The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly…

Opinion

The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly…

The Good

Free Breakfast, Free Lunch for all Providence students

While free for everyone, without need, is often unaffordable, technically challenging, and sadly, unappreciated, we agree that this constant debate is wearing and further dividing the haves and have-nots. With the program being optional, parents who want to feed their own children are still able to do that, sending in lunch, providing their own hot breakfast. With the divider of financial need removed, we say this is good, let’s do it, and revisit it in a year or so. Other school systems can watch this develop and decide what to do for their students. Eat up!

The Bad

Car Registrations

If you have a problem with your car registration, the RIDMV isn’t going to tell you about it. Owing taxes by being late, can result in a revoking of your car’s registration. Even a little late. Cars are towed every day in RI for this “paperwork” problem. Problem is, if this might be an issue for you, you won’t know about it from the registry as they will no longer send you notification. Take a moment today and check it out. The house of cards that results if you have a problem is time off from work to do the city hall – DMV shuffle, etc., is only one more way the state is settling its money problems on the backs of its citizens. Interesting that one city hall employee told a person experiencing this – call the Governor – this RIDMV move is new and 100% her decision, and she won’t listen to reason, and how it is playing out on city and town administrations, and their residents.

RIDMV

While the registration notification may not have been their call (?), the idea of charging $15 is rubbing salt into our wounds. Stop it.

The Ugly

Behavior

Our own. Others. First Amendment. Civil Disobedience. Community Advocacy. All gone awry. The right to say anything; lack of respect and decorum; adult bullying; parents’ behavior at sporting events, kids’ behavior at sporting events, advocacy groups shouting and interrupting in the name of their right to protest. We are a yelling, belittling, bullying, rude society these days. Social media maybe unleashed this anything-goes mentality, but we wonder where it will lead. Not only is the cost a high one for our own mental and physical health, but we see more and more people retreating from it all. For those community advocacy groups, they might want to consider that their bad behavior, and nasty words lose the message on those they really want to reach. People are more and more turned off by it all. Take a look at Ellen DeGeneres message where she says, “When I say, ‘be kind to one another’ (her last words on every daily show), I mean everybody – regardless if you have differences with them.” Or, just re-read the Golden Rule.