The Glory that Was

You can get your morning giggle in the day's opening business report where Reuters predicts your stocks will go up because Greece is selling some bonds to finance its spending habit. All the cool cats in the European business rackets helped arrange things because Greece, like Bernie Madoff, is just to big to fail, its experience at the hands of Rome a while back to the contrary notwithstanding.

Imagine that. Your RGR and SWHC going up or down based on whether Pappa Papadopalos can borrow enough for another shot of ouzo.

Are we absolutely sure this globalization business is such a good idea? :)

Plague

The TMR will not become a full-time Iowa political blog, despite the recent emphases. Can I help it if we are the center of world attention lately?

However I will report, as a matter of public service, so you can cancel your plans to visit, that It Has Begun.

We will be subjected this week to visits from both Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum. It's the price we pay for being first to hype presidential candidates through our intellectually impenetrable early caucus system, the scheme that gave you Obama.

Romney says the trip isn't political. He just wants to howdy us while signing his new book in Des Moines. (Believe it. Mormons are like Georgia peanut farmers. They would nevah lie to us.) Santorum is still attempting to construct a sentence containing a verb.

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THE SHALL-ISSUE BILL: It's still awaitinig House action after 44-4 Senate approval. It is supposed to pass easily, but it is now having to compete with last-minute maneuvering to grab what little tax money is available for lawmakers' pet causes. It's possible it could get lost in the shuffle. The rep critters could establish enough political cover by assigning it to a committee where it could be left to bleed out. We'll see.

Controversially speaking

My newspaper, companion of my childhood, once upon a time an outlet for my words, always a source of bemusement, reports this morning:

"The Senate passed a controversial bill that would allow sheriffs less discretion in granting permits to carry concealed weapons."

I wonder if the meaning of the word "controversial" even cracked the consciousness of the writer and editor.

The shall-issue bill cleared the upper house 44-4, raising a certain objection to the sentence quoted above. To wit: "Holy pschitt you freeken moron, how the freek controversial can the damned thing be if it pleases pleases almost everyone in a fractured Senate -- Democrats, Republicans, drunks, sleepers, and the confused statist dudes who got elected last cycle only because their counties were pissed off at George W. Bush?"

(That was unforgivably vulgar, but it made me feel better.)

Actually, I doubt "controversial" was the product of any cognitive/analytical process at all. It was just a series of reflexive keystrokes hardwired into the brain of journalists who are required to mention firearms.

Iowa Senate Approves Shall-Issue

The vote in favor was 44-4.

The bill has been sent to the House. The lopsided Senate vote suggests Democratic leaders have decided to kick it up to the governor.

The chief remaining legislative question is: Does leadership control its representatives well enough to get a clean House passage without amendments?

UPDATE: The legislature changed its mind and decided to quit early yesterday and take Palm Sunday off. It returns Monday. No word yet on exactly when the House will take up the shall-issue bill.