Democrats control the house, and as I write this the circling rumors have senate control likely (though not certain; there are recounts, worries about what Lieberman might do, etc.) Hopefully their period in opposition will have left the Democrats hungry and they'll push an aggressive program. They need to get some results, as the economy is likely to run into trouble at some point over the next couple of years.
In local news, tax and spend liberalism is almost entirely triumphant in Rhode Island. A new casino will not be built (I opposed it mostly because tax revenues for the casino were to be earmarked exclusively for property tax relief; if the state were to get more revenues, there'd be plenty of other good things to spend them on). Affordable housing, education, parks (with one exception), and transportation (sadly mostly roads, but some money for rail and buses) all passed on ballot initiatives. I was surprised that affordable housing passed by such a solid margin, about two to one; perhaps they should have proposed an even more ambitious housing plan. Anyway, I voted for lots of causes that won, which always helps make one feel a little better about the process. To those who voted for losing causes, I guess I can report that victory is possible; try again next time, and don't give up hope.
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