Hey, it’s Friday again.  The stock market is sagging in the early going, but not enough to seriously erode a strong performance this week. Spokane County reports sales tax receipts are turning at least slightly upward. Gov. Gregoire celebrates a report showing job growth in the “green” sector.

What do you think, will the recession be a thing of the past by Monday?

Comment here about that issue or whatever else is on your mind.  Or add to ongoing  conversations (below) about education and health care reform or the 2010 census. 

What is “basic education?” What should be included/excluded? How to fix it? How to pay for it? Should the feds have a role?

Put your education thoughts here, and I’ll keep in on the front page.

The 2010 census is getting under way. Some folks see it as a vital mechanism for getting resources to the places they’re needed. Others see it as an intrusion.  What about you?

Or if you have other topics to address, consider this Wednesday’s loose thread…

Put your thoughts on the health care debate in this thread here.  I’ll update this as needed and keep it on the blog’s “front page.”

There’s a nice conversation under way under yesterday’s post (originally headlined “Show of hands, please”) about the 2010 census.  So I’ve renamed it “2010 census” and I’ll keep it running near the top of the blog as long as the topic continues to sustain interest and attract comments.

Meanwhile, if you have other issues on your mind,  this is a great place to launch them.

I may have raised this issue here before, but I’m always interested in hearing thoughts about it. It came up yesterday when I had a chance to chat informally with a man who is running for a judicial office.

Candidates for the bench generally refrain from going into much detail about their philosophies, lest they run afoul of the canons that forbid them from expressing views about cases that may come before them.

Yet there’s more to it than simply applying the law faithfully and impartially. Otherwise, what difference would it matter whether Ruth Bader Ginsberg or Antonin Scalia sat on the U.S. Supreme Court.  Different justices, different outlooks, different outcomes.

In Washington, where we elect judges from the Supreme Court on down, how do voters get a handle on which outlooks a candidage for judge embraces?

I had a tech meltdown last night. It made me want to blow up every computer or digital device in my path.  Fortunately for a dinosaur like me, I’m surrounded in the workplace by young whizzes who can talk me through these challenging moments. 

Speaking of talking, it’s your turn…

Real threat? Hoax? Too expensive to fix? Too dire not to?

Put your thoughts here, and I’ll keep it on the blog’s Front Page.

This is really Monday’s loose thread, so post away with whatever is on your mind. Here’s what’s on mine:

Washington’s high school students face a new proficiency test this week, one that replaces the controversial WASL.  It’s interesting to hear Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn boast that he has delivered on his promise to change the state test. 

But can the state have it both ways?

The new test will place more emphasis on objective methods — multiple-choice questions, for example — instead of subjective  methods such as essay exams.

The WASL was designed in the first place to rely more on subjective tests, which give a clearer picture of what a student knows, but those cost a lot more to grade.  The new test will cost less, but will give a clearer picture of what a student can guess.

So the state will save money, but will sacrifice precision.

The WASL had other problems besides its cost, of course, but is this a step forward?

I’ll be off next week. Found this video uplifting. Maybe you will, too.

Be nice to each other.

Remember to move your clocks forward on Saturday night. Good riddance to early darkness.

New topics here. Themed threads below.

Dang, those Cougs are jinxed.

New topics here. Themed threads below.

New thoughts here. Themed threads below.

Here comes March Madness. Oh, and I think a basketball tournament is approaching, too.

New thoughts here. Themed threads below.

Note the themed threads below. Posts on other topics go here.

I received some good tips on making the blog experience better. Some are technical, and I’ll have to consult with smarter people. But the one I can do now is to organize debates with themed blog posts. Below you’ll see Health Care Reform, Education and Global Warming. I can add other topics if those heat up (like the planet).

The purpose is to have the debates in one place, rather than across multiple threads. I can keep those threads front and center as long as they’re still drawing comments.

Also, the Loose Threads will be named by date, rather than day of the week to avoid repetition (e.g., two “Monday Loose Threads”.) I’ll try to keep posting those, so that people can discuss items that don’t fit the themed threads.

Thanks, gmorton, for the suggestions. Sure glad I didn’t have to check with the government first.

