Random Thoughts

* Indian Governor Mitch Daniels recently refused to extend an executive order that had forced state employees to pay union dues. Once the dues became voluntary, 85% of the state work force stopped paying. Wonder what would happen in Ohio if any governor were to do the same???

* As an update to the pork-laden Transportation Bill, is this comment from talk show host Neal Boortz:

"Here's a government outrage. Your tax dollars are funding the transportation and housing bill, which is expected to be ripe with funding for new bridges and infrastructure. Wrong. How about increasing funding by $8 billion for a North Dakota peace garden, a Montana baseball stadium and a Las Vegas history museum.

"Are you getting it, folks? Spending more money on pork like this is not going to prevent incidents' like the Minneapolis bridge collapse. It will, however, buy votes. Government will always find other ways to spend your money. Face it...we've lost control of these people in Washington."

* The Associated Press is reporting that Justice Department is now competing with the Pentagon for ridiculous spending:

"An internal Justice audit, released Friday, showed the department spent nearly $7 million to plan, host or send employees to ten conferences over the last two years. This included paying $4 per meatball at one lavish dinner and spreading an average of $25 worth of snacks around to each participant at a movie-themed party.

"There was plenty, too, for those needing to satisfy a sweet tooth. More than $13,000 was spent on cookies and brownies for 1,542 people who attended a four-day 'Weed and Seed' conference in August 2005, according to the audit by Justice Department Inspector General Glenn A. Fine. And a 'networking' session replete with butterfly shrimp, coconut lobster skewers and Swedish meatballs at a Community Oriented Policing Services conference in July 2006 cost more than $60,000."

It's the spending, stupid.