Politics and other nightmares

With Rick Perry apparently poised to enter the presidential race, the Washington Post pulls out a journalistic staple and heads to the Lone Star State in an effort to understand the politician "as Texans see him."

Just a quiet little story a lot of people will barely notice:

Homeland security officials plan to install more security cameras Downtown in time for the Super Bowl.

Sixty-eight cameras are mounted in key areas throughout Downtown. By year's end, officials plan to add seven more near Lucas Oil Stadium and six or more along Georgia Street.

All right, troops, listen up! We're getting the Super Bowl in here, and millions and millions of dollars will be floating through for the taking. All you enterprising souls who want to get in on the gravy, take one step forward. Not so fast there, scalper scum!

Indianapolis is looking to crack down on ticket scalpers.

Hey, clean-living fans, good news. Hoosiers are cutting down on their vices. Revenues have been dropping at casinos:

Casino executives blame the downturn on the recession leading to fewer players at the slot machines and table games.

And the number of smokers has reached a historic low:

Sneegas said the new 2010 Indiana smoking rate validates the hard work underway in Hoosier committees to end tobacco use.

From The Onion: "Dept. Of Labor Reports It Could Be Nothing, But They May Have Spotted Job In Iowa Strip Mall"

I apologize for calling all those who collaborated on getting Elian Gonzales back to Cuba liberal, thug-loving morons. That kid has it made now:

Blogger extraordinaire Alan Vanneman points to this article from The New York Times about how the tyrannical government of Cuba is finally allowing its prisoner-citizens to see Beatles cover bands only about 45 years after Beatlemania has bitten the dust:

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Who says Congress can't get serious about making meaningful spending cuts? House Speaker John Boehner and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi have just announced a plan to cut $5 million a year -- yes, that's right, $5 million; I can hear you gasping out there -- by eliminating a program that has been in existence for more than 200 years. The House page program will be no more, and the cost savings isn't the only reason:

Omigod! The debt-ceiling deal might hurt Indiana! Quick, undo it! We take back all the mean things we said! Hurry, hurry, hurry!

We've had candidates before who promised to work "for a Better Indiana," and there have even been organizations such as Taxpayers for a Better Indiana and the Association to Build a Better Indiana. But now, merely "better" apparently isn't good enough:

A downgrade for "No Child Left Behind"?

State and local education officials have been begging the federal government for relief from student testing mandates in the federal No Child Left Behind law, but school starts soon and Congress still hasn't answered the call.

Education Secretary Arne Duncan says he will announce a new waiver system Monday to give schools a break.

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