ARE YOU MORE than a little disgusted with the way things are going in Rhode Island? Things like:

• High taxes that burden homeowners and business owners.

• Poor government services (public schools, bridges, etc.).

• An economic climate that sends young, educated, productive people fleeing to other states.

• A government workforce whose political tentacles control the General Assembly.

If you think you’re alone in these views and that nothing can be done to fix our great little state, it’s time to think again. I have proof, from a scientific poll, that a large majority of Rhode Island voters are fed up with the current situation and ready to make a real change.

The time is now for the voters of Rhode Island to take back control of their state legislature. For too many years, single-party rule in the General Assembly has led to chronic overspending, poor legislating and a basic inattention to the needs of the majority of Rhode Islanders.

Rhode Island is in a political funk. Election after election, the same group of legislators is swept into power while the population squirms as the economic consequences of the legislature’s poor lawmaking become more and more apparent. While our state swims in red ink, our legislature spends its time debating dubious legislation such as the “ultimate fighting” bill or wiping the slate clean for convicted criminals. These bills are proof that special interests control how our legislature governs.

A statewide poll of registered voters commissioned by the Moderate Party of Rhode Island shows that:

• Over 90 percent think that things in Rhode Island have gotten seriously off track.

• Better than 75 percent think that both Democrats and Republicans are doing a poor or fair job of helping to solve the state’s problems.

• Over 80 percent think that the General Assembly is doing a poor or fair job at helping to solve the state’s problems.

• 69 percent think that spending is too high, as compared with 14 percent who think that our budget problems should be solved by raising taxes.

• 78 percent think that neither major political party represents their views on the way that state government should be run.

Recent history shows that the state’s Republican Party has not had a successful message that resonates with voters. This has contributed greatly to the state’s problems brought on by a lack of balance in the legislature. The Democratic supermajority does not need to moderate its positions or reach compromise with an opposition party.

Almost half of all legislative seats go uncontested! A sitting legislator would govern better right now if a viable candidate announced his or her intention to run for that legislator’s seat.

We believe that Rhode Island voters are ready for a new alternative at the voting booth. In our poll, 74 percent of registered voters said they would be supportive if a new political party was created that was moderate in its political thinking and not beholden to the state’s labor unions and special interests on the left or in lock-step support of Republicans on the right.

The platform of the Moderate Party of Rhode Island is simple and direct:

• Attack our spending problem and get it under control.

• Bring our business tax burden in line with that of Massachusetts. This should help stop the flow of successful businesses and promising entrepreneurs out of the state and give our economy a needed boost.

• Toughen ethical standards and penalties to get corrupt officials out of office.

• Balance the budget without new tax increases or the use of one-time accounting gimmicks such as revenue anticipation bonds or selling off state assets.

It’s clear from the poll that Rhode Islanders would support candidates who were fiscally responsible and would clean up the ethical morass that has become our state legislature.

We are now looking for leaders who are willing to put in two years of service to help fix the problems that plague our great state. Well-qualified candidates need and will get the support necessary to mount credible campaigns.

The voters of Rhode Island are hungry for change, and the Moderate Party of Rhode Island has the ingredients necessary for success. Now is the time to get involved.

More information regarding the Moderate Party of Rhode Island can be found at: www.moderate-ri.org, or you can contact us at P.O. Box 378, Barrington, RI 20806.

Ken Block is chairman of the Moderate Party of Rhode Island.