What subject do you wish President Obama had spoken about during the State of the Union address?

We know the State of the Union address is important. It reviews presidential accomplishments from the past year, talks about upcoming plans and generally expounds on slightly relevant stuff such as taxes, wars and health care.

We’re not saying “Don’t watch” — just “Get hammered while doing so” (according to our lawyers, we must say b doesn’t condone binge drinking and drunken driving. Drunken hookups = gray area).

Here’s our drinking game for Wednesday’s State of the Union address (9 p.m., most major networks). Political bottoms up! JORDAN BARTEL, B

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The current scandal which has engulfed ACORN (the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) is bad news for community organizers.

AP says ACORN plans to sue the filmmakers who caught ACORN workers in several states on tapes advising actors (posing as a pimp and prostitute) how to lie to receive housing aid and tax benefits.

The lawsuit from the Baltimore ACORN workers claims the filmmakers damaged ACORN’s reputation and violated Maryland’s wiretap law. The IRS and the U.S. Census bureau have cut ties to ACORN and congressional leaders voted earlier this month to cut off federal funding for the organization.

What ACORN did was wrong, but their acts threaten to harm those still making efforts to help the poor and disadvantaged persons in real need.

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The Obama administration has been dropping former Bush administration sex education programs (aka: abstinence? YES!!!) like a bad habit, and new data suggest a change in teachings might be helpful.

Like, really helpful.

Reuters reports that a new U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study finds, among other bad news, that the annual rate of HIV* diagnoses for males aged 15-19 has nearly doubled in the past 10 years. Syphilis rates are up, too.

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As you see in today’s B’s cover story President Barack Obama intends to push for wide ranging health care reform.

Some say it’s the center piece of Obama’s domestic policy agenda.

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Maryland Congressman John Sarbanes is expected to unveil a new loan forgiveness program geared at encouraging more young people to consider careers in public service.

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President Obama is expected to sign a memorandum sometime today which will grant healthcare and other benefits to the partners of gay and lesbian federal workers.

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Maryland’s political leaders in Washington have been very busy this week:

Maryland Congressman Elijah Cummings continues his fight to give states more funds to protect witnesses by fighting witness intimidation.

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This week in Washington attention focuses first on President Obama’s trip to the Mideast and then on confirmation of the President’s nominee to the Supreme Court, Judge Sonia Sotomayor.

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{Thanks, AP}

Award-winning journalist Gwen Ifill and respected law professor Sherrilynn Ifill are teaming up to kick off a new lecture series at Baltimore’s Enoch Pratt Free Library next week.

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