Gov. Mitch Daniels says there's a chance a statewide smoking ban will pass next year:
Daniels has said in the past that he would sign a statewide smoking ban bill if it passed Indiana's General Assembly. But he has stopped short of making it part of his agenda.
Still, the governor said Wednesday that he wants to see the percent of adult Hoosiers who smoke drop to 20 percent by the end of his term on Dec. 31, 2012.
The Klan is a detestable organization, but surely this isn't the way to go after them:
The Ku Klux Klan sued the prosecutor and sheriff of Rush County, Indiana to fight a littering citation. The Klan claims it was not littering, but distributing leaflets door to door to promote itself "as a fraternal and law abiding organization that works to uphold Christian values."
This is a big deal and good to hear on an otherwise bad-news Friday:
An appeals court ruled on Friday that President Barack Obama's healthcare law requiring Americans to buy healthcare insurance or face a penalty was unconstitutional, a blow to the White House.
Now this is depressing. I've written frequently about the Tax Foundation's calculation of Tax Freedom Day, which is arrived at by dividing total federal, state and local taxes by national income. This year we worked until April 12 to pay all taxes. But Grover Norquist's group has now calculated a Cost of Government Day by adding in the other costs of government overreach (think Obamacare and the EPA, for example):
The Journal Gazette editorial page has joined the chorus of liberal drones trying to sell the incredible crock that it was the Tea Party's stubbornness that led to the Standard & Poor's downgrade of our credit rating:
Clearly, compromise will be required to develop a workable deficit-reduction plan.
What does state treasurer and U.S. Senate candidate Richard Mourdock say about the need to reach agreement?
Oh, dear. The first NFL exhibition game or the GOP debate from Iowa. Whatever shall I watch tonight?
Hint: There's a good reason "ARE YOU READY FOR SOME SOUND-BITE POLITICS???!!!!" has never been used as a TV promo.
Sen. Lugar in the news:
Some Hoosiers are apparently watching the political turmoil in Wisconsin and starting to get ideas:
Recalling underperforming lawmakers is possible in many states, including Wisconsin, Michigan, and California, and was instituted during the Progressive Era early in the 20th century, 6News' Norman Cox reported.
What causes crime? Oh, come on, that's an easy one: Laws cause crime. "Crime" is an activity that the appropriate governing body puts sanctions on in order to discourage the activity. Remove the sanction, and it's just another activity. Reduce the number of laws, reduce the amount of crime.
Councilwoman Liz Brown has wisely withdrawn her proposal to bar the city from hiring a business or consultant that had contributed to the political campaigns of any city officeholder or candidate. It raised First Amendment issues, and the state attorney general said it would infringe on state prerogatives. Now she says she supports a suggestion from former councilman and current candidate John Crawford.
