Hoosier lore

Any politician who tries to govern by public opinion poll is an idiot. Even assuming the polls are accurate, which can be a dangerous thing to do, people often don't know what they want, or they want contradictory things, or they want one thing one day and something else the next. Consider this Indiana University poll about public education:

Congratulations to West Lafayette. The women might not all be strong and all the men good-looking, but many of the children are probably above average:

Forbes magazine has ranked West Lafayette as the sixth most educated small city in America.

Well, it's a start:

The Indiana Court of Appeals will begin Internet broadcasts of most oral arguments starting this month.

Chief Judge John Baker says the webcasts will give the public another opportunity to learn about the issues before the court.

With all the dreary news out there, I feel compelled to keep you abreast of the humorous, so I try to find titillating tidbits like this one that you mind find uplifting:

Authorities are investigating after more than 300 bras were reported stolen Monday from display drawers at Victoria's Secret in Eastland Mall, according to an Evansville Police Department report.

In all, 320 bras - worth $14,400 or $45 apiece - turned up missing.

I'm not sure what to make of the new poll of Hoosiers by Ball State University. It found that we would support higher state taxes -- by margins ranging from 58 percent to 70 percent -- to fund public schools, colleges and universities, health care and environmental protection. On the down side (if you're a public official):

I have a new favorite Hoosier public official:

Discussions regarding traffic-watching cameras at stoplights might creep back into the state legislature this year, but two local officials are dubious as to their potential.

Terre Haute Mayor Duke Bennett said he's not surprised the idea is being brought up again as the state begins its Jan. 7 legislative session, noting that he's not in favor of it.

That sound that keeps getting louder and louder is from the different drummer Indiana likes to march to. From Vincennes, we have:

A big crowd gathered to ring in the New Year by watching a glowing 550-pound steel and foam watermelon rise into the sky and drop real watermelons to the ground, delighting organizers of the unique event.

When our immediate reaction goes against our philosophic inclinations, we have to ask ourselves if we've encountered the exception that proves the rule or whether we're judging by different standards because the issue hits too close to home. I'm actually talking about my reaction to this:

The Indiana Veterans' Home has a new full-time superintendent, and he already has his hands full.

I guess the message here is that if no actual children were in danger of being harmed, the perverts get a break:

We who write columns and editorials sometimes slip into the easy habit of telling people what to do instead of merely laying out the evidence and letting people draw their own conclusions. Slash that budget, Mr. Governor! Leave that adult bookstore alone so the First Amendment doesn't die a horrible death, Ms. Prosecutor! Tote that barge and lift that bale! Even so, this guy sounds a little presumptuous: