King County Executive Ron Sims, awaiting confirmation as deputy secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, called on the Legislature today to give counties the ability to raise taxes for public health.

Part of what's behind Sims' plea is a failed gamble that the Legislature would come through with money to shore up public health. But even absent such a poor bet, there is no doubt that county health departments are hurting.

Today's editorial suggested the Legislature revisit its big cuts to health care should it reconvene in a special session. Laurie Jinkins, deputy director of health at the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, broke away from battling swine flu to give us the lay of the land:

Legislative decisions contained both good and bad news for local public health departments. The good news is they didn’t cut as much discretionary funding at the end as they considered during budget negotiations. Statewide, public health will receive about $4 million less than last year in the dollars that are flexible.

But the bad news is that health departments will receive $4 million less in discretionary/flexible funds and also see cuts to a number of programs that are key to improving the health of communities: immunizations, HIV/AIDS, parenting support, and smoking prevention. Local health will have to make hard choices about whether or not to use our limited flexible funding to backfill those cuts at the same time we’re responding to a public health emergency.

The bottom line: Public health is receiving fewer dollars overall at a time when the department is trying to manage a human swine flu outbreak, reduce the levels of sexually transmitted diseases, protect drinking water, increase healthy family relationships and help people get healthier by eating better, exercising more, and smoking less.

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This editorial will appear in Thursday's print edition.

Could it really be? The U.S. economy is finally coming up for some air? Well, thank goodness, and pass the Visas.

None other than Ben S. Bernanke says it’s so. In his testimony Tuesday before the Joint Economic Committee in Congress, Federal Reserve soothsayer and head cheerleader for the financial markets said, “the pace of contraction may be slowing,” that consumer demand “may be stabilizing” and that the housing market has “shown some signs of bottoming.”

That, dear readers, is what qualifies as a message of optimism these days.

We’ll take it. Americans are just plain tired of frugality. They’ve skimped and saved and bought generic, and it’s wearing on them, literally.

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This editorial will appear in Thursday's print edition.

Bold ideas – and some might even work

Can malaria-carrying mosquitoes be infected with a fungus to suppress their sense of smell – and their ability to sniff out humans to bite?

Is it possible to turn tomatoes into antiviral drug-delivery systems that would help people in poor countries fight off deadly infectious diseases?

Will shooting a laser at a person’s skin before giving a vaccination boost immunity?

Maybe. Maybe not. But the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is willing to spend $100 million to find out if any one of these or 78 other “unorthodox” ideas will pan out. It’s all part of the foundation’s goal of finding innovative ways to improve the lives and health of people around the world.

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A Supreme Court justice’s retirement always raises great expectations and fears, and David Souter’s retirement is no exception. Liberals are excited and conservatives are worried.

But nothing is going to change. Indeed, nothing is going to change on the Supreme Court for a long time. It may take eight years; probably more.

The reason is simple. The Supreme Court has a slender conservative 5-4 majority, and the conservatives are the “young” guys. Of the five conservatives – Roberts, Alito, Thomas, Scalia and Kennedy – Scalia is 73 and Kennedy 72, but Roberts is 53, Alito 58 and Thomas 61.

The liberals? Souter was the youngest (70); Ginsberg is 76 and unhealthy, and Stephens is 89. Only Breyer (71), and whoever Obama appoints to replace Souter, have long court careers ahead of them. That leaves the 5-4 vote unchanged for several years to come. Even if Obama gets to appoint two more judges (possible) the main shift will be that the liberals will become the "young guys" (and gals).

But can Obama “solidify” liberalism by appointing ideologues to replace Souter, Ginsberg and Stephens? It will be hard to find judges more liberal than those three. It was the conservatives who solidified their 5-vote position by exchanging Roberts for Rehnquist and Alito for O’Connor. Roberts and Alito are both relatively young and very conservative; and Kennedy is a more secure “swing” vote than O’Connor ever was (watch the voting rights decision coming up soon).

So, when can liberals count on finally gaining their