Regrettably, every session of the General Assembly reminds us of some pea brain ideas at work. Mix in a dumb idea with a little hubris and/or payback and you have the makings of a full scale state embarrassment, except for the perpetrators who are oblivious.

In an earlier column I noted that some legislators with deep ties to the unions would fine all businesses up to $500 if the owner had the temerity to change a worker’s schedule without a 14 day notice. The employer would also have to pay a minimum of 4 hours at time and one-half even if a second or shift worker arrived 10 minutes late to replace the shift person behind him. The employee would also agree to replace a fellow worker and, if he thinks the employer is picking on him or her for a myriad of reasons, he can sue the boss. If the employer holds onto the employee for a year, that person would get an automatic cost of living wage increase. Also, a boss would be required to comply with a request for a modified work schedule or else run the risk of being sued for favoritism. Nobody new can come into the workplace without first offering overtime to existing staff.  The Governor can talk until she is blue in the face but any enactment of this legislation is death to job growth here.
   
One legislator in a leadership position apparently got in a snit with his neighbor whose tree was dropping pine needles on his driveway. The legislator proposed a $500 fine for neighbors who don’t handle tree debris. Take that, offender!
   
Then we have the “aw-shucks, I didn’t know” gambit by one legislator who sponsored a bill that would place a statute of limitations on tax collections. He was errant on a $127,000 delinquent tax bill he owed the state and the legislation, if passed, would let him off the hook. He claimed he didn’t read the bill carefully when he signed on as a sponsor.
   
Precious time was also booted away by debate about whether to rename the IWAY. 
   
Although I love dining outdoors at restaurants with Dash, dog extraordinaire, I can’t support the efforts of one legislator who wants to eat with her pooch at any restaurant that has outside table service. Whatever happened to restauranteurs’ right to choose what is in the best interest of his/her business?
   
Citizens then had the specter of $225,000 of their tax money being sent to a state house lobbying firm by the General Assembly (curious enough!) which employs Keith Stokes, who recently paid a $25,000 penalty as part of a settlement with the Securities and Exchange  Commission for misdeeds related to the 38 Studios fiasco.  
   
This attention to minutiae might be hilarious if Rome were not burning. The blatant self-dealing evidenced by these schemes makes us just shake our heads in disbelief. These solons are so convinced that they have the public domesticated to their whims that they aren’t even embarrassed by their antics. I couldn’t help but hope that some of the so-called voter anger evidenced at the presidential primary level would somehow come home to Rhode Island. Is it a pipe dream to expect that regular folks will eschew this behavior by throwing these self-promoters out of office? What do you think?

Arlene Violet is an attorney and former Rhode Island Attorney General.