Sunday letters: Truckers and highways; a murderer in Warwick

Truckers need their voice heard, too

The trucking industry’s new tagline is “Nothing Without Trucks.” Some of Rhode Island’s leaders would be wise to take stock in these three words.

The sudden and unexpected closure of the westbound span of the Washington Bridge affected all of us – the travelling public, local small businesses – especially those in areas of Providence, East Providence and the East Bay – and yes, trucking. You haven’t heard much from trucking as our industry − the fuel haulers, the milk haulers, the food haulers and the medicine haulers – have been too busy negotiating time delays, route adjustments and overall capacity challenges brought on by the westbound closure.

The supply chain crisis will soon escalate to new heights when the new six lane configuration reduces truck lane width to a near unmanageable 11 feet and forces legally-permitted oversized and overweight vehicles off the interstate and onto secondary roads.

Fortunately, the Rhode Island Trucking Association and RIDOT are in daily contact to ensure that our industry is fully informed and fully heard on this issue. We thank them for their professionalism.

Unfortunately, some municipalities are taking a hammer to trucking rather than engaging with industry stakeholders to discuss strategies and outcomes beneficial to all. The next 2 to 3 years will, no doubt, be painful, as Rhode Islanders weather the Washington Bridge crisis. It will not be easy, but it will be much easier, much safer and much less painful to all if we talk, band together, and come up with logical solutions.

Our industry’s professional drivers have no more of a desire to be in places and predicaments not of their choosing than any of us, but we’ve all been dealt a hand. Pointing fingers, creating laws and vilifying innocent parties will only serve to create impasses much greater than a decaying old bridge could ever create. Let’s talk….

Remember – “Nothing Without Trucks.”

Chris Maxwell, president and CEO, Rhode Island Trucking Association

Murderers living among us

It's unbelievable!  Living quietly in Warwick was a man convicted of two murders.  Yet our city's residents were unaware until he committed an assault and robbery on March 20 ("North Providence robbery suspect killed Boston officer," News, March 22).

How in God's name is a man convicted of manslaughter released after serving only six years in prison?  Then, only a year after his release from that killing, he murdered a Boston police officer.  He served only 15 years on that charge before being released to commit further crimes − to include the assault and robbery here in Rhode Island.

Only 21 years in prison for killing two people, including a police officer? Our system of justice (or injustice) is terribly broken when something like this can happen.  And, of course, it's normal, law-abiding citizens who suffer the consequences, such as the woman who was assaulted and robbed in Rhode Island.

Although I'll never vote for him, it's no wonder so many people support Donald Trump for president.  He is seen as far tougher on criminals than the leftist Democrats who have run our justice system for so many years.

Lonnie Barham, Warwick

House bill will hurt neighborhoods

On March 7 the R.I. House Committee on Government and Municipalities conducted a hearing on House Bill H7382, changing the state definition of household from a maximum of no less than three unrelated persons, to one per bedroom with a limit of five.

Put forth under the guise of affordable housing, this bill is aimed at assisting seasonal and short-term rental landlords in Narragansett. All present who spoke at the March 7 hearing, whether for or against, were from Narragansett.

Narragansett finally has a Town Council that puts resident interests ahead of investor interests, and has adopted a series of ordinances that combat the combined effects of academic, seasonal and short-term rentals (STRs). Narragansett has 21 percent of all STRs in Rhode Island and 56 percent of Narragansett homes are rental properties. Local control of zoning is critical to curbing Narragansett’s steady loss of families over the last decade. It’s the only R.I. town, and likely the only oceanfront town anywhere, to have a shrinking population.

H7382 is a direct attack on Narragansett that will not add affordable housing. It is a guise to feed investor greed. While aimed at Narragansett, it has the potential to enable any home in Rhode Island to become a rooming house. It’s the first time I’ve seen the state gang up on a town to protect investor interests.

As a lifelong Rhode Islander, I’ve always been proud of the delegations we send to Washington. Unfortunately, the State House appears to be living up to its long-standing reputation as a good old boy network.

Harold Schofield, Narragansett

Committing to peace

The Democratic presidential primary is April 2.

Option 1, Joe Biden, who has spent months defending Israel’s genocide in Gaza and handing them bombs to commit it.

Option 2, Dean Phillips, who remains on the ballot, but has dropped out and endorsed Biden.

Option 3, “uncommitted,” an opportunity to influence the president of the United States to defend human rights.

Following Oct. 7, when Hamas killed 1,200 Israelis and took 240 hostage, Israel has massacred over 30,000 Palestinians and injured 70,000 − a majority of whom are women and children.

Israel believes we’ll have their back no matter what. After all, we give them billions annually. The complacency of our federal delegation is disturbing. Senators Whitehouse and Reed, and Representatives Magaziner and Amo have all refused to call for a permanent ceasefire.

President Biden is focused on his reelection. To pressure him to stop supporting the war, we need to flex our electoral muscle. From Michigan to Washington to Hawaii, hundreds of thousands have voted to send this message. It’s working. Biden’s team is repeatedly facing questions about the “uncommitted” movement. He’s increasingly anxious about reelection because of how he’s handling the war.

We know who the Democratic nominee will be. But with this primary, we can tell the president how we feel: uncommitted.

Uncommitted to a future where the United States backs genocide and to a Democratic Party that can’t stand up to bigots and fascists like Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump.

Committed to justice, freedom, and equality, to peace and security for all people, where no child − American, Palestinian, or Israeli − is left out of our vision for a better world.

Voting “uncommitted” is your best tool to share this vision with our president. Join us, vote uncommitted, and together we can have a future that is safe for all of our children.

Miguel A. Sanchez is a Providence City Councilor representing Ward 6. Joel Reinstein lives in Providence.

Democrats have deserted the middle class

Who is responsible for Trump? I have the answer! The Democratic Party.

We all continue to lament the passing of the Kennedy Democratic Party, but for some reason the party continues to elect some very left thinking, socialist-leaning candidates. Where is the party of my youth? America loving, law abiding, hard working. Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country Democrat?

The Democratic Party continues to give Donald Trump more and more ammunition. It has deserted the middle class who now turn to Trump who tells them everything they need to hear. Getting tough on crime, stop spending middle class taxes on a failing education system, stop the insanity at the southern border, and on and on. Stop being the party of let me pay your college loan, day care, so you’ll vote for me. Stop regurgitating that abortion is the most important issue.

If you really want to stop Trump then start really caring about our country and stop saying that Make America Great Again is a dirty idea.

Kate Greene, Exeter

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Sunday letters: Truckers and highways; a murderer in Warwick