damn well why. It’s called big bucks! She is trying to fix what nobody else had the brains, the nerve and the will to tackle. In the last 50 or more years, nobody else even had the nerve to talk about it, let alone fix it. These career politicians that want nothing more than status quo are willing to chance that the state of Rhode Island could be going down the tubes because of their greed. This group of politically connected and in-control thugs that come in every shape, every fashion, every color, every form, every party, every sort of organization, that has an inside interest, is what is wrong with Rhode Island. Have Rhode Islanders learned nothing at all from the last election cycles? Folks, it is time to wake up, start getting involved, start learning the real issues that plague us and forget the smoke and mirror syndrome that so many politicians use to confuse voters.
A short footnote: We should be begging Ms. Raimondo to run for the U.S. Congress in the next election. She belongs in Washington, D.C., and yes, she should run in a Democrat primary against either Sheldon Whitehouse or James Langevin. She is what R.I. needs in Washington, instead of those two that are mentioned above that are nothing more than left wing hacks and part of the progressive Obama team of puppets that have destroyed the America we all once knew.
The frosting on the cake for me came yesterday when I called into a talk show about the AARP. The producer said since the AARP took out a paid ad they would not let me speak on this matter. Where, oh where, is the little guy’s freedom of speech? Where, oh where, are the average guy’s First Amendment rights when he does not have the cash to purchase radio time or newspaper ads? All of you should remember all these things the next time you vote, and I pray you don’t waste your vote on those that are destroying our freedoms. Please think of our kids, our grandkids and all the future kids that will be born in America and across the world. We owe them a better country and a more blessed, peaceful world, and that can only come from the lead of a powerful country like America that is controlled by average people like you and me. We must be the ones telling politicians what rules we want to live by. We must refuse to live under a bunch of elected politicians that think they will rule us by their will, kingship, or whatever form of government they are trying to force down our throats.
Larry Sabato from the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia made a very interesting assessment about the state of Rhode Island. He said it is an entrenched, very blue, Progressive, left wing leaning Democrat state, and without the voters making very significant changes in their voting habits, it will never change. If you want change in R.I., we can still elect Democrats, but they have to be much more moderate and willing to work with moderate Republicans and Independents. Want a different R.I., want a better R.I.? All you have to do is remember in the next election to change your same old, same old voting habits and you can make that change for the better.
Roberto A. Di Padua Sr.
Coventry
