But don't call it a bailout, OK?
The NBA has reportedly borrowed $200 million to distribute to interested teams due to the struggling economy.
[. . .]
The reports said at least 12 teams have requested funds, with as many as 15 wanting money that could potentially help cover losses.
Hey, Indianapolis is trying to steal our casino idea:
Here's an unlikely but plausible scenario that could unfold as the General Assembly's current session marches toward a frantic finish:
Legislative leaders look for a way to plug the deficit plaguing the city's Capital Improvement Board, which operates Lucas Oil Stadium, Conseco Fieldhouse and other venues.
Whether to give Washington, D.C., a real, voting member of Congress is the latest bone Democrats and Republicans are fighting over.
Dissatisfied with the status quo but unable to alter it with a constitutional amendment, Washingtonians finally exclaimed: Amendment? We don't need no stinkin' amendment!
First, Chief Justice John Roberts quoted Bob Dylan in a decision. Now, justice Samuel Alito quotes John Lennon:
Alito, 58, makes the point that public monuments can convey multiple messages, or messages that change over time. The Statue of Liberty, for example, came to New York as a symbol of friendship between France and the United States, Alito said, and only later became viewed as a beacon welcoming immigrants.
Gee, I wonder why:
Washington, D.C., February 23, 2009--Sales of Ayn Rand's “Atlas Shrugged” have almost tripled over the first seven weeks of this year compared with sales for the same period in 2008. This continues a strong trend after bookstore sales reached an all-time annual high in 2008 of about 200,000 copies sold.
Not in the running for parents of the year:
Kyle Dillard and Megan Darr of Mount Vernon are both facing numerous charges.
[. . .]
Further investigation found an active meth lab outside and a growing marijuana operation inside a child's bedroom.
But at least the meth lab was in a barn in the back yard, so maybe they shouldn't be disqualified from next year's contest.
That's all I can stands, I can't stands no more, Thursday entry:
The Indianapolis Star has compiled a nifty database of Indiana employee salaries, so we're now able to look up how much our favorite bureaucrat or lawmaker gets. It's no great surprise that the highest-paid public employee in this basketball-crazy state is Tom Crean, the IU coach. He gets a base salary of $600,000, but built-in contract extras guarantee him $2.36 million a year -- that makes it nearly $400,000 per victory this season so far! It's also not too startling that Gov.
Newspapers frequently hear complaints from groups that they aren't being treated fairly, and some of them won't give up the complaint even if you go through back copies with them and prove them dead wrong. The one we've probably dealt with the most here is from southside residents, who say we put their part of town in headlines about crimes much more often than we do other parts of town. If Johnny gets nabbed for drugs in the Glenbrook parking lot, then we'll just slap a generic "Police make drug arrest" headline on the story and forget about it.
Mother Jones is downright ecstatic about BHO's speech last night:
The speech—a State of the Union stand-in—presented a clear, mostly left-of-center agenda for his presidency and a series of forceful rationales for his proposed actions.
[. . .]
If you're a little ticked over the idea that responsible home owners are being treated like suckers while the irresponsibile ones get bailed out, you'll love this:
Mayor Bill White yanked a controversial plan Tuesday that called for the city to use taxpayer funds to pay off some personal debts for first-time homebuyers, following a flood of outrage and criticism from across the city and beyond.
Apparently, "separation of church and state" does not reach to presidential appearances. Ryan Culp of Elkhart agreed to open President Obama's town halll meeting with a prayer, even though he's a conservative Republican. He even agreed to have the prayer "vetted" by White House officials to make sure there was nothing in it that would offend anyone. This seems to be standard for Obama -- both the prayers and the vetting:
The Muncie Star Press, quick to pick up on a trend, wants to know how much its readers still use "snail mail." But don't go looking for those stamps to send in your answers:
Thank goodness. Wouldn't want anybody left out:
A bill originally intended to give Michigan City's Blue Chip Casino a financial leg up in its fight against the nearby Four Winds Casino in New Buffalo, Mich., was expanded by the state House of Representatives Tuesday to include all Indiana casinos.
Can't have any of those places going under. If we have any money left after the government gets through saving us, we need to have lots of options when it comes to investing it wisely.
The way the system works today:
OLYMPIA, Wash.
Maybe we need full-time legislators here. While our part-time lawmakers are fooling around with silly things like a two-year budget, the wise men and women in the Illinois legislature are dealing with truly cosmic issues:
SPRINGFIELD - Like some sort of rulers of the universe, state lawmakers are considering restoring little Pluto's planetary status, casting aside the scientific community's 2006 decision downgrading the distant ice ball.
I've written before (can't remember if it was here or in the paper) about the disappearance of barber shops and my ongoing struggles to keep a barber. Every time I find one, he's already semi-retired and down to one chair. In some states, this is a result of the regulatory state, not just an unfortunate byproduct of changing times:
Sometimes I regret that my job prevents me from also serving on public boards. I have to miss out on all sorts of fun things, like being lectured by sex offenders:
A registered sex offender cautioned the Vigo County School Board about going too far with a policy aimed at keeping such offenders out of schools and off school property.
Looks like the long crusade to bring red-light cameras to Indiana might be on the verge of succeeding. A bill to authorize the cameras passed the Senate and now moves to the House. A survey by the AAA Hoosier Motor Club found that 94 percent of the respondents support the cameras, and even the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana says the practice is constitutional. Supporters (including many cities in Indiana, including Fort Wayne) say it's all about safety, not revenue, but consider:
