38 Studios - who knew and when did they know it?

Hard to Tell Who Knew of 38 Studios Deal

By Bob Plain in RIFuture.org

Rhode Island is hyperfocused on Curt Schilling. But unlike eight years ago when he heroically hurled us to a World Series victory, this time we have to rely on his business – not athletic – acumen. His video game company, 38 Studios, was given a taxpayer guaranteed $75 million loan to move from Massachusetts to the Ocean State. But already he’s missed a $1.125 payment to the state.

It seems as if both liberals and conservatives opposed the deal as it was being rushed through at the tail end of the Carcieri Administration. Colleen Conley, of local Tea Party fame, told me she opposed it and told the governor as much. And certainly Rhode Island progressives didn’t like the idea of providing such a giant corporate welfare check to just one company.

So who supported it, other than the former governor? It’s hard to tell.

Politics of the Absurd

Dan Slattery - king of the
Wild Frontier

Here’s something else for Dan Slattery to worry about. Just after getting himself whipped into a lather in fear of the largely unproven and unscientific health concerns about wind turbines, UMASS scientists announced the successful test of a new tidal turbine electricity generating system in the waters off Martha’s Vineyard. This is another promising alternative energy technology that will almost certainly stir up another batch of hysterical NIMBY opposition. Dan – let’s save some time….why not attach a tidal turbine ban to Ordinance 341 - the first in the nation total ban on wind energy – when you push it through the Town Council on September 12.

The Town’s official publishing of Ordinance 341, the total ban on wind energy in any shape, size and location in Charlestown in the Westerly Sun was pretty amazing to see. We paid for roughly three pages of newspaper space to print the “ordinance.” Those three pages of news print consisted of a couple of paragraphs – and the rest of it was line after line after line of crossed-out language from the existing ordinance. The reason for that is Ordinance 341 is a simple, total ban, while the ordinance it replaced was a moratorium combined with nearly impossible to meet conditions to get a permit for a wind generator.

Unfortunately, you can only see the ordinance as it appeared in the paper if you subscribe to the print edition. The publication of the ordinance is legally required before a public hearing – which comes on September 12. But still, “your tax dollars at work?”