So, it's official. The Rhode Island economy is in recession. Moreover, the state is the only one in New England that is in the dung heap.

In fact, Rhode Island is the poster child for recession since its foreclosure rates and personal income growth is worse than the national averages. Leading economists reported last week that the state hasn't scraped this kind of bottom in more than 20 years.

Enter the Leaders of Little Rhody. Surely, they will rise to the occasion. Certainly, they will lead by example. Yawn! A bill to have legislators contribute a measly 10 percent for their health care plans got punted. With rhetoric flowing about how everybody will have a little pain while we get our fiscal house in order, the solons exempted themselves from a puny contribution. Right now, the individual coverage would have cost $580 per legislator and the family health plan $1,623, with a modest increase around the corner. These part-time legislators balked at paying even this pittance. Fortunately, some legislators get it and voluntarily contribute. Kudos to area leaders Sen. Marc Cote (D-Woonsocket-North Smithfield) and Rep. William McManus (R-Lincoln).

There is a category of legislators who already have health care from another conduit, so they don't need it. Instead, they get $2,002 in cash annually to waive it. Sen. Christopher Maselli (D-Johnston) and Reps. Lisa Baldelli-Hunt (D-Woonsocket), Raymond Church (D-North Smithfield, Burrillville), Deborah Fellela (D-Johnston), Rene Menard (D-Lincoln and Cumberland), Steven Smith (D-Johnson), Stephen Ucci (D-Johnson) all decided to keep the payments even where the taxpayers are already footing the bill for the primary health care costs, like in the case of Rene Menard, where we are already paying his tax free disability pension and health care. What a group of sports these folks are!

Apparently, a little "pain" wasn't in the making for most of these trend-setters up in the Statehouse. "Let 'em eat cake" seems to be the motto of too many of the decision-makers. They spare nobody but themselves.

Of course, the people who really need their heads examined are the readers of this newspaper who vote these people into office. What's the matter with you? Why are you giving us these scourges term after term who benefit themselves while axing benefits to seniors?

Another example of the Nero-esque approach to the state's problems is the likely passage of the bill which forces state workers to retire before Sept. 30 in order to get full medical benefits paid for by the taxpayers. While the unions may groan about it, it really is an act. Nothing structurally really got changed. Everybody will go home with their benefits fully intact. Presumably, many of these workers will come back at their current pay for 70 days a year because of worker shortages. Others still on the payroll will apply for a "desk audit," a contract provision procedure which ups the salary when the employee is doing more dastardly work because a fellow worker retired or resigned. In turn, the pension grows larger and, well, you get the picture.

The bottom line is that Rhode Island must make structural changes for compensation of its state and municipal employees. The gravy train has to end at Dead Man's Junction, otherwise this retirement proposal is just another gimmick. There are too many government workers, period, for a state as small as this. Salaries are out of control. As noted in prior columns, the magistrates at Traffic Court are simply clerks in other states. These clerks in Massachusetts and Connecticut process two-to-three times the number of traffic violations at 60 percent of the salaries doled out here. In addition, the patina that the "clerks" are judges here entitle them to benefits unheard of in the neighboring states.

Far too many legislators seem impervious to change. Solutions like expanding gambling to 24 hours at Twin River abound. The focus is to generate more money rather than cut spending. They fiddle and faddle while the state burns. Their sad performance gets rewarded by voters who send them back for more nonsense. Why do voters like their tired tunes?

- Violet is an attorney and former state attorney general. She also appears regularly on WPRI-TV's "Newsmakers."