Political News Break: Ted Stevens Indicted

One down, another 300 or so to go.

This guy is famous for the "bridge to nowhere". Most of where our leadership is taking us should fall somewhere in the area of "crimes against American humanity" ;)

• Sen. Ted Stevens, the longest-serving Republican senator and a figure in Alaska politics since before statehood, has been indicted on seven counts of falsely reporting hundreds of thousands of dollars in services he received from a company that helped renovate his home.
• The 7-count indictment comes nearly one year after federal agents raided Stevens' home in Girdwood, a resort town about 40 miles south of Anchorage. The Justice Department has scheduled a press conference for 1:20 p.m. to announce the indcitment.

What's the bridge to nowhere? A symbol of a federal government run amuck.

• On Friday, Alaska decided the bridge really was going nowhere, officially abandoning the project in Ketchikan that became a national symbol of federal pork-barrel spending. The $398 million bridge would have connected Ketchikan, on one island in southeastern Alaska, to its airport on another nearby island.
• U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens and Rep. Don Young, both Republicans, championed the project through Congress two years ago, securing more than $200 million for the bridge between Revillagigedo and Gravina islands. Under mounting political pressure over pork projects, Congress stripped the earmark -- or stipulation -- that the money be used for the airport, but still sent the money to the state for any use it deemed appropriate.
• "It was a symbol of federal spending" that's out of control, said Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas. "There's not going to be a lot of tears shed for the bridges to nowhere."
• When Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., tried unsuccessfully last month to cut funding for the two bridges, an angry Stevens declared that he would resign his Senate seat if the bridge funding was dropped. (insert whiny noises here) On Wednesday, Stevens said he didn't plan on leaving the Senate after all. (thought so!)
  

Tom Coburn we keep; but for every Coburn we need to purge 50 others.

Note to new readers - I'm independent; this allows me to make fun of both sides of the ridiculous aisle.

We return you now to your regularly schedule market tomfoolery.