Politics and other nightmares

Well, duh:

Don't know that I'd recommend Texas Gov. Rick Perry as a role model for all gubernatorial behavior, but Gov. Mike Pence could certainly do worse than emulating this particular Perry approach:

Gov. Rick Perry’s high-profile efforts to lure jobs to Texas from other states may be good business and smart politics back home, but they’re infuriating to prominent Democrats around the country.

Some changes in urban living are obvious -- the declining risk of dangerous fires as building materials have changed and safety precautions increased, for example. But some aren't as immediately noticeable:

Hooray for Texas:

Despite having lost his bid for the presidency, Texas Governor Rick Perry now finds himself again in a position of (potential) national leadership. On the way to his desk is a bill that would put Texas far ahead of the rest of the country when it comes to protecting consumers' electronic privacy.

Snakes in Washington, who's surprised?

WASHINGTON - They're not on a plane, but snakes in a tree could still be scary -- especially when they're spotted in D.C.

DCist says an email in an Adams Morgan Yahoo Group by a D.C. police sergeant discusses snakes falling out of trees at Walter Pierce Park in Northwest.

An interesting question:

Indiana is the only state that gives liquor stores a monopoly on retail cold beer sales. And with liquor stores closed on Sundays, people who want cold beer need to plan ahead or slip across the state line.

What we should be talking about but aren't very much in the gun-violence debate:

Today's statement of the obvious:

The Postal Service lost $1.9 billion between January and March, and $15.9 billion last year. The 238-year-old institution loses $25 million each day, and has reached its borrowing limit with the federal Treasury. Daily mail delivery could be threatened within a year, officials say.

Well, we can dream, can't we?

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Internal Revenue Service's targeting of conservative political groups has little if anything to do with most everyday taxpayers, but some lawmakers are hoping attention to the budding scandal will swell public and political support for rewriting and simplifying a federal tax code that has undergone some 5,000 changes in the past dozen years.

Ouch. Who could have seen thiscoming?

(AP) — Fort Wayne Community Schools is cutting the hours of 610 part-time teaching aides and cafeteria workers to save money and to avoid providing them health insurance under the federal health care overhaul, its chief financial officer said.