On Feb. 13, a Commentary piece by Commerce Secretary Stefan Pryor ("R.I. incentives are boosting economy") provided a rebuttal to the Jan. 23 editorial stating that “R.I. needs more than incentives." Mr. Pryor claimed that the Raimondo administration’s overall economic development strategy is working.

I agree with The Providence Journal. Given that Rhode Island has fallen back to CNBC's 50th rank in business climate, and the Rhode Island Family Prosperity Index's 50th rank in overall unemployment, 48th rank in family prosperity and 44th rank in entrepreneurship, one would have to wonder what Mr. Pryor categorizes as working.

During his 2016 Senate testimony about the Brookings Institution's "advanced industries" plan to provide tax subsidies for targeted companies in Rhode Island, Mr. Pryor was asked how the success of this strategy would be measured. Mr. Pryor stated, in effect, that we should judge it by how many companies accepted the tax incentives.

This same attitude typifies his 2017 rebuttal — that it should be considered a success that the Commerce Corporation offered to give away our taxpayer money, like handing candy to a kid, and companies actually took it.

Mr. Pryor believes that insider companies greedily accepting corporate welfare is some kind of accomplishment of note. Is that what you call "working?"

Burning dozens of millions of dollars for a few hundred jobs, even for big name companies, is not sustainable. Have we not learned anything from the 38 Studios debacle? And at $50,000 to $100,000 per job, the Commerce Corporation’s strategy represents a poor value for taxpayers, even if the incentives are paid after the jobs or buildings are developed, as Mr. Pryor brags.

According to the Rhode Island Family Prosperity Index, “startups aren’t the only thing when it comes to job growth. They’re the only thing.” The only way to incentivize enough start-up activity to make a difference in our state is to create a business climate that is attractive enough to make thousands of entrepreneurs want to invest here. Crony deals for a few dozen companies will not get it done.

Further, Pryor over-hypes the reductions in the cost of doing business in our state. Yes, sales taxes on commercial energy-use have been repealed, but the never-ending green-energy mandates and related subsidies are driving up the base cost of energy for all of us. Now there is renewed administration support to raise the cost of low-skilled labor and to impose even more job-killing paid-time-off regulatory mandates.

The $50 to $100 savings in minimum corporate taxes per year are a vapid talking point and, ultimately, insignificant. This year's proposals — reducing the car tax and giving away college tuition — would create even more municipal and student dependency on state government. These are not economic development reforms.

What Rhode Island needs are bold, broad-based reform ideas: Ideas that will help every existing and would-be business and family.

Soon, my nonprofit think tank will demonstrate how a major reduction in the sales tax would allow Rhode Islanders to keep more of their hard-earned money; would produce more economic activity and create thousands of new jobs (at a very low cost per job); would disproportionately help low-income families; would boost municipal revenues so that cities and towns can reduce the car tax on their own; and would be easy and fair to implement.

Recently, a leading lawmaker advised me that this kind of thinking would be too much of a shock to the system. Bingo. My complaint for years has been that, as our state ranks so near to last place in so many categories, it is unacceptable to keep to the status quo. A well-planned “shock” to the system is, indeed, warranted. I am looking for state leaders — either lawmakers or civil society leaders — who will work with me to begin this very serious and important conversation.

It’s not going to be as easy as handing out candy, but there is a better way to create an environment in our state where more and better businesses will create more and better jobs that will help more families achieve a better quality of life.

Mike Stenhouse is CEO of the Rhode Island Center for Freedom & Prosperity (RIFreedom.org).