Here are your must reads for the day with an added bonus: my snarky comments added for free!  What a deal!

SOUTH DAKOTA MUST READS:

Michigan: The Election Without Meaning
16/01/08 09:56 from South Dakota Politics
The results last night in Michigan, a Romeny win over McCain and a Clinton victory over no one, mean this: almost nothing.  On the GOP side it means Romney is not dropping out, but other than that the candidates continue to tread water…

• Besides hunting pheasants, finally, something Prof. Schaff and I agree about!

Denver in Snow
16/01/08 13:00 from phoDak
What if dogs could write software? What problems would they solve?

• If my dogs could program computers, they’d try to figure out a program that would let them sleep even more during the day, say 23 hours instead of their current 22 hours.

Will Our Legislature Ever Do Some Real Work?
15/01/08 22:12 from Rant-a-Bit by Scott Hudson
Every year, I hold on to a small glimmer of hope that our state legislature will actually do some meaningful work. Surely they’ll spend their time in Pierre drafting, debating, and passing important legislation that will enrich the lives …

• Scott, I’ve been wondering the same thing since I covered my first S.D. Legislature in 1987.
  

Should I start naming names for this to mean something?
16/01/08 01:00 from Yankton Press & Dakotan :: Blogs blogs
Well, maybe I need to start being very blunt. Everyone keeps digressing on events in Yankton they can do little about. I have an issue for everyone to dig in and give me some answers on.  Tell me why my brother in-law is sitting in jail…

• And don’t forget to pull your pants up to your nipples, old man, while you complain about the government.  And you damn kids get off my yard!
  

NON-SOUTH DAKOTA MUST READS:

 McCain Blasts Mailer Attacking War Record
16/01/08 09:39 from Politics from Newser
Citing “deceitful smear tactics” by “fringe elements,” John McCain’s campaign is on the offensive against a flier circulating in South Carolina attacking his war record—an echo of the attacks that derailed his 2000 candidacy…

• Say what you will about McCain’s stands on the issues, the man is a freakin’ war hero.  End of argument.

US inflation reaches 17-year high
16/01/08 09:20 from BBC News | Americas | World Edition
US inflation for all of 2007 hit the highest rate for 17 years, as surging energy and food costs pushed up prices…

• Can you say it’s 1992, “It’s the economy, stupid,” and a Democrat is taking back the White House?  I can.

WSJ staff concerned about Murdoch’s view on story length
16/01/08 07:44 from Romenesko
New York Observer Rupert Murdoch repeated last week that he believes the Journal’s front-page feature stories are too long, which set off an alarm in the newsroom in the days following, reports John Koblin …

• For free, here are some stories the “new” WSJ can run that should meet their new length requirements that also fit Murdoch’s worldview: “Democrats suck.” “Hillary’s a bitch.” “Republicans good.” “Screw the middle class.”  “Facts, who needs them?”
  

Bush hit new low
16/01/08 06:01 from WE Blog
President Bush has received his lowest start-of-the-new-year approval rating – 32 percent. That’s a point lower than last January. He started his presidency with a 55 percent rating, then climbed to 83 percent in January 2002…

• Pres. Bush now needs to dig a sub-sub-basement for his plummeting approval ratings.