Crazytimes at the State House last night, relative to a bill that’d mean a tax decrease for about 85% of Rhode Islanders, and shift us away from regressive municipal property taxes, and towards progressive state-wide income and capital gains taxes.

PROVIDENCE –– The advocates flooded the State House hallways, staircases and committee rooms yesterday, fighting on the same afternoon for competing priorities as lawmakers decide how to close the largest state budget deficit in nearly two decades.

The army of protesters included poor children, business leaders, advocates for the homeless and taxpayer groups. At one point there were three rallies running simultaneously and two groups jockeyed for use of the microphone and podium in the State House rotunda.

Question, though, for the gazillionth time, to all of those who claim that RI’s expenditures are out of whack: Why can’t we acknowledge this? Or, in other words, WHY IS EVERYBODY ALWAYS LYING ABOUT RI’S RELATIVE FISCAL POSITION?

But if you can stay awake long enough, you’ll reach RIPEC’s Table 10, which measures the Big Three taxes, as well as other money that governments collect from citizens, like car registrations and beach fees.

In these terms, Rhode Island is 26th from the top, as a ratio of personal income.

Also, holy freaking crap:

Later, Carcieri dismissed Mr. Anderson’s concerns.

“Show me empirical evidence that Head Start has done anything,” he said. “I think it’s been the biggest waste of money, frankly.”

One of the Head Start protesters, however, said he’d have to leave his construction job if Head Start didn’t care for his 4-year-old son every day from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

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