TheBakersfieldCalifornian.com

"I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them."

-- Thomas Jefferson

Founding Father Thomas Jefferson's words ring true with every bad bill passed by my fellow legislators across the aisle. Of the thousands of bills in Sacramento this spring and summer, there is no shortage of downright awful proposed laws.

From the laughably absurd "nanny-state" bills to the big-government, anti-jobs bills, we continue to see a dangerous shift in public policy, and every Californian should take notice. Here's a sample of some proposals, that I opposed, that fly in the face of individual responsibility and weaken our economy:

* AB 727: 50 percent of the food and beverages sold in vending machines in state- owned buildings must meet a certain nutritional standard. Can't we let adults buy what they want to eat and not stand in the way of vending machine businesses that simply supply what the public wants to eat?

* SB 432: Requires hotels to use fitted bottom sheets and not flat sheets so housekeepers won't need to fold in corners. Can't hotels serve their patrons without state legislators telling them what they can and can't put on their beds?

* SB 48: Requires that public schools teach the contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in K-12 curriculum. This push by the Legislature to showcase a person's sexual behavior has no place in our classrooms or books. Disappointingly, Gov. Jerry Brown recently signed this into law.

* AB 350: Requires certain contractors to retain, for at least 90 days, employees from the former contractor who lost the contract. This is another example of government sticking its nose where it doesn't belong, telling a private employer whom he/she must hire.

* SB 568: Bans all food vendors from using Styrofoam containers, likely to result in many lost manufacturing jobs.

* AB 1326: Imposes a 12.5 percent oil and gas severance tax. This would have a disastrous effect on our fragile economy, raise the cost of gas and threaten thousands of local jobs. Attempts to add additional taxes to oil production and use have become an annual occurrence.

Energized by these full-time state legislators and their special interest allies, Sacramento has become the personal playground for these and hundreds more senseless, costly pet projects.

From the authoritative, big-government union interests to the LGBT sex labeling agenda to the anti-growth "environmental" agenda, our state Capitol is overrun with radicals.

I believe our state Legislature must be changed at its core. We deserve a more responsible government -- comprised of citizens who have real jobs and live and work under the laws they create. As evidenced in a recent LA Times poll, most Californians agree we should return to a part-time, citizen Legislature.

California government functioned with a part-time legislature for most of its existence and many other states, with stronger economies and more freedoms, still operate that way today.

Founding Father Roger Sherman summed the issue up well:

"Representatives ought to return home and mix with the people. By remaining at the seat of government, they would acquire the habits of the place, which might differ from those of their constituents."

We need to break the habit of bad government and return to a system run by and for the people.

Assemblywoman Shannon Grove, R-Bakersfield, represents the 32nd Assembly District, which includes Bakersfield, Tehachapi, Taft, Kern River Valley, Frazier Park and the Indian Wells Valley. She is one of four local lawmakers writing about their work in The Californian. These are Grove's opinions, not necessarily The Californian's. Next Sunday: Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Bakersfield.