Politics and other nightmares

A few days ago, the Christian Science Monitor had an article pointing out that the humble incandescent light bulb isn't really being "banned":

Government is going too far these days in trying to keep us from being annoyed by anybody in any way at any time (except, of course, when government is busy doing the annoying itself). We can now keep those pesky, pushy sales people and survey takers from calling us on the phone, and Indiana has even added a "Do not FAX" law. Now Jeffersonville is taking things a step further with a moratorimum on door-to-door sales:

Today's tips for controlling the situation.

No. 1 -- Telling the press about your coverup tends to defeat the purpose of the coverup:

State transportation secretary Jeffrey B. Mullan suspended the Big Dig's top engineer yesterday, less than a week after the engineer said that he and his colleagues were instructed years ago not to leave a paper trail documenting safety concerns within the tunnels.

President Obama is having a "shoot the dog" moment, isn't he?

We make it a point to print guest columns by people who disagree with us. That's a standard newspaper practice, but sometimes I think we go too far, especially after we run one of Ball State University professor emeritus B.J. Pascal's columns. Last night, he was wondering if voters would be "snookered again" to vote "against their self-interest" in 2012. Like they were when they bought into Barack Obama's empty rhetoric in 2008?

It's good to have such a big belly laugh so early in the week:

Obama is seeking to cast himself as a centrist in the bitter debate. His 2012 re-election hopes hinge not only on reducing America's 9.2 percent unemployment but on his appeal to independent voters who are increasingly turned off by partisan rancor in Washington and want tougher action to get the country's fiscal house in order.

I notice that while I was on vacation, Republican City Councilwoman Liz Brown proposed an ordinance that would prohibit companies from contributing to the mayor's campaign while they are being paid by the city or participating in a city bidding process. An Indiana Election Division official says the ordinance would be illegal because rules on campaign finance are governed by state law.

Hoosier conservatives were dominant and victorious in the General Assembly during the recent session, but now their three major pieces of legislation are on shaky ground. The laws cracking down on illegal immigration and defunding abortion clinics have received rebukes from federal judges, and the sweeping new school voucher law is facing a teacher-backed lawsuit. Questions are being raised about how laws are vetted for legal issues, since so much legislation seems to have flaws this year.

Ayieeee! If I say it's as hot as a Texas summer, take heed. I know whereof I speak.

Anyway, glad to be back and blah, blah, blah.

Often on vacation, I try to completely ignore the news, as a palliative for my workday immersion in it. But this time, I decided to pay modest attention to the reported events of the day, the way most people do. That way, I could catch the highlights without having to obsess over the small stuff. So, the news that broke through my short attention span in Texas:

Who thinks this is a good idea?

The Fort Wayne Redevelopment Commission on Thursday agreed to pay more than $1 million for less than 2 acres of land downtown, across Ewing Street from Parkview Field.