Friday News Digest

Last week I enjoyed outdoor baseball in Arlington, Texas as I watched the Yankees beat up on the Rangers. This week I received my login and password for choosing my seats in the new outdoor Twins stadium. Next week I get to enjoy a Rockies game in beautiful outdoor Coors Field.

I have a truly blessed life.

Enjoy this week's news: 

• Barak Obama comes from an urban background, and while I do not think that makes him out of touch with small towns, I do think it highlights the fact that most Americans live in urban areas.In our system of government, that means urban areas have more representation that rural areas. It is not unfair - it is a fact. 

• And there is strong evidence that globalization - which has benefited small towns - has created larger cities overall. 

• Disincorporation. A term we will be hearing more of in the coming years.  

• Which might be okay since many of our cities are doing really stupid things. 

• The lead for this story may signal the sad reality that the next phase of this economic mess has begun (and won't be over for a long time).

Borrowers with good credit now make up the largest share of foreclosures as job losses and pay cuts exact their toll. 

• So it is not surprising to hear that we are looking for ways to make better use of things we previously discarded. 

• Yeah, this intersection is a mess, but I'll note that it is just a couple of blocks west of a "temporary" signal that has been in place since long before I could drive. Wonder where they will find the money for the next temporary fix? 

• It won't be from the Highway Trust Fund. 

• I have an idea: four dollar gas. With this money, I could even afford it for a while. 

• George Will had a great Op-Ed about the evolution of mainstream environmentalism.  

• Looks like the people of Woodbury, MN, read that George Will article. 

• There is one group that, for now, seems to be pro-recession: babies.