Media Event: Report Cards passed out today at Statehouse

MEDIA EVENT

WHAT:    State Report Cards Handed Out

WHEN:    Thursday, February 16, 3pm-4pm

WHERE:  RI Statehouse Rotunda

Providence, RI — Legislators, staffers, and passers-by will have their competitiveness report cards handed out to them this afternoon at the Statehouse, but it is doubtful that many will want to take them home, as the Ocean State has graded 28 Fs, 11 Ds, 9 Cs, and just 1 A.

The Rhode Island Center for Freedom and Prosperity, which released the Report Card on Rhode Island Competitiveness on Tuesday, will be at the Capitol from 3pm-4pm this afternoon (Thursday) handing out hard-copies. The media is invited to attend to talk to citizens as they receive their report cards, or to ask questions of the Center’s CEO, Mike Stenhouse. The public is also welcome to attend and receive a copy.

 “This dismal report card represents a general failure, both on behalf of legislators who have allowed our tax and regulatory structure to become so utterly non-competitive with our neighboring states, and on behalf of voters who have been asleep at the switch”, said Stenhouse. “There has been a very strong response to the report card from citizens, advocacy groups, and even from the RI-GOP, which chose to include our report card at their recent press conference as evidence of the decrepit state our economy. I think it will be interesting to see how some of our citizens react.”

The complete report card, with data sources and notes, can be downloaded from the Center’s website at http://www.rifreedom.org/2012/02/rhody-fails-report-card/  .

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The Rhode Island Center for Freedom and Prosperity is the state’s leading free-enterprise public policy think tank. Non-partisan, yet firm in its belief that freedom is indispensable to citizens’ well-being and prosperity, the Center for Freedom’s mission is to restore competitiveness to Rhode Island through the advancement of market-based reform solutions.

The Report Card was reviewed and edited by nationally renowned economist, Scott Moody, who will not be on hand at today’s event.