You know how, every few months, when reporters are bored, someone writes a story about how Members of Congress are unable to afford DC housing and end up sleeping on a couch or an air mattress or a pile of garbage?

Today was Bloomberg's turn.

It's unfortunate, really. Congressional pages get their own dorm; it seems like it would be an awfully good idea to have a similar option for Members (security concerns aside). A Hill-ton, so to speak. (Yes, I know there's a Capitol Hilton.) For $30 million or so, a budgetary pittance, the AOC could build a 500-room hotel that would be made available to Members at some extremely reasonable price (say, $500 a month). Siting the building close to the Capitol would be expensive, but worthwhile, and would allow Members to focus more on the issues they ought to be focusing on and less on paying the gas bill or calling the exterminator.

God knows it'd be tough to pull off, politically. It's hard to justify spending $30 million on yourself when there are people who can't afford any housing whatsoever. But if someone figured out a way to do it, the next several generations of Congressmen would thank them.

On a somewhat related note, tonight marked the premiere of The Hill, the Sundance Channel's 6-part "verite documentary series" about Robert Wexler's staff. [After that whole cocaine-and-hookers incident, I guess Wexler can use all the good press he can get.] I enjoyed it enough to set the TiVo for next time, and I'd happily recommend that you consider doing the same.