The Senate confirmation hearings for potential Supreme Court Justice Sam Alito are part of a time-honored American tradition. Every committee member has thirty minutes to ask questions, but most of this time is not used for either questions or answers. Instead, senators spend most of their time promoting themselves.

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Last year, Mark Frauenfelder of Boing Boing learned firsthand that if an outstanding traffic ticket was not recorded in the computer system, payment could not be accepted. His wife (the guilty party) might face tremendous late penalties because the database at the LA Superior Court—and their employees—could not handle a tiny exception.

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