An Indiana state legislator is promising to introduce legislation to suspend the sales tax on RV purchases in order to "bump up production and bring movement back into our Hoosier RV industry."

There is just one problem with State Representative Jackie Walorski's initiative -- she won't introduce the legislation until January. Apparently, the Hoosier RV industry will have to suspend itself until Walorski gets around to proposing the relief, and the legislature holds endless committee hearings before a floor debate which will be endlessly amended with other pet projects.

If Walorski is successful, look for tax relief sometime in 2010.

But, it's the thought that counts.

Walorski's office hasn't returned my calls to explain why a five-month delay is necessary to even introduce legislation. But, a call to Governor Mitch Daniels' office confirmed that Indiana's elected legislators will not convene again until January.

So, with the state leading the nation in new unemployment claims, announcement that another 1,400-plus jobs were lost last week, Indiana's elected officials are more concerned about taking time off to get re-elected than they are in providing any substantial assistance to residents and communities in the state.

Now, I'm all for shutting down state and federal legislative bodies for long as possible and for as often as possible. It's the only way to truly protect our liberties and our pocketbooks. In the days of our nation's founding, legislators actually worked real jobs and convened as necessary to deal with issues impacting the state or nation -- and they did it with very little staff.

If only we could return to such a common sense approach to governing.

But, it seems to me that even if we could enjoy a part-time legislature, that there would be instances in which elected officials could be called back into legislative session to deal with pressing issues -- like seriously high unemployment and suspending the sales tax, gas tax and income tax to help constituents weather an economic storm.

It's unfathomable why elected officials could think they could take off the months of July, August, September, October, November and December -- and still get anything meaningful accomplished. I guess that's what e-mail is for. But you can't vote by e-mail, nor can elected officials debate solutions to the critical issues affecting the state of Indiana without convening in person.

Representative Walorski is right -- sales tax on RV purchases should be suspended. In fact, it should be eliminated. But it would be in the best interests of the state and the people of Indiana if elected officials would put down the cotton candy at state and county fairs, step off the parade route at community celebrations, stop shaking hands and march their tushies back to Indianapolis and get to work.