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?

Happy President’s Day. How are you celebrating at your house? I’m thinking of chopping down the apple tree. I felled the cherry tree a long time ago.

Thought on this and important stuff go here.

Here’s a thread for new topics.

Here it is. Be nice to each other.

Well, that was enjoyable football game. Just hope the fans don’t dismantle the city.

What’s on your mind this morning?

More details will be forthcoming, but Associated Press just reported that a judge ruled today the state of Washington is not meeting its constitutional duty to fully fund basic education.  That may not surprise anyone, but the big question will be how the state will respond.  In the 1970s another judge made the same ruling, one outcome of which was that local property taxes went down significantly.  In a meeting with the editorial board yesterday, representatives of the state Board of Education noted that more than $2 billion in local special levy money now goes to pay for schools and much of what that money provides is unarguably part of basic education. As in the ‘70s, local taxpayers are paying extra to underwrite what is the state’s paramount constitutional responsibility.  Not likely that we’ll see the state step in and relieve that local tax burden anytime soon, not with the economic difficulties that already challenge Olympia. But it will be fascinating to see how (or if) they respond to this court ruling in a way that lasts.  Obviously the 1970s fix didn’t.

Do ask, do tell.

Put your pent-up thoughts here. Note that there is a budget item below.

Here is an article on it. What do you hate. What do you like?