This Idiot used to be My Representative

Before a little gerrymandering switched things around. i believe it may have had more to do with loosing a representative than any nefarity on the part of the house. Anyway, a completely unneccessary porkbarrel laden extension of I-69 which ends in Indianapolis, has been passed and, the most environmentally damaging route was chosen. Now it would seem that, the rep for the 8th indiana district, wants to pass legislation to change the name of the highway, you know, because the prudes disaprove.

John Hostettler, the Congressman representing the 8th district of Indiana, has been convinced by local religious groups to introduce legislation in the House that would change the name of an Interstate 69 extension to a more moral sounding number.

There are plans to extend the interstate from Indianapolis through southwestern Indiana all the way through Texas into Mexico in the coming years. While most believe this highway will be good for the state's economy, religious conservatives believe I-69 sounds too risqué and want to change the interstate's number.

Hostettler, a proponent of the interstate extension, agrees. "Every time I have been out in the public with an I-69 button on my lapel, teenagers point and snicker at it. I have had many ask me if they can have my button. I believe it is time to change the name of the highway. It is the moral thing to do."
........................
"Naming the road I-63 not only follows numbering guidelines, it doesn't have the sexual undertones that I-69 has, says Hostettler, It is a win-win situation."

Now that is governance in action. Fundies get a fit of the "vapors" and a highway must be renamed. I for one have to admit that during the many times I have looked at a map of our state, and the few times I have traveled to the Northeastern part of the state It has never occured to me to think of I-69 as anything other than a highway designation, and I have been know to have a rather twisted sense of humor. I guess it really was just a bit to pedestrian for my taste. But Dammit, it's the "moral thing to do". Yo, John, can we use the bones of dead Iraqi's to form the bed for the new road, or would that violate your sense of propriety.

[............update............]

He is still an idiot but the story is a Hoax

An apparent Internet hoax is creating quite a stir at the office of Indiana 8th District Congressman John Hostettler. Angry callers have been responding to an article on the Internet claiming Hostettler had been convinced by religious groups, to propose changing the name of interstate 69 to a "more moral" sounding number. Hostettler spokesperson Michael Jahr says there is absolutely no truth to the story and calls the web site in question satirical in nature.

Couldnt happen to a nicer congressional office. The rest of the story has an interview with the guy who coughed up the piece. Apparently this is not the first time a story has been picked up from the Indiana Version of the Onion.