Politics and other nightmares

If you lived in Louisiana, what you think about government would depend on where your home was, wouldn't it?

Looks like former Indiana House Speaker John Gregg will be the Democratic candidate for governor going up against Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Pence next year. That means voters will have a choice between a mid-50s attorney and experienced politician who was once a poltical talk show host and opposes abortion and a mid-50s attorney and experienced politician who was once a political talk show host and opposes abortion. But not to worry if you're looking for real differences between them.

The Justice Department doesn't have enough to do without messing around with college football?

The U.S. Justice Department wants to know why the NCAA doesn't have a college football playoff system and says there are "serious questions" about whether the current format to determine a national champion complies with antitrust laws.

"Independent" should not be used as a synonym for "moderate.":

Just six years ago, only 30 percent of Americans identified as independents. Today, that number is 37 percent.

And while growing so fast (and 7 percent in six years is fast), they are also diversifying very quickly, with strongly divergent views between different groups of independents.

Here we go again:

The Obama administration has floated a transportation authorization bill that would require the study and implementation of a plan to tax automobile drivers based on how many miles they drive.

[. . .]

Well, better hit the books then:

Conservative elites swoon over Mitch Daniels' fiscal conservative bona fides, but the Indiana governor says he's "probably not" ready for a foreign policy debate with President Barack Obama.

It's one thing to argue that our fiscal problems are so great that we should declare a truce on the "social issues." It's another to presume one's strengths on domestic issues

Whoops!

Indiana voters who had questions about mayoral primaries may have been surprised when they were offered "stimulating conversation" instead.

Mike Pence had planned to announce his gubernatorial intentions on Monday, but delayed it on the news of Osama bin Laden's death:

We thought it would be more appropriate to make that announcement later this week,” Pence said. “This is a day that every American ought to celebrate.”

With everything else going on, I almost missed this one:

Indiana lawmakers have rolled back a much-disparaged law requiring everyone, regardless of age, to be carded when buying alcohol, but some retailers say they may keep up the practice anyway.

A fearless city government bravely takes a tough stand:

Members of the La Porte City Council were unanimous in their opposition to the 7.9 percent rate increase NIPSCO is requesting from the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC) — and voted to send out a resolution, after only a first reading, to voice it to the governing body in charge.