The new bailout compromise looks a lot better than Henry Paulson’s origianl proposal. For one thing, there’s real oversight of Treasury’s actions, and the public has some chance of getting much of its money back when the "illiquid assets" can finally be sold down the road.

Churches have every right to endorse candidates; they just don’t have any right to both endorse candidates and enjoy tax exempt status. The tax exemption applies across the board to nonprofits, religious or not, on condition they not act like taxpayer-subsidized political action groups. Letting churches be the exception would raise separation issues.

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Another confession to make: Near the back door at home I counted five of those reusable shopping bags that we’re supposed to be using instead of disposable plastic bags.

That doesn’t count the four in our cars and several cloth shopping bags we’ve got around the house somewhere. Are we using them like we’re supposed to? Not hardly.

There’s a problem here: In our household, we’re collecting giveaway reusable shopping bags faster than we’re using them. We can’t seem to just say no. I picked up two more last week when they were handed out as giveaways along

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I recently had a chance to catch up with Tacoma’s poet laureate, University of Puget Sound prof Bill Kupinse (who graced one of our last Insight section covers).

He mentioned that NPR affiliate KXOT asked him a while back to record poems about Tacoma. Three of them were recorded on location at Point Defiance, the Cushman substation and the Ruston Way waterfront.

The links above will take you to the MP3 files. Below is a snippet of “Point Defiance.” Listen to the audio to get the full effect.

When I visit her,

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I may be retired, but I’m still busy on the Tacoma breakfast and lunch fundraiser circuit.

The biggest one last week was the Cascade Land Conservancy‘s biannual Pierce County awards luncheon, which drew well over 600 public officials, business leaders and other community members.

One of Pierce County’s most dedicated environmentalists, Thelma Gilmur, received the CLC’s Helen Engle Lifetime Achievement Award.

Among other things, Gilmur led successful efforts to preserve the Snake Lake and China Lake natural areas in Tacoma. Engle, a legendary figure in local environmental circles, was on hand to present

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It’s 9:29, and as soon as I post this, I’m outta here.
I enjoyed tonight’s presidential debate and thought both men did a good job. Makes me more comfortable with whichever one wins.

Here’s our editorial on the debate that will run Saturday.

Candidates come out swinging, play to a tie

Barack Obama and John McCain come off as engaged, knowledgeable and more than willing to mix it up.

Neither presidential candidate hit a home run in Friday night’s debate, but neither struck out either.

Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain accomplished what each needed to do. Obama had to show he’s comfortable with foreign affairs, that he could handle America’s security threats with resolve. McCain needed to at least hold his own on economic issues – by his own admission not his strongest suit – and not lose his cool.

Obama needed to link McCain with the Bush administration as much as possible, and McCain needed to paint Obama as just another tax-and-spend liberal.

Missions accomplished.

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This editorial will appear in Sunday’s paper.

The titanic collapse of Seattle-based Washington Mutual is more proof that the U.S. government must come up with a convincing strategy to rescue the financial sector.

It also illustrates why the public – now angry over the idea of a bailout – has so much at stake in a a rescue. The real victims of inaction are likely to be the little guys, not the big guys.

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The presidential debate’s on for 6 p.m. tonight. For those of you who will be watching near a computer, head to the FactCheck Wire, where Annenberg Public Policy Center watchdogs will be doing their best to debunk misleading claims and unravel sound bites as the debate unfolds.

Saturday: Our take on the first presidential debate.

Sunday: The freezing of the credit market and Washington Mutual’s huge collapse – forced by a panicked run on deposits – shows how the financial crisis could devastate ordinary folks. Unpopular as it is, federal intervention is crucial.

Monday: Tacoma’s complaint-driven sidewalk repair program is a hit-and-miss approach that’s bad for pedestrians and property owners alike.

If you have comments or questions about these topics, please email them to patrick.ocallahan@thenewstribune.com. Editorials represent the consensus view of The News Tribune’s editorial board.

Want to sit in on a

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