As soon as news broke of financial troubles at former Red Sox ace Curt Schilling's 38 Studios video game company, observers began comparing the firm to Solyndra. Former GOP gubernatorial candidate John Robitaille made the analogy just yesterday in an interview with WPRI-TV.

On the surface, the comparison makes some sense: the Obama Administration invested in Solyndra, the solar energy firm, only to watch it go bust - prompting questions about government picking winners and losers in the private sector.

Governor Don Carcieri has joined Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, a likely 2012 presidential candidate, in a legal challenge to the cost of President Obama's health care law. This marks Carcieri's second major foray into national health reform politics - readers will recall that, in May, he pressed Attorney General Patrick Lynch to join in a 20-state lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the reform

Governor Carcieri's final State of the State address was a speech for its time and place. And a real reflection, witting and unwitting, on the man who gave it and his tenure in office.

Carcieri came into office as a strong communicator with real potential. And there were flashes of that early promise last night. There was an appealing plain-spokenness and talk of the accomplishments that will endure: holding the line on state taxes (even as local taxes climb), cutting the size of state government, real progress on an offshore wind farm.

A month after crowding the State House lawn with a tax-day rally, of surprising size, against wasteful government spending, the organizers of the so-called "Tea Party" are back at it again.

In an e-mail to supporters titled "Save the Date to Save Our State," Tea Party coordinator Colleen Conley is calling on backers to turn out at the State House June 10 to push for pension reform and cost-cutting measures championed by Republican Governor Donald Carcieri.

Over at Anchor, Don gets the broad strokes right in this post:

As someone who has led corporate turnarounds for nearly 20 years and has read extensively on what it takes to lead successful change initiatives, it is appalling how little progress has been made to effect real change in the face of the current crisis here in RI.

UPDATE: The gov's office says the appearance is being rescheduled by the program, with no further immediate details.

From the gov's office:

Governor Donald L. Carcieri will be taping a brief interview tomorrow with Bill O’Reilly of Fox network’s O’Reilly Factor, for broadcast later that evening.

This from a release touting URI economist Leonard Lardaro's latest tracking data:

The year 2008 continues to be a nightmare for Rhode Island’s economy. The Index remains at 8 for March, pointing to a second and deeper recession phase. Fifty is a neutral value—anything below that represents contraction, while anything above it represents expansion.

It's not surprising that the latest state revenue estimates have come in lower than previously expected, but this hardly makes it easier to contend with the situation. Here's the heart of Steve Peoples's report today:

Until yesterday, Governor Carcieri had officially anticipated a budget deficit of $384 million for the fiscal year that begins in July.

We're at a point where Governor Carcieri, legislative leaders, and A.T. Wall, director of the state Department of Corrections, basically agree on the need to expand treatment options for non-violent criminal offenders. Doing so is smart policy and more cost-effective than keeping such criminals warehoused at the ACI.

From Rhode Island College:

The survey was conducted between April 17-28, 2008 and sampled 400 randomly selected registered voters for a 4.5 percent margin of error. The sample was drawn reflecting voter contribution by geographic region in recent statewide elections.

Gov. Donald Carcieri submitted several cost cutting proposals, which the House of Representatives responded to last week.

Labor activist Patrick Crowley, who's been on the warpath lately against Governor Carcieri (Pat, we suspect, would say it's the other way around), sends word of this rally:

Community Activists, Organized Labor and Religious Leaders Will Join In Calling On State Leaders To Promote Economic Justice For All Rhode Islanders

Darrell West, who came to Rhode Island in 1982 and is departing in June for a job at the Brookings Institution, also stopped by the Newsmakers' set today. Like journalists, West has had a rich vein of fodder here, and he says the Ocean State will stay with him after he moves to DC.

Among the highlights of his exit interview:

Last week, when I took part in a taping of A Lively Experiment, Ron St. Pierre asked whether it was wrong for state lawmakers to take a spring break with the state facing such dire fiscal problems. Lou Pulner offered the best response, describing how the traditional last-minute passage of a cascade of legislation poses a greater concern.

Steve Peoples elaborates today on the pension and tax proposal discussed by state Senator Stephen Alves during his appearance last weekend on 10 News Conference, while also describing the sharp reaction. And while it's understandable that George Nee, for example, wants to be a part of this conversation sooner rather than later, the pushback (which was keenly anticipated by Jim Taricani during Sunday's show) underlies the difficulty of delivering change in Rhode Island.

As we know, Jack Reed's mantra is that he is running for reelection and not about to take a Cabinet post in a Democratic administration.

On a related note, two General Assembly Democrats have filed legislation that would change the process for filling a US Senate vacancy.

STATE HOUSE – Rep. David Segal and Sen. Paul V.