Mayor Tom Leppert to Host Sarah Palin

She’ll be at the Fairmont on April 30, says Rudy Bush.

Palin4Life, though, screams Blingee contest, IJS.

UPDATE: Uh, what?

For $50, You Can Have Your Name In the George W. Bush Presidential Library

Excuse me, George W. Bush Presidential Center. The Washington Times Happy Fun Times Jamboree Marketing Hootenanny Showcase is blitzing everyone today with an e-mail offering you, yes you, the opportunity to have your name forever entwined with No. 43 hisself.

Donations can be made for as low as $25, but for just $25 more, “your name will also be included in the Freedom Registry on permanent display at the Center” as a charter member.

Yes, The Dallas County Constables ARE Pulling People Over

As Tim mentioned in Leading Off, Dallas County is facing a ginormous shortfall — $56 million, to be exact. And he joked that the constables would be out in force, writing tickets.

Only it isn’t so much a joke. Lemme explain my commute to Plano for work. I drive up Walnut Hill a piece, then turn left on Midway, up Midway to LBJ, LBJ to Central, and so on. Only today, I turn onto Midway, drive a few feet, and there’s a constable. At first, I think he’s just waving at me. Friendly. I wave back. He waves again. I wave back, hoping he’ll get out of my lane soon because, dude, I’m late for work.

Then I realize he’s not so much waving as motioning. Toward this side street. So I pull in. And he informs me I was going 29 miles per hour in a school zone. Which seems a little unfathomable since I had just come from a dead stop, but whatevs. He asks for my driver’s license and proof of insurance. License, I had. But insurance, well, I had, but the proof was tucked in a cute Kate Spade purse about a half mile from where we were sitting. But didn’t this whole driver responsibility whatsit mean he already could tell if I had insurance because of special genie magic Texas Chuck Norris ninja powers?

Apparently not. I got a warning for the speeding, because I haven’t had a ticket since 2005. I got a ticket for not having proof of insurance. I can take a little trip to some JP’s office in Richardson and wave my insurance card around and get that dismissed though, so it’s almost like it never happened.

But fair warning: Radar gun-wielding constables are out there, and evidently even economy cars can indeed hit redonkulous speeds rather quickly.

Leading Off (3/31/10)

1. The New York Times today runs its obit of Ted Pillsbury. I knew, of course, that he was from the family responsible for the Pillsbury Doughboy. It was a surprise to learn, however, that he was also related to John Deere, of farming equipment fame.

2. Today we’ll find out whether KSCS jockey Terry Dorsey will change his name to TexasMotorSpeedway.com (and get a tat) for $100,000. The offer comes from TMS president Eddie Gossage. (Spoiler alert: Dorsey ain’t gonna do it.) Question: who is the savvier promoter? Eddie Gossage or Erykah Badu?

3. Remember that insider trading case involving Mark Cuban and Mamma.com that was dismissed by a federal judge (and which the SEC is appealing)? Cuban is now accusing the SEC of witness tampering and acting in bad faith. Given the way the case has gone so far, my money’s on Cubes.

4. Dallas County is facing a $56 million shortfall. You know what that means: those pesky constables will be out in force, looking to write about $56 million worth of traffic tickets.

5. Diodes Incorporated announced the release of its AP5100 step-down converter. Not sure how that escaped me yesterday. I was busy, but that’s no excuse.