Hmmm, I Wonder Why...

Three short items I just saw on Taegan Goddard's Political Wire blog (one of my favorites):

Lawmaker Suggests Shooting Illegal Immigrants

Kansas state Rep. Virgil Peck (R) said "it might be a good idea to control illegal immigration the way the feral hog population has been controlled -- with hunters shooting from helicopters," the Lawrence World Journal reports.

Peck later said he was "just joking."

Lawmaker Resigns After Mental Illness Remarks

New Hampshire state Rep. Martin Harty (R) has resigned "after he drew fire for remarks on mental illness and population control," the New Hampshire Union Leader reports.

Harty admitted last month that "so far I really don't know what I'm doing . The few votes I've made so far I really didn't know what I was voting for or against. Just looked at the people around me and went along with them."

Lawmaker's Wife Joins Recall Effort Against Him

Wisconsin state Sen. Randy Hopper's (R) wife has signed a recall petition against him, according to New York magazine.

She also tells the Fond du Lac Reporter Hopper doesn't even live in the district as state law requires of lawmakers. Instead, he lives with his 25-year old mistress.

And finally, the "Hmmmmm, I Wonder Why..."

Confidence in Government Falls to New Low
Only 26% of Americans in a new ABC News/Washington Post poll say they're optimistic about "our system of government and how well it works," the fewest recorded since 1974. Almost as many, 23% are pessimistic, the closest these measures ever have come. The rest, a record high, are "uncertain" about the system.