C++ style const's & types in Python

[Tom]

I'm a C++ developer learning Python.

There are, of course, a few features of C++ that I miss (and many I don't)
and that I think are important for developing larger applications.

One is const types.  Particularly given that values are passed to methods by
reference.  But am I missing something?  Is there any way in Python to
specify that a value (other than a tuple) must remain constant?

Also, type declarations, while a nuisance in short programs, can be valuable
in larger programs.  It would be nice if Python names could optionally have
their types fixed.  As a substitute, I think I will start using Hungarian
notation to prefix my Python names in cases where I don't intend to
dynamically change their type.  Is this stupid?  Is there a better
alternative?

I realize that these issues are primarly a result of my C++ background, and
that I will be creating Python programs with a C++ style.

Thanks for your suggestions.

Tom.