Center Opposes Tax Increases Proposed by Progressive and Union Groups

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Providence, RI – Already hemorrhaging people and wealth because of its existing harsh business climate, Rhode Islanders cannot afford additional taxes of any kind to try to plug massive projected budget deficits. As the state’s premiere advocacy organization for pro-growth economic policies, the RI Center for Freedom & Prosperity today launched a counter-campaign to the government-union led effort to raise taxes in the state. 

The campaign, #RaiseSailsNotTaxes, reminds lawmakers that raising taxes during an economic crisis will lead to even more job losses, more business closings, more out-migration, a slower and longer economic recovery … and more poverty. 

Conversely, Rhode Islanders can look to a more prosperous future if lawmakers instead take the wiser path of reducing spending, as most families and businesses have been forced to do due to the government-mandated shuttering of our economy. 

Only with more and better jobs created by more and better companies can more Ocean Staters can enjoy a better quality of life, perhaps even able to own a sail-boat. Rhode Islanders can learn more about the benefits of a free-market economy and can take action at the website: www.RaiseSailsNotTaxes.com . 

With the worst business climate in America, pre-pandemic Rhode Island was already suffering a chronic relative loss of population, below average jobs recovery, and stagnant economic growth due to excessively high taxes and regulations. Our state is now among the hardest-hit states when it comes to unemployment and GDP loss, post-pandemic. 

“How tone-deaf can the political class be? We have been crushed by this pandemic in so many ways, and now they want to stomp government’s boot even harder upon our backs,” questioned Mike Stenhouse, the Center’s CEO. “It’s time for government to live within its means, just like we all had to.” 

Facing a near-billion dollar revenue shortfall for 2020 and 2021, government unions along with left-wing advocacy groups and progressive lawmakers, have put forth a bevy of proposals to increase debt and to impose new or higher taxes and fees on a dizzying array of products and services, including: 

• The re-imposition of sales taxes on wine and liquor 
• A carbon tax that would raise the price of gasoline, home heating fuel, and propane products 
• A TCI Gas Tax that would add a further 17-24 cents per gallon 
• Close to one BILLION dollars in new bonded debt, that will force general tax hikes upon all of us today, and also upon our children and grandchildren in the future 
• A new tax on high-income earners, which will reduce business investment and drive more people out of our state 
• A halt to the car-tax phase-out 
• New taxes on deliveries 
• Increased building and permit fees 
• New taxes on hunting, fishing, and recreational shooting

Two of the Center’s coalition partners, The Gaspee Project and the Gaspee Business Network are offering action items for lawmakers and voters. Gaspee is tracking all 2020 General Assembly and federal candidates who promise not to support tax hikes by taking the Taxpayer PROTECTION Pledge. GBN is hosting the Taxpayer ELECTION Pledge, where voters promise to support candidates who oppose tax increases. All citizens are encouraged to take the pledge. 

“Political leaders have made no signal that they are preparing to face reality, instead they hope and pray that the federal government will bail them out. Worse, unless citizens and employers step up and take action … in addition to tax and fee increases, these politicians, unbelievably, are suggesting massive new bonds to keep status quo spending levels and to fund special new projects that will dive our state into even deeper debt,” warned Stenhouse. 

If your association, chamber, or business group would like to be listed as a coalition partner, please send an email from your org’s email address to: info@rifreedom.org or call 401-429-6115.

Lisa Camuso, her attorney and her union representative, made mincemeat of the incompetent RI Department of Health senior staff who called a meeting in mid-July 2020 to discipline Camuso, a legally-protected government whistleblower. 

Yet, unbelievably, as a result of our Center’s In The Dugout video interview between CEO Mike Stenhouse and RI Department of Health Whistleblower, Lisa Camuso … instead of the conducting more investigations into alleged abuses and neglect at RI nursing homes, the RI Department of Health has decided to retaliate against Lisa, whose was trying to do right by raising awareness about this horrid situation at senior care facilities, where about 80% of all China-virus related deaths in our state emanated out of congregate living centers.

On Friday, July 17, Lisa Camuso was placed on “administrative leave” following a sham disciplinary meeting with senior DOH staff and the RI Attorney General’s Office … to review bogus allegations made against Ms. Camuso in a seven-page letter sent to her earlier in the week.

This is the 2nd time Ms. Camuso has been placed on leave. The first time, following her “whistleblower” lawsuit filed against the state and the DOH in 2017 and that is still ongoing. 

Read the 7-page Pre-Disciplinary Letter. here

The full audio recording of that meeting can be heard above. Below is a summary of Mike Stenhouse’s views on the highlights of the meeting along with timestamps for you to follow along with the audio recording. 

The most powerful highlight of the meeting occurred at the very end, at the 25:15 mark, when Lisa Camuso stated (paraphrased): “I work with the public … I am not allowed to do the job I love … do what you’ve got to do – I’m not going away … if I had any trust, I would have come to you but you’ve shown me you all have zero integrity … you’re willing let people die … truth is coming … families will find out … you’re disgusting letting people die!” 

At the beginning of the audio,  and as a smart way to protect herself from false accusations, Ms. Camuso states that she will record the meeting and will make everything said – public. 

She next inquires why a DOH senior executive, who has nothing to do with the events leading up to the meeting, and who also happens to be a defendant in her whistleblower lawsuit was copied on the July 14 letter and the notice for the July 17 meeting. No one in the meeting can give her a straight answer so Lisa concludes that it was cruely done merely so the executive could celebrate the pending retaliation against her.

