"Snake Oil Legislators"

CalWatchdog:

As legislators stand in front of the microphone and pitch their irrelevant bills, they do not see the voters any more, or the constituents, the fathers and mothers, and the young adults who work at a menial jobs to pay the bills. Legislators have lost the concept of the collective good while focusing on the special interests and unions.

This week, some of the bills being heard in Assembly committees exemplify the out-of-touch legislation and business-as-usual:

A.B. No. 1650 Feuer. Public contracts: state and local contract eligibility: energy sector investment activities in Iran;

A.B. No. 1787 Swanson. Administrative procedure: regulations: narrative description;

A.B. No. 1802 Hall. Pupil health: diabetes: insulin injections;

A.B. No. 1822 Swanson. Massage therapy. (Urgency);

A.B. No. 1878 Lieu. Statewide Forms Management Program;

A.B. No. 1916 Davis. Pharmacies: prescriptions: reports;

A.B. No. 1922 Davis. Civil rights education: California Civil Rights Education Commission;

A.B. No. 2052 Hayashi. State surplus personal property: centralized sale;

A.B. No. 2077 Solorio. Centralized hospital packaging pharmacies;

A.B. No. 2181 Hagman. State Contract Act: contracting by state agencies. (Urgency);

A.B. No. 2256 Huffman. Product labeling: flushable products;

A.B. No. 2466 Smyth. Regulations: legislative validation: effective date;

A.B. No. 2472 Huffman. Building standards: green innovation permit program;

The state is in a full-blown economic crisis in California, and legislators are conducting hearings about the statewide forms management program, civil rights, hospital pharmacies, green business and “flushing products.”  Most of what the Legislature deals with should not even be state business – this is known as “busy work,” designed to make it look as if they are working hard, but most of it is pure drivel.

Personally, I think calling them "snake oil legislators" is being too kind, and an offense to snake oil salesmen everywhere.

"Why California is a failed state"

California Senate debates bill allowing citizens to decline delivery of a telephone book

With minor issues like a $20 billion budget deficit still looming, a California legislative committee has taken a major progressive step forward on a far more important issue to protect the entire state's precious environment.

In a stunning 6-4 vote that drew remarkably little attention outside the committee room, the state Senate's Committee on Energy, Utilities and Communications has passed an almost pioneering measure that would allow California's many millions of telephone subscribers to opt out of receiving annual telephone books, a right that many citizens may have thought they already possessed without legislative authorization.

The bill was introduced by Sen. Leland Yee of the Bay area who is, of course, a Democrat.

(emphasis added)

(via The Feed)

We have to follow the Texas model and have the legislature meet for only 120 days every two years (or better yet, two days every 120 years). These people obviously have waaaay too much time on their hands.