I’m a fan of The George on Washington. Good food and the vibe is the right one for business.

People have been fighting for housing solutions since the 90’s. At least now they are paying attention because it is starting to hurt the “middle class” and losing voters.

What’s next? Shakespeare, kids might be stabbing each other and saying “Et Tu Brute?”

I couldn’t find a job in RI, but I was basically recruited by a Boston company. MA wages make RI livable.

This reminds me of a 100 year old man whom I met on Academy Ave in Providence (around Elmhurst). He told me his father built the house where he lives and that when he was a kid you couldn’t see the next house. When the mail came, especially on winter, they would leave the mail in a mailbox at the beginning of the street. It wouldn’t go home by home because the wheels of the horse carriage would get stuck in the mud. Love this kind of stuff

If I could afford it, this would be it

The comments above explain the situation pretty well. Some people can’t afford the $700 for insurance even when earning enough to cover food and rent. And even then, minimum wage is shit, if it had kept with production it would almost $21 per hour but no, we just need to keep people earning the bare minimum while benefiting off their work.

The cheapest labor is slavery, companies just don’t do it because it is against the law. So they will always pay the minimum possible and then expect that our social services will pick up the slack. Owners pay less percentage tax on their earnings than we do, and we bail them out for their shenanigans in the market. And then buy politicians to make what illegal now, legal soon. Just look at what’s happening with child labor laws. You are angry at the wrong ppl. dude

Pinsit you are a G 😎

Super candid here.

Nothing compares to Mass Health, but beyond Mass Health the medical system in RI is downright odd and disparate. The quality of your care will largely depend on where you go.

I was on Medicaid when I first moved here. Coverage was good, except for mental health. It is mostly because their rates are quite low and many providers don’t accept them but it is the same in MA. Rates are being renegotiates and I believe there is a bill in place to fix this. There is no PT1 for medical appointment transportation, and a few obscure things. You basically need a PHD to navigate their website and complete the application, it is best if you go to a clinics financial counselor and they sign you up. Gov. slashed human services budget for staff last year, so you will have a hard time getting anyone on the phone and the lines are long for their offices. Basically, don’t even try to do it yourself because you will only delay the process. Once you are on, you are good.

Medically, I had a hard time finding good providers or a place that didn’t change my pcp every year. Specialists are few, I’ve had not great experiences with teaching clinics (which were my go-to back in Boston) , I will explain below. Racism is quite a thing in certain locations. I am now in private insurance but I still go to a Providence Health Center (usually used by folks on Medicaid). People are nice and I am not the odd duck.

My best experiences so far: Randall Square Health Center, Thundermist, Women and Infants, and Lifespan

I would stay away from:

Charter Care: lost my medical records 3 times, and accused me of lying about the medications I was on (which I couldn’t prove because they lost my medical records 3 times, my old clinic had signature proof of this) The student was nice and more knowledgeable than the instructor. The instructor was a rude a-hole. I didn’t sue them because I was too sick to withstand it. Their endo should have retired 20 years ago, nice to me but I felt bad of how he treated the intern. Just found another clinic.

Fatima- in my husbands words “that’s where ppl go to die”. I thought he was exaggerating until I saw the ratings https://data.news-leader.com/hospital-compare/our-lady-of-fatima-hospital/410005/

Roger Williams: part of charter care. I heard plenty of bad things from people around me so I’ve stayed away.

Hope this helps

Especially when literal Nazis are the one committing these crimes. Like, literally self declared white supremacists…

You can become a member of red ink! There is also the John Brown group, they provide security to the groups that are being targeted.

This is great. I was at a webinar (put together by BSAS) two days ago that presented some of the research behind this type of therapy. This specific webinar was about how it helped people with Alcohol use disorder. It looks so promising, I hope it passes (doubt it). It might be useful to get some brown researchers involved and emphasize the controlled nature of the Therapy because the usual ignorant suspects with a 50 year old medical degree that never updated themselves will be against it (yup, I’m bitter about this man). Best of luck!

I think I just said this in another thread. Drove up to the temple of music. It was COVID times so we couldn’t really do much, did a gondola ride after (outdoors). The only ppl present was officiant, partner’s parents and two sisters, our witnesses, and a cousin (and whole lot of ppl on zoom, we held the phone on a tripod). We still have the money we saved in an account and waiting for the right time to buy a house. AND we have gorgeous photos. No regrets ❤️

I got married at the Temple of Music at Roger Williams park. Someone asked how I got the permit, lol. I didn’t. It was just 10 of us and it took less than 20 mins. The pictures are amazing.

You can make as many reports as you want about unsafe conditions but they never come to inspect because the Health department is purposely underfunded. The only people who think the laws favor the tenant are landlords.

RI is a tragic comedy.

It’s easier to avoid them when they identify themselves

Seconding this post. The medical care and services I saw in MA pale in comparison to RI. Housing might be an issue in MA, since it is significantly more expensive. However, the Human Services office is actually funded and if you move first (and have people to give you housing) you may not have to wait too long. There is also the independent living center, they are amazing.

This feels right out of a western movie, holding up the train to take the mail (and any money in it)

I don’t think they are clueless, I think they know exactly what they are doing and for whose benefit

Oh, and the Latin America part is because I am from Latin America and was having this conversation with other people from Latin America. It is waaaayyyy too familiar

It’s the two thirds world (I don’t like “developing countries”) but I don’t know if people reading will get it, and don’t know an international terms for countries ransacked by colonial powers. This is the one hill I don’t die on.

And she is incredibly gracious, a wonderful human overall

If you are a foreigner, be ready for the culture shock. If you come from an EU country, be ready to lose a lot of benefits you may take for granted. If you come from a non-industrialized country, it is going to get a lot better. Just a few things: -Most countries industrialized are doing better than US in maternal and child mortality rates and in health care/life expectancy. -Workers rights are usually worse than many countries -Corruption depends on the state, for RI we are talking third world county levels. Which could be good for you if you have the money to buy your way around. Just avoid the feds -Getting a green card it is hard, your options are: Student visa (temp) and most employers will be reluctant to sponsor you once you are here unless you have a niche. Work visa, again it has to be for something in high demand. Fiancé visa. Or buy a shit ton of property. -It is definitely a fun state especially if you come from Latin America.

If you are unemployed or don’t make much money you likely qualify for Medicaid. And honestly, except for the mental health providers that don’t take it, it was the best health plan I’ve ever had. HHS in RI is a fucking shit show, and the application is hell, so I would just make an appointment with the financial people at a Providence Health center or similar place to sign you up.

And also, $700 is a lot of money, but it is very little compared to an emergency room visit or even a months worth of some medications. Right now I would have to pay $600/month if I was to pay for my own plan. The penalty is still less than buying insurance.