Politics and other nightmares

I guess I'm not as jaded as I thought I was. This still seems like a staggering amount to me:

The City-County Council tonight passed a $1.1 billion budget for 2009 by a vote of 17-12.

I guess we know for sure now that the presidential candidates are moving away from their bases and going for the Great American Middle:

Proposed bans on same-sex marriage are on the ballot in three important states this fall, rousing passions on both sides, yet neither John McCain nor Barack Obama seem eager to push the issue high on their campaign agendas.

Jill Long Thompson thinks she has a winning issue, so add her to the list of people who just won't let the time zone and DST issues die:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJ6xBaZ92uA]

Noblesville tries to ram through a tax by calling it a "trash fee," but outrage from taxpayers might hold if off at least for a while:

The fee would add $3.82 to wastewater bills beginning this November and about $7.60 in 2010. That would raise about $750,000-$800,000 in 2009 and about double in 2010, said Clerk-Treasurer Janet Jaros.

The headline on this story -- "Retailers Split Over Sunday Alcohol Sales" is a little misleading, and the first paragraph is more so:

Opposition to a push for Indiana to repeal its long-standing ban on Sunday alcohol sales may come from an unexpected source, a newspaper reported: liquor stores.

I like this analogy (at the Huffington Post, of all places) explaining why, given the electoral college reality, it is both misleading and damaging to go on and on about the "popular vote."

What do you think -- will they be fair to McCain?

CBS' "60 Minutes" will devote its full broadcast Sunday to profiles of John McCain and Barack Obama with fresh interviews, hoping to set the stage for the general election campaign's first presidential debate on Sept. 26.

Reason magazine faults Bill Clinton, Barack Obama and, especially, Sarah Palin, for continuing to favor criminal penalties for something they get to treat as a youthful indiscretion:

This is the best news I've heard in a while:

Sept. 18 (Bloomberg) -- The Democratic-controlled Congress, acknowledging that it isn't equipped to lead the way to a solution for the financial crisis and can't agree on a path to follow, is likely to just get out of the way.

Of course, it's sort of like a kid who's just tracked mud all through your house agreeing to step outside.