Don’t look for a big picture debate on Smith Hill this time of year. Instead, elected officials indulge in hours of oration on small ticket items as their new-found commitment moral obligations, debt market economics or – as was the case last night – adding a 10 cent toll to a bridge most Rhode Islanders have never crossed.

Or, the legislature voted to decrease the toll by almost $10 a trip according to some estimates of the initial plan. Whether it’s parsed as a political victory or defeat, it’s somewhat astonishing that a toll bridge has consumed so much of the state’s legislative attention. But here we are on the second day of the new fiscal year without a budget and a 10 cent user fee is causing political consternation.

It’s a perfect metaphor for RI’s penny wise but pound foolish problems: our state is uniquely connected by bridges and we have among the very worst in the nation. Meanwhile, conservative pundits are outraged that a hugely small slice of the state’s population is being asked to pay a user fee.

That’s why it’s absolutely delicious political irony that our leading libertarian pundit Justin Katz, who lives in Tiverton, would prefer taxpayers fund the infrastructure rather than users. While it smacks of socialism for me and austerity for thee, it’s probably more strategic than that: his job is to suggest ways to shrink the public sector, which isn’t necessarily the same thing as being a libertarian.

The libertarian solution would be to buy a boat; they are sales-tax free here in the Ocean State!

All three have obvious effects on the Ocean State’s economy. But while income taxes remain sacrosanct, roads and pensions made sacrifices for one another. At least CNBC doesn’t factor traffic congestion into its best/worst states for business lists!!

At least a reasonable argument can be made for austerity, though. The most contentious debate of Day 2 of the House of Representatives budget session was whether to include $2.5 million in the $8.2 million budget for 38 Studios bondholders.

Either this was a ridiculous thing to debate at the 11th hour, or it was being used as a political tool against House Speaker Gordon Fox. Perhaps both!

I just can’t conceive of a sound argument for not funding something that could damage our ability to borrow money when worst case scenario is it costs every Rhode Island $2.50 (or just the richest among us $250 each!) to effectively buy an insurance policy against a downgrade. If we don’t need it, we can always put that money into roads and bridges or the unfunded pension liability. Though some may prefer to just set up a slush fund the 1%…

But the gold star for ineffective government on Smith Hill last night has to go to the Senate Finance Committee. The Providence Journal said it too the committee only 18 minutes to rubber stamp the budget bill the House debated for almost 20 hours.

To which conservative pundit Andrew Morse tweeted: “They should try finding extra funding by zeroing out the Senate budget, and seeing if the Senate actually notices.”

Not including it would have meant a potential increase in cost of borrowing money, while in