It’s the Tuesday after Super Bowl XLVI. Welcome back to work.
You no longer have to get a Magic Marker and highlight your route around football traffic to get to downtown Indy. You no longer have to know before you go.
You can’t gripe anymore about standing outdoors in the chilly morning air while looking at the backs of “Mike & Mike in the Morning,” wondering why they couldn’t have an indoor studio with bleacher seating and charge the public $5 a head and donate the proceeds to charity.
You don’t have to watch, or read, endless media accounts from Super Bowl Village, knowing there’s no way for you to hop in your car and drive your family downtown in time to see Eli Manning allegedly walking along Georgia Street.
You no longer, perhaps unfortunately, can sit on an orange couch next to a warm propane flame in the middle of a busy downtown thoroughfare and sip a Bud Light while your kids throw footballs on artificial turf.
While we loved what the Super Bowl did for our reputation, it’s time to get back to the real world. Let’s recap the lost week.
While you were out:
- Anderson Mayor Kevin Smith delivered his State of the City Address. He wants to bring jobs and investment to the city. However, he didn’t announce any detailed plan for addressing the community’s needs.
- The Indiana Senate passed a bill that would allow schools to teach religion-based views of the origin of creation, whether it’s Muslim, Christian, Jewish or Scientology. Wait till the kids come home and ask parents how faith revolves around matter, energy, space and time.
- The Indiana House passed a smoking ban for most public places and workplaces ... as the House has done for the past five years without success.
- Right-to-work legislation was signed into law by Gov. Mitch Daniels although he said in 2004 and 2006 that he would not seek to add RTW to Indiana’s labor law.
- Mitt Romney won the Nevada and Florida presidential primaries. After challenger Newt Gingrich lost the Sunshine State, Gingrich’s team displayed signs reading “46 States to Go,” although it’s closer to say he’s eligible in only 43.5 (He didn’t file on time to qualify in Missouri, and didn’t collect enough signatures for Virginia. In Tennessee, he did not qualify to win a full slate of delegates.)
- Reports indicated Iran would strike at U.S. interests if it feels threatened. And a leaked NATO report said the Taliban are helped by Pakistani security services.
So, yes, you missed a lot last week. You may be thankful that you did.
Come to think of it, can we host a Super Bowl every weekend?