Why was the State Office of the Attorney General on the call? Was to intimate Ms. Camuso? 

At the 6:30 mark, the DOH staffer leading the meeting claims she had no knowledge of Ms. Camuso’s pending lawsuit. Either this is completely dishonest or these people are completely ignorant. 

At the 8:30 mark, Ms. Camuso’s lawyer clearly states that the DOH has provided no proof of misuse of state resources, as claimed in the letter; nor does it provide any substantiation of the claim that Lisa misused her time on the job. 

Camuso’s lawyer then strongly countered the letter’s third claim of “Breach of Confidentiality”, noting that Lisa removed all personal information before sending images of the abuse and neglect claims discussed on the In The Dugout interview. The lawyer went on to say that general information about complaints made to the DOH are valid to publicize under a whistleblower action, per RI state law 28-50-3. “Nobody can prove information is confidential”, by citing any statute or rule, argued the lawyer, further stating that these complaints should become public knowledge. Ms. Camuso stated she did nothing in violation of HIPPA. The senior staff in the meeting could not cite anything to substantiate their claim of ‘confidential’ information. 

Regarding allegations by Ms. Camuso of a systematic backlog of uninvestigated complaints and a DOH cover-up – Ms. Camuso’s lawyer argued that a good public servant, in trying to do the right thing and let the public know, should do so “all day long”; that Lisa was not trying to be malicious in raising awareness … but instead was trying to do the right thing by the public

Regarding Lisa’s claims on her In The Dugout interview that positively tested patients were roomed with other non-positive patents, along with other claims of neglect during the interview, are the “absolute right” of a whistleblower to make public matters of public concern. 

At the 13:52 mark, discussions about lack of appropriate DOH investigations begins. 

At the 14:05 mark, Ms. Camuso passionately states that “People are Dying”; that based on her years of experience fielding complaints at the DOH, it should be the practice that serious cases of complaint that are properly triaged … would be flagged for priority investigation. Ms. Camuso boldly stated that in reality, by not conducting this kind or triage, it may be the RI DOH itself that may not be complying with federal Center for Medicare/Medicaid Services (CMS) rules and regulations per the CMS manual, itself. 

OUT OF TOUCH AND INCOMPETENT. Next, comes one of the most amazing examples of incompetence by an out of touch staff. In a prior meeting with Ms Camuso, in the letter, and in the July 17 meeting the issue arose about the use of the official RI DOH “emblem”, or logo, was raised. Utterly confused about how the Center’s use of RI DOH logo the In The Dugout interview with Mike Stenhouse, the DOH staff could think of no other explanation other than that Ms. Camuso improperly stole and then used them when she must have personally created the Power Point slides used during the interview. Said one person in the July 17 meeting, “any fool” can get the RI DOH emblem (off their website) and copy and paste the image in into the Power Point that Stenhouse’s staff created. I agree, but I  object that I or my staff are just “any fool” … LOL.

Next, Camuso’s team blew away DOH claims that Lisa did not follow proper whistleblower procedures, when in reality Lisa could prove she did. Lisa proved that on May 15, she followed whistleblower procedures and directly contacted the Department of Justice regarding a lack of PPE and positive-testing residents being roomed with others, despite the Governor public claims to the contrary … when she produced in the meeting a  phone bill documenting 16-minute call with DOJ, as is prescribed by RI General Laws 28-50-3. I am “disgusted with the State,” exclaimed Camuso.  

Cited publicization of a complaint that was not on the Dugout interview. 

At the 18:15 mark, Ms. Camuso flipped the script on the DOH. “Talk about violating privacy,” she said, claiming that in the DOH seven page letter to her more personal information was put forward than what Lisa revealed in her interview with Mike Stenhouse. The letter, which had been widely circulated, then made public by our own Center, makes public far more private information than did the In The Dugout interview. 

Next the question arose about whether Ms. Camuso conducted ethics and integrity violation of a related Governor’s Executive Order (#15-01). Lisa’ lawyer countered that just because she is a state employee does not mean that Ms. Camuso does still not retain her 1st-Amendment right to speak out generally against their government, especially when it comes to the well-being of our most vulnerable senior citizens … and especially when there is proof and increasing public discussion about why 80% of Rhode Island’s coronavirus related deaths have come from nursing home and other senior care facilities.

The lawyer went on to say the first line of defense for nursing home residents are their family members. These are their natural advocates, their family, who were not allowed access to see their beloved parents because of the shutdowns, even sometimes not allowed phone calls. Without Lisa, who is boldly stepping forward, who else is there who was going to speak for on the behalf of these vulnerable seniors?

Ms. Camuso then discussed recrimination to past employees who attempted to support her in the workplace during the period when she filed her lawsuit. Lisa protected her current “good supervisor” by keeping her out of this process because, as she recalled, years ago how the state reprimanded and retaliated against her past supervisor who supported her after her lawsuit.

The lawyer astutely asserted that the DOH’s actions against Lisa are “costing you what little credibility you have with respect to nursing homes”.

A the 24:10 Lisa began her final comments, stating that there have been “crimes committed” and “Dr. Scott (and others) is involved in the cover-up”

Then came Lisa’s final, passionate plea … described at the beginning of this review.

The meeting ended with Lisa Camuso being put on administrative leave. Lisa Camuso commented that at least this time there were no police present to escort her out of the office like they did years ago.