1| Stevens should resign
Alaska’s “Bridge to Nowhere” man indicted
The Details: Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, once described the Internet as “a series of tubes.” The feds indicted him for allegedly lying to investigators about gifts he got from an Alaska oil services firm. National Review says Stevens should resign now for the good of his party.
2| Ludicrous indeed
Obama’s Sister Souljah moment
The Details: Alleged music artist Ludacris showcases his support for Obama with lyrics calling Hillary Clinton a “bitch” and saying John McCain ought to be in a wheelchair. Obama responded by saying Lucacris “should be ashamed of those lyrics.” Good for Obama.
3| Houston transparency
Texas daily posts city workers’ salaries
The Details: Striking a blow for greater transparency in government, the Houston Chronicle posts a searchable database of salaries paid more than 81,000 public employees working for the City of Houston, Harris County, Houston Independent School District, Houston Community College, the Harris County Department of Education, the Port of Houston Authority and the Metropolitan Transit Authority.
4| Equal enforcement
Supreme Court decisions apply to D.C. too
The Details: After the Supreme Court struck down the city’s previous gun registration law, the D.C. City Council couldn’t wait to pass a new gun registration law that all but duplicates the old one. Rep. Mark Souder, R-Ind., says Congress should use its constitutional authority to remind the Council that the law of the land applies in D.C., too.
5| Cutting honesty
Next president must reduce spending
The Details: Taxpayers for Common Sense (TCS) points out that whoever wins the White House in November will face a federal budget that is seriously in the red. So instead of clichés and vague promises, TCS suggests McCain and Obama tell voters now “how their economic plans will bring the budget back into balance.”
6| Support for Dominion Virginia Power’s new a $234 million, 500-kilovolt power line between Frederick and Loudoun counties.
Power to the people
The details: Virginia State Corporation Commission hearing examiner Alexander Skirpan Jr. says yes to the $234 million, 500-kilovolt power line, despite the usual cries from environmental groups. Without it and two others proposed for the Washington area, Northern Virginia could see blackouts in three years.
7| D.C. gun law sued – again.
Going back and getting it right
The details: Dick Heller’s first lawsuit challenging D.C.’s decades-old gun ban led to a landmark Supreme Court ruling affirming residents’ Second Amendment rights. Now he claims D.C.’s revised gun registration laws are still too restrictive.
8| English as College Park’s official language.
No habla espanol in College Park.
The details: If Councilman Jack Perry’s bill passes, College Park would be Maryland’s third jurisdiction making English its official language. That will help immigrants and foreign students learn the notoriously hard-to-pick up language faster — which can only help them on the job and in the classroom.
9| Coming soon on Capital Beltway sections now under construction.
New Beltway speed limits
The details: Virginia Department of Transportation will incrementally reduce speeds as motorists approach a two-mile section of Interstate 495 near Telegraph Road that is down two lanes because of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge project. Variable speed limits could be used to prevent frustrating backups anywhere there’s an approaching bottleneck.
10| No back-to-school sales taxes, sort of
Give parents a tax break.
The details: Virginia’s sales tax holiday includes pricey musical instruments, calculators and book bags in addition to the usual pens, pencils, crayons and notebooks. Del. Margi Vanderhye, D-McLean, says there’s no limit on the number of tax-exempt items purchased as long as they’re on the state-approved list.
