The Rhode Island Statewide Coalition (RISC) recently announced that it has “reached a threshold of $100,000 in a combination of pledges, direct contributions and seed money which will be used to help pro-business candidates from any political party this election season.” Now it’s enlisted the world-famous-in-Rhode-Island Arlene Violet to steer the truck:

The RISC Business Network, launched last January by the multi-partisan taxpayer advocacy group, RISC (RI Statewide Coalition) is announcing that former Rhode Island Attorney General, teacher, talk show host and columnist Arlene Violet has been named to head up the campaign effort of the RISC Business Network.
“I am excited to head up the RISC Business Network and I am rearing to go to help get new people- – and new policies- – into the General Assembly because the status quo up there have profoundly failed the people of this state,” says Violet. “It’s true they cut the top income tax rate but they failed to address the kind of pension reform the state really needs.”

It’s easy to get discouraged, because Rhode Island cities and towns, the state, and the nation require much more rapid reform than looks likely to happen, but we should also consider that those reforms must be much more comprehensive than can happen quickly — at least than can happen well and quickly. And the steady (if too slow) growth of local activist groups suggests that they’ll be around for a while, so even the cynic can take some comfort in knowing that they’ll be here to help rebuild after the state collapses.
Of course, with sufficient resident involvement, total collapse could still be avoided…