If  anyone else has ideas on topics or the blog itself, shoot me an email. It’s garyc@spokesman.com.

Random thoughts here. Themed threads below.

A state income tax proposal. Hmm … let the people decide?

Here is a 10-month report. At least 36 people have taken lethal doses.

Could you ever imagine doing this? Are you for it or against it as a law?

Note the themed threads below. Conversation on other topics go here.

Post on topic of choice. Note the themed threads below.

Random musings here. Note the themed threads below.

Put your random thoughts here. Note the themed threads below before posting here.

Some hockey match, eh?

U.S. Sen. Scott Brown sure went for hero to zero in record time. Now, he’s a traitor and a RINO.

James Taranto tells conservatives to grow up.

If Scott Brown is a RINO, any conservative with an semblance of sanity should drop to his knees and say a prayer of thanks for the creation of RINOs. If the species didn’t exist, Sen. Martha Coakley would be the 60th vote in favor of ObamaCare. No, scratch that. She’d be the 62nd vote for ObamaCare, the 60th and 61st coming from the Maine Democrats who would have soundly defeated whatever “real” Republicans ran in place of Snowe and Collins.

Kathleen Parker hits the same theme.

But when the vote was tallied, 13 Republican senators became “traitors.” What was that Steve Martin line? “Cats and dogs … living together!”

Here’s a reader topic:

Health Savings Accounts are one way to bend the cost curve in a downward direction. This would lead to lower health insurance rates. The Obamacare plans will get rid of HSAs. What is the Democrat plan to actually lower costs?

And another:

Once upon a time an irresponsible parent caused an accident that sent their child to the hospital – first the Emergency Room and then Intensive Care and then long term rehabilitation. The responsible parent had to take out loans in order to pay the exorbitant hospital and doctor bills.

Soon the short sighted relatives of the first parent started blaming the responsible one for paying so many bills that the family’s finances were practically bankrupt. The responsible one tried to explain that he was not to blame. They would hear none of it. You are responsible for the family’s finances and you’re ruining them, they would chant.

“You are piling up debts right and left. When are you going to start recognizing that the financial health of the family is your responsibility and stop blaming your spouse for all the bills?”

The responsible one responded: “If our child is in the hospital or rehabilitation longer than he needs to be, I will start taking responsibility for those expenses, otherwise, never.”

The child in this story is our economy, the responsible parent is President Obama. I will leave it to the reader to determine who the short sighted relatives are.

Below is a thread that was suggested by a reader. Want to start a thread? Send me an email and I’ll consider the topic.

garyc@spokesman.com

Got an email from a blog reader who offered the following topics for commentary.

How do you feel about?

The 20 plus billion dollar price tag of the upcoming census?

If the Federal Department of Education bothers you, how do you feel about the Department of Energy?
 
With huge cuts coming in public education, where would you cut $12 to $15 million dollars out of the Spokane School District budget?
 
With the state legislature in session, President Obama full-court pressing on health care reform and the war in Afghanistan at a turning point and HOT, does anybody see something wrong with the 24/7 attention being give to Tiger Woods?

All of this sunshine. It’s so disorienting.

Comment on topics of the day here.

Knock off the juvenile innuendo and language stuff. It’s very simple to ban someone. A lot easier than playing grammar school principal. Discuss the issues. Do not discuss this.

Choice is yours.

If conservatives had a problem with the Bush administration, it sure didn’t materialize today when Dick Cheney made an appearance at a rally of conservative pooh-bahs.

“I think 2010 will be a phenomenal year for the conservative cause and I think Barack Obama is a one-term president,” Cheney said to a standing ovation.

He walked out to applause, chants of “Cheney” and a standing ovation as he appeared after daughter Liz Cheney‘s speech.

“A welcome like that is almost enough to make me want to run for office,” Cheney said, laughing. “But I’m not going to do it.”

Are they cheering the Bush-Cheney policies or the Obama critiques? Do you wish he would run for office?

Discuss this or other items here.

Long New York times feature with a Sandpoint dateline.

Have you been to a Tea Party event? Does it appeal to you?