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Rhode Island has become the State of Toos. Too many taxes, too many fees, too many speed cameras, and not enough opportunity.
Let me be clear: Public safety matters, and speed cameras have a place in active school zones during arrival and dismissal times. But they should never become a revenue stream for government. When cameras operate from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., many Rhode Islanders understandably wonder whether they are protecting children or simply becoming a new government ATM.
Groceries, electricity, property taxes, and so many other bills continue to rise. Rhode Islanders can only take so much. That does not make us bad people. It makes us taxpayers. It makes us the people working two jobs and still ending up in debt. It makes us parents trying to provide for our families, seniors trying to stay in their homes, and young adults wondering if they will ever be able to afford a place of their own because they simply do not see another option.
I heard it recently at Ed’s Roost Restaurant. Someone looked at me and said, “Aaron, I don’t know how much more people can take.” It was not anger. It was exhaustion. People are doing everything right and still struggling to get ahead.
I come from a working family. My father is a retired union plumber. My mother is a retired respiratory therapist. My wife and I are raising three daughters in Rhode Island, and like so many parents, we worry about the future we are leaving for our children and whether they will have the same opportunities we had growing up.
At the same time, the new Speaker of the House and the General Assembly have passed another record budget. Rhode Island’s budget grew by nearly $900 million in just one year and now exceeds $15 billion. Meanwhile, many cities and towns are raising property taxes on hardworking families trying to make ends meet. We are told the budget is balanced at the state level, but Rhode Islanders know what often happens next. The costs do not disappear. They get pushed down to cities and towns, and taxpayers end up paying the price.
Lawmakers have also approved a millionaire’s tax that will be phased in over time. This is not about politics anymore. It is about basic math and basic public policy. If you make it more expensive to live here, families struggle. If you make it more expensive to do business here, businesses leave or decide not to come in the first place.
People talk about net migration, and that is important. But I have a different question. What companies are we recruiting to Rhode Island, and what is our plan to replace Hasbro? If we continue down this path, companies will choose to invest somewhere else because they have options. We are approaching a tipping point.
Adding to the frustration is the creation of an inspector general structure that cannot fully examine the legislative branch itself. Accountability should apply to everyone, including the very people who write the laws and pass the budget.
At 6 foot 7 and as a former college basketball player, I learned that the best teams listen. Most politicians are very good at telling you what is wrong. Fewer are willing to offer solutions.
I will be the governor who listens, and this is how.
Rhode Island Works Smarter starts with a simple idea: Listen to the people doing the work. Through a 24/7, 365 anonymous employee idea portal, public employees can identify waste and improve government. Verified savings will be shared with the employees who generated them, and the remaining savings will be used to lower taxes and fees.
Rhode Island families look for savings every single day. Small businesses look for savings. Cities and towns look for savings. Government should do the same.
Find waste, fix it, reward workers, and lower taxes.
Rhode Island does not have a people problem. We have a systems problem, and together we can fix it. The State of Toos cannot continue because Rhode Islanders deserve better.
It is time for a giant voice for common sense. It is time for a governor who listens. And it is time for Rhode Island to work smarter.
Aaron Guckian is a Republican candidate for governor of Rhode Island. He most recently served as executive director of the Rhode Island Dental Association and previously served in the administration of Gov. Donald L. Carcieri and as chairperson of the Warwick Sewer Authority. He and his wife are raising their three daughters in East Greenwich.
