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Opening Arguments

Shameless plug

If you want to hear a little political talk about the just-started session of the General Assembly, check out the annual legislative preview edition of WFWA Channel 39's "PrimeTime39." I know I know, that's the same time as "Jeopardy!" But there'll be a link at the PBS39 website if you want to watch it online on your own schedule. The usual panel will be there: Leo Morris of The News-Sentinel (hey, that's me!), Karen Francisco of The Journal Gazette and Andy Downs of the IPFW Downs Political Center. Bruce Haines of WFWA is the moderator.

Absolute power

Some of Newt Gingrich's ideas about how to rein in courts are nutty -- hauling judges before Congress to explain their positions, for example. But his larger point deserves to be debated long after his presidential bid ends:

Will we matter again?

The presidential primary in 2008 was a rarity for Indiana. The Democratic contest was still undecided by the time of our too-late-to-matter primary in May, so Hoosier votes were actively courted by Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Could the same thing happen this year on the Republican side?

Work, work, work

The New York Times has taken note of the "gathering storm" over the coming right-to-work legislation in the General Assembly:

Wine can do anything

Once in a while, I stumble across doing the right thing. Apparently, studies are showing that red wine has the most associated health benefits of any alcohol:

Rick

Now that Rick Santorum is finally having his turn at a poll surge, I guess we should talk about him, at least for a few minutes. Alas, I think this assessment of him as a "big government conservative" is correct:

Two views

Two very different views about the current state of the relationship between the government and the governed. Here's Michael Barone:

Oops

Impressive:

Gov. Mitch Daniels is placing his early endorsement of a company that makes giant, mobile LED screens on his "oops list."

Daniels stood with Mayor Greg Ballard in October -- two weeks before Ballard's re-election -- to tout the company, Litebox, whose founder, Bob Yanagihara, had promised to employ 1,100 Hoosiers.

Star-mangled Banner

Apparently, the General Assembly won't have enough to do in the coming session, so Republican state Sen. Vaneta Becker of Evansville is helping fill the void. A constituent told her of being upset over the "disrespectful" changing of words in the singing of "The Star-Spangled Banner"at a school program. Now Becker has introduced a bill proposing that the state set standards for singing and playing the national anthem. I find myself in rare agreement with the ACLU:

Hugo die now, OK?

Just because he's paranoid doesn't mean we shouldn't be out to get him:

A day after officials announced the cancer diagnosis of Argentina's president, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez wondered Wednesday if the United States could be infecting the region's leaders with the illness.

Ticket splitting

If a former Democratic Cabinet secretary makes a prediction, we should probably treat it with more seriousness than the usual idle chitchat. So here's Robert Reich:

Posted in: Uncategorized

Week in, year out

Those of you who get all hot and bothered on one side or other of the daylight saving time debate ought to really get exercised about this one:

Forget leap years, months with 28 days and your birthday falling on a different day of the week each year. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland say they have a better way to mark time: a new calendar in which every year is identical to the one before.

Strait talk

When the scary stuff happens, who we have as commander in chief matters:

The United States is in no position to advise Iran against cutting global oil supply in case of sanctions against its petroleum industry, a top Iranian commander said on Thursday.

I order you to be responsible!

Geez Louise. After all the histrionics about reinventing government and making Washington less important, Mitt Romney is the best Republicans can do? But he's been around, put in his time, so it's his turn, and that's what the GOP does. Or maybe he does fit Bill Buckley's definition of "most electable conservative." Still, this is not exactly encouraging:

Obama the conservative

Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne, whose column appeared in this morning's Journal Gazette, gets the prize for most brazen twisting of words to make them say what he wants them to say instead of what they actually mean:

For the first time since Barry Goldwater made the effort in 1964, the Republican Party is taking a run at overturning the consensus that has governed U.S. political life since the Progressive era.

Ballot blues

Indiana is among the states with the toughest ballot-access requirements for third parties and independent candidates, a fact discussed here a few times. Virginia also belongs to that elite group, with requirements that make it tough even on major-party establishment types, and Rick Perry failed to get enough valid signatures to have his name put on the ballot.

Goodbye to solidarity

What a rare and welcome display of common sense:

PHOENIX -- An administrative law judge ruled Tuesday that a Tucson school district's ethnic studies program violates state law, agreeing with the findings of Arizona's public schools chief.

Judge Lewis Kowal's ruling marked a defeat for the Tucson Unified School District, which appealed the findings issued in June by Superintendent of Public Instruction John Huppenthal.

Shho

You have to feel sorry for the people at Kroger who must make the decision on what to do about this. They're going to make thousands mad no matter which way they go (just different sets of thousands):

The actions of a Kroger store manager who shot and killed a would-be robber inside the grocery store are being hailed by many as heroic.

This is rich

So, want to talk about the "1 percent"? Indiana has one member on this list of congressmen who haven't been corruped by money -- the "25 members of Congress with lowest net worth" compiled by the Washington Post:

19. Rep. Marlin A. Stutzman (R-Ind.)

Stutzman had an average net worth of -$84,495 in 2010.

No parades, thanks, we're embarrasse

Been there, haven't done that:

Americans won't be seeing a huge ticker-tape parade in New York City anytime soon for troops returning from Iraq.

It's not clear if veterans of the nine-year campaign will ever enjoy the grand, flag-waving, red-white-and-blue homecoming that the nation's fighting men and women received after World War II and the Gulf War.

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