Auditor General, and presumptive Pittsburgh mayoral candidate, Jack Wagner, thinks tattoo parlors should be regulated. Turns out that while less invasive cosmetic procedures, like cutting hair, require licensing, tattooing remains resolutely laissez-faire here. Ordinarily, you'd think such an idea might cost Wagner support in vote-rich South Side But the proposal seems popular with tattoo artists, who want to cull out less-savory practitioners. As one tells the Post-Gazette, "Only in Pennsylvania can you get a tattoo at carnivals and flea markets." That almost sounds like a great pitch for tourists!

Spending money to shape people's opinions is our job. Or so believes the Marcellus shale drilling industry, judging from this Associated Press story, which explores how upset drilling supporters are at the Heinz Endowments for funding research into the industry's environmental impacts. But as Stephen Hertzenberg notes, the industry itself isn't above trying to procure research.

Guess what former Gov. Ed Rendell is up to! He's co-chairing a "Fix the Debt" campaign, which may yet ensure that even if President Obama wins the November election, the rest of us lose. It's just the latest in a long line of efforts to convince us that the federal deficit is a HUGE problem that we must solve RIGHT NOW! And it may well help drive Obama to some ill-advised post-election "Grand Bargain" which you're hearing nothing about, and which you'll probably hate.

Then again, maybe we needn't worry. The fallout from Obama's disastrous presidential debate last week continues, with a new poll showing a tightening race here in Pennsylvania. One consolation: Romney being Romney, you can't really get a straight answer on how hard he plans to campaign here. On Monday, the conservative website Daily Caller reported that Romney was moving staff from Pennsylvania to Ohio.

Jerry Sandusky, as you've probably heard, got 30 to 60 years for convictions on child abuse. What will prison be like for him? He'll have to face ... "catcalls."

At least someone out there thinks Tom Corbett is doing a good job.

This seems like a winning issue: In his bid to oust US Rep. Tim Murphy, Democratic challenger Larry Maggi is taking issue with taxpayer money earmarked for Mario Lemieux. 'Cause if there's one thing western Pennsylvania hates, it's fawning over sports legends, right?