Surprising truths about America’s tax history

"The Price of Democracy"

By Gerald Scorse

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Taxes, for instance, have been changing and staying the same ever since Reagan and the 1980s: They’ve been heaven for corporations and the rich, purgatory or worse for everybody else.

Now comes a groundbreaking book that looks back not just decades but centuries. It’s Vanessa A. Williamson’s The Price of Democracy: The Revolutionary Power of Taxation in American History. The surprises never stop coming.

Surprise No. 1, the Boston Tea Party. We’ve been brainwashed into believing that taxes were the cause. Not so; the Sons of Liberty were actually opposing the bailout of the “too big to fail” East India Company. As Samuel Adams warned, the bailout was “introductive to Monopolies.” 

Williamson says the colonists never objected to paying taxes. “To the extent the American Revolution was about taxation,” she writes, “it was about the desire of Americans to tax themselves…"

Come 1787, the new America had to decide what its own tax policies would be. Next surprise, the framers of the Constitution agreed that the wealthy few had to be protected from the masses. Listen to this from Alexander Hamilton: 

“All communities divide themselves into the few and the many. The first are the rich and well-born, the other the mass of the people.” As Hamilton saw it, the people “seldom judge or determine right.”

Thomas Paine saw things the other way around.  

Everybody knows that Paine helped ignite the American Revolution. Not many know that he wanted a tax revolution as well. Paine worried about the “overgrown influence” of wealth, calling it “one of the principal sources of corruption at elections.” He wanted marginal income tax rates, topping out at 100%.  Echoing Paine, an early New York newspaper proposed that “men should by every fair means be legally prevented from becoming exorbitantly rich”.

THANK YOU!

 

Says it all

On top of that, "Doordash Grannie" is a phony

URI Theatre ends season with modern-day cult classic ‘Ride the Cyclone’

Catch their last show of the season 

By Paige Monopoli

The URI Theatre Department will hold an eight-show production of the modern-day cult classic “Ride the Cyclone” beginning April 17 in the Will Theatre in the URI Fine Arts Center. (URI Photo/Seth Jacobson)

We’re familiar with cult classics, such as “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” which have earned passionate fanbases for 50 years. Such unique artistic endeavors are defined by their transgressive or strange nature, leading to a niche following that keeps the story alive through rediscovery and admiration.

“Ride the Cyclone,” by Jacob Richmond and Brooke Maxwell, entered the scene in 2009. It has emerged as the Gen Z musical theatre cult classic of today. Originally available as a bootleg on YouTube and later on TikTok, the musical earned millions of views. This online fame sparked strong demand for productions in high schools, universities, and community theatres in the United States, Canada, and Europe.

The University of Rhode Island Theatre Department’s production of the musical opens an eight-show run on Friday, April 17, in the Robert E. Will Theatre in the URI Fine Arts Center, 105 Upper College Road, on the Kingston Campus. The play follows six teenagers from the St. Cassian High School chamber choir in Uranium City, Saskatchewan, who died on a faulty roller coaster called The Cyclone.

Another potential cancer cure for Bobby Kennedy to block

Scientists create “smart” DNA drug that targets cancer cells with extreme precision

Université de Genève

How can doctors destroy cancer cells without harming healthy tissue? That question remains one of the biggest challenges in modern oncology. Researchers at the University of Geneva (UNIGE) have now developed a "smart" system built from synthetic DNA strands that can identify cancer cells with remarkable accuracy and release powerful drugs only where they are needed. In addition to cancer treatment, this approach points toward a future of programmable, responsive medicines. The findings appear in Nature Biotechnology.

Targeted therapies have already reshaped cancer care by directing drugs straight to tumors, helping reduce damage to healthy cells and easing harsh side effects linked to chemotherapy. One of the most successful strategies involves antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), which use monoclonal antibodies to carry treatments directly to cancer cells.

However, ADCs still have drawbacks. Their relatively large size can limit how well they penetrate tumors, and they can only carry a limited amount of drug. These challenges have pushed scientists to explore new ways to deliver therapies more effectively.

Rhode Island comes in 2nd behind Massachusetts among "best states for children's health"

Congratulations to us for a great score

By WalletHub

Keeping children healthy is both essential and costly. Fortunately, about 94% of children ages 0 to 18 have health insurance coverage to protect them when they become ill. However, high coverage rates have not necessarily reduced health care expenses for families. 

On average, workers contribute $6,850 per year toward employer-sponsored family health coverage. While some families receive assistance through Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), many who do not qualify for government support continue to face financial strain especially amid significant inflation.

White House Boasts of Trump’s Plan for Gold-Covered Arch

Just what we need, right?

Brad Reed

On the same day that the US Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that inflation spiked at its fastest monthly rate in four years, the Trump administration unveiled renderings of Donald Trump’s proposed gold-covered 250-foot-tall arch to be built at Memorial Circle in Washington, DC.

The renderings, which were produced by architecture firm Harrison Design and posted on social media by the White House’s rapid response account, show a gigantic arch that would be flanked on its corners by four gold lions and topped by a 60-foot-tall gold statue of what appears to be an angel.

According to a Friday report in The Washington Post, some preservationists have expressed concerns that the arch, which would be more than twice the height of the Lincoln Monument, would disproportionately tower over the DC skyline, and would block views of Arlington National Cemetery.

Barron wants to know

Richmond rise up!

Donald Trump attacks Pope Leo while declaring himself to be the Savior

And then, Trump posted this image - not a joke - of himself:

Looks like Trump is trying to bring Jeffrey Epstein back to life. Trump later deleted this post. In response to the question "Did you post that picture of yourself depicted as Jesus Christ, " Trump said "I did post it and I thought it was me as a doctor and had to do with the Red Cross. Only the fake news could come up with that one." YOU BE THE JUDGE.

Nearly Half a Million in Grants Awarded to Local Farmers, Fishers, and Food Producers

Two went to Charlestown producers

Blue Acres Aquaculture grows and harvests in Quonnie

Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) today announced the 2026 Local Agriculture and Seafood Act (LASA) grantees at Johnson & Wales’s Harborside Campus in Cranston.

Twenty-five LASA grants totaling $450,000 were awarded for projects across RI to support the growth, development, and marketing of local farms, seafood harvesters, and food businesses, strengthening small businesses while enhancing the state’s food security.

In this grant round, the awards were distributed across various categories, including agriculture, aquaculture, seafood or fishery-based projects, and food organizations. The LASA committee conducted a thorough evaluation to ensure funding recommendations were equitable and diverse, promote smart agricultural practices, and support small business development.  The final grantee list reflects the program’s commitment to expanding the scope and diversity of its awardees. Over the last 12 years, LASA has provided $3,111,238 in grants of up to $20,000 with no direct match required.

Parcel of Paradise Farm on Shannock Road
in Charlestown

“The LASA grant program taps into our state’s incredible potential by building on our existing strengths,” said Senate Environment & Agriculture Committee Chairwoman V. Susan Sosnowski (D-Dist. 37, South Kingstown). “These grants enhance food security, boost small businesses and make Rhode Island more sustainable and resilient. They are an investment in our people and our future, and in the agriculture and seafood industries that mean so much to our state. I am grateful to the many supporters and stakeholders who continue to make this program possible.”

“Since its inception, LASA has helped grow a robust, resilient and sustainable local food industry right here in Rhode Island, a mission that becomes more important every year as federal programs that support our local food industry face budgets cuts and continued funding uncertainty on the horizon,” said Representative Teresa A. Tanzi (D-Dist. 34, South Kingstown, Narragansett). “Meanwhile, our local farms, shellfishing, aquaculture, commercial fishing and other food businesses continue to provide us with high quality and nutritious food sustainably produced in our own back yard, thanks in part to support from LASA grants. I am excited to see the continuing success stories of these grant recipients.”

“Today’s LASA awards will help Rhode Island’s farmers, fishers, and food producers expand their operations, improve efficiency, and implement sustainable practices,” said DEM Director Terry Gray. “At a time when federal programs that support local food systems face increasing uncertainty and potential cuts, small business owners face incredible challenges. Continued state investment for LASA is more important than ever to strengthen the resilience and long-term viability of Rhode Island’s local food system and the small businesses that are so vital to our economy.”

LASA 2026 grantees:

Roger Williams Research Program Sets Sights on Ocean State’s Iconic Quahogs

Save our clamcakes!

By Bonnie Phillips / ecoRI News staff

Three wire bins containing roughly 20 quahogs each sit inside a giant tank burbling with rust-colored water in a basement marine laboratory at Roger Williams University.

Although they may look like they aren’t doing anything special besides existing, these quahogs are part of an innovative effort to study and boost the population of the iconic, native hard clam in Narragansett Bay.

Funded through a Partnership for Research Excellence in Sustainable Seafood (PRESS) grant from the University of Rhode Island supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the initiative will help expand hatchery production, strengthen disease monitoring, and accelerate quahog restoration in Rhode Island.

“The aim of this work is to address commercial and recreational harvester concerns about the declining clam population in Narragansett Bay,” said Robert J. Holmberg, RWU assistant professor of marine biology and the Center for Economic and Environmental Development’s (CEED) shellfish aquaculture and hatchery specialist.

“Thanks to the support from this grant, we’re working with the state to provide data on isolated populations and their ability to reproduce, and also what diseases or pathogens they might face in these specific areas,” said Malcolm Bowen, RWU’s aquaculture extension specialist and manager of the university’s marine aquaculture farm.

Here’s what the Constitution says can happen when the president is crazy

Stop him before he kills us all

Kirsten Matoy Carlson, Wayne State University

Bipartisan calls for President Donald Trump’s removal from office increased on April 7, 2026, after he issued threats to destroy “a whole civilization” if Iran refuses to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

These calls have come from across the political spectrum, from Democratic Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico to former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and right-wing pundit Alex Jones. Unlikely allies seem to agree that the president has gone too far and needs to be reined in.

Their concerns have emerged as Iran has walked away from talks to end the war and Trump’s language suggests that he plans to escalate it by destroying the country’s power plants and bridges.

Concerns over Trump’s fitness for office have grown in recent weeks as his commentary has become more erratic.

If lawmakers do attempt to remove Trump from office, here’s what would happen:

25th Amendment

The Constitution’s 25th Amendment provides a way for high-level officials to remove a president from office. It was ratified in 1967 in the wake of the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy – who was succeeded by Lyndon Johnson, who had already had one heart attack – as well as delayed disclosure of health problems experienced by Kennedy’s predecessor, Dwight Eisenhower.

The 25th Amendment provides detailed procedures on what happens if a president resigns, dies in office, has a temporary disability or is no longer fit for office.

It has never been invoked against a president’s will, and has been used only to temporarily transfer power, such as when a president is undergoing a medical procedure requiring anesthesia.

Section 4 of the 25th Amendment authorizes high-level officials – either the vice president and a majority of the Cabinet or another body designated by Congress – to remove a president from office without his consent when he is “unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office.” Congress has yet to designate an alternative body, and scholars disagree over the role, if any, of acting Cabinet officials.

The high-level officials simply send a written declaration to the president pro tempore of the Senate – the longest-serving senator from the majority party – and the speaker of the House of Representatives, stating that the president is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office. The vice president immediately assumes the powers and duties of the president.

Why did Melania hold a news conference denying any relationship with Jeffrey Epstein?

Some theories

Robert Reich

Trump’s rule for “flooding the zone” has been straightforward: Whenever the subject that everyone’s talking about becomes too uncomfortable for him — he changes it.

Too much Jeffrey Epstein? Send federal agents to Minnesota to brutalize American citizens. Too much brutality by federal agents? Fire the head of Department of Homeland Security and start a war with Iran. War goes badly? (Well, we’ll soon find out.)

So, why did Melania Trump hold a news conference? Standing at a lectern in the Grand Foyer of the White House, the first lady labeled as “lies” unspecified allegations linking her to Epstein, and said they “need to end today.”

“The false smears about me from mean-spirited and politically motivated individuals and entities looking to cause damage to my good name to gain financially and climb politically must stop.”

But who’s even been thinking about Melania and her potential relationship with Epstein or Maxwell in the midst of Melania’s husband’s threat to obliterate 90 million Iranians? 

Who cares about Melania and Maxwell when the price of gas is through the roof? Why would anyone be interested in such “unspecified allegations” when Iran still possesses 970 pounds of highly-enriched uranium and now has more motive than ever to turn it into nuclear weapons?

Besides, there hasn’t been the faintest whiff of scandal about the relationship between Melania and Maxwell, let alone Epstein.

Back in January (which seems years ago), the Justice Department released an email Melania sent to Maxwell. But the email got little attention. It was part of millions of pages of correspondence released about the Department’s investigation into the disgraced financier. Also, the correspondence took place in 2002, more than two years before Melania became Trump’s third wife.

A 2002 email from Melania Trump to Ghislaine
Maxwell was released in the Jeffrey Epstein files
on Friday, January 30, 2026. (Justice Department)

There’s not even a smoking gun in her email. Melania merely expressed friendliness toward Maxwell and says she can’t wait to visit her in Palm Beach.

Melania also refers to a “nice story about JE” in New York magazine — presumably the 2002 story in which Donald Trump indicated he knew about his former pal’s penchant for young girls. It was in that story that Trump boasted:

“I’ve known Jeff for 15 years. Terrific guy. He’s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.”

Granted, this quote suggests Trump was on to Epstein’s proclivities and may have even shared them. But the quote is old news. It’s been circulating ever since Trump was first discovered to be cavorting with Epstein.

Why, then, did Melania hold today’s news conference?

I can think of three possible reasons:

ICE babies