Apparently the state of New Mexico, not content with the alien problem it already has, is prepared to address the issue of disenfranchised Plutonians. On Tuesday, the esteemed legislative body will vote on a bill to make Pluto a planet once again while it is passing over New Mexican territory – but only at night. As Davy Barry would say, I am not making this up.

This is undoubtedly good news for my my youngest son, who asserts emphatically that he’s on a student visa from Pluto. And based on his delightfully quirky behavior, I haven’t ruled it out. And my Sweetness will probably want to move to New Mexico now because in addition to a lack of cold weather, they have good planetary instincts. Inexplicably, she’s never quite gotten over the rock’s demotion last year.

But the real question is Bill Richardson’s position. His Presidential aspirations could hinge on this crucial issue. How big of a pandering patsy is he? And how many countless hours and dollars will be wasted trying to figure out the timetable for exactly when Pluto is a planet? That could take years of deliberation all by itself. I can’t help but think that the New Mexico state legislature might be using their constituents’ money better by buying themselves flashlights and forming a citizen’s border patrol.