Governmental Two-fer

Another one of those neither-is-worth-a-post-on-its-own days... but both of these caught my eye:

• California claims a copyright on their state laws (link). It seems Oregon does too, but I haven't found anything about Washington doing the same, at least. The reason appears to be so that they can charge over $2300 for a full print copy, or over $1500 for a digital copy. Comments I've seen defend this practice on the basis that you can still access the laws for free through your local library (on their schedule) or through the state's website (when it's functioning properly)... but really, why shouldn't a .pdf version be available for download for the actual cost of the download, or be available to on-demand print shops for the cost of printing at the quality level the buyer wants to pony up for? This information is supposed to be as readily available to the general public as possible, right?
• This is really more electoral than governmental, but... I've always had a soft spot for Penn Jillette, loudmouth and blowhard that he is. Here is his take on the current presidential cycle... and it's closer to right than not, in my humble opinion.