Greg Gerritt July 12 2019

Ever since CNBC released its report that labeled Rhode Island 50^th of the 50 states for its business climate we have been inundated with woe is Rhode Island opinion pieces. We are told a good business climate directly leads to an increase in the economic growth rate (growth in GDP) of you community or state.  If it was actually true that having a good business climate improved your growth rate, and a bad business climate reduced your growth rate the numbers would demonstrate it and we would all have seen them.   But no one has ever demonstrated a valid statistical correlation between a business climate ranking and an economic growth rate. And with no correlation it is fantasy to claim causation.  And yet the rich and politicians persist and the media joins in the lies.  Rhode Island would be better served to ignore the paid shills who perpetuate this lie. 

. 

To the Editor, 

Each day we see new news of climate disasters and more evidence or runaway carbon emissions.  If you people are to have viable futures, we need to move towards zero polluting emissions as soon as possible.  The first thing to do is stop building any new fossil fuel facilities, no more power plants like the proposed fracked gas monstrosity in Burrillville.  The second thing to do is move rapidly to a transition to clean energy that emphasizes creating jobs in those places most affected by climate change and those most dependent upon the fossil fuel economy.  There are many details and ways to describe them, but how it is known best is the Green New Deal.  The solar and wind will power us, and the new jobs will replace those that are obsolete and destroying the planet. 

Greg Gerritt