Politics and other nightmares

Mark Souder is being a pouty, whiny Republican obstructionist again. Just because a few fat-cat TV station owners are complaining about the extra expense of sending out dual signals for four months, Souder is refusing to go along with the unanimous vote of the Senate in delaying the Feb. 17 switchover to digital (mandated by Congress) until June 12:

Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard says he isn't making a power grab, but others aren't so sure. Senate Bill 482, one of those limited-jurisdiction pieces of legislation that invite immediate suspicion, would eliminate townships and give the mayor control of many county government functions:

Opponents question the wisdom of putting too much power into the hands of a single office.

I'm struck by the sympathy being shown for those who suddenly find themselves unemployed:

"These are not just numbers on a page," Obama said. "These are working men and women whose families have been disrupted and whose dreams have been put on hold. We owe it to each of them and to every single American to act with a sense of urgency and common purpose."

A bill in the General Assembly would have Indiana follow some examples from California and New York and require chain restaurants to make nutritional information available to customers at each location. Republican Tim Brown of Crawfordsville, a physician, tells why he voted against the bill in committee:

He said the costs of complying with such a law would lead to job cuts in an industry that was suffering like so many others during this recession.

The sponsor of this alcohol-conrol bill to allow the sale of booze on Election Day won't be heard until the next legislative session, but some liquor store managers already offer a valid argument for it: We have early-voting provisions now, so what's the point of banning sales of that one "official" day?

Here's one difference in the Bush and Obama approach to the White House:

An air of informality surrounds the Obama White House that might leave Bush advisers aghast. On Wednesday morning, Mr. Obama was seen in the Oval Office without a suit jacket

Blast those rotten Republican obstructionists!

Just days after taking office vowing to end the political era of "petty grievances," President Obama ran into mounting GOP opposition yesterday to an economic stimulus plan that he had hoped would receive broad bipartisan support.

What's that saying? If you keep doing what you've been doing, you'll keep getting what you've been getting:

We all know how we got into this economic mess. We spent too much, borrowed with abandon, and acted like the bills would never come due. So what's the prescription for getting out? Spending more, borrowing more, and acting like the bills will never come due.

Saw two stories seemingly unconnected but interestingly relatable to each other. First, a story about helping us old fogies who wander off:

A state Senate committee voted Wednesday in favor of establishing a Silver Alert system. Similar to Amber Alerts, Silver Alerts would be issued by police, voluntarily broadcast by TV and radio stations and posted on Web sites when an adult is believed to be in danger.

Suddenly I like New York Gov. David Paterson a lot more:

New York Gov. David Paterson has chosen Democratic Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand to succeed Hillary Clinton as U.S. Senator from New York, multiple Democratic sources told CNN Friday.

 Gillibrand, 42, represents New York's traditionally Republican 20th district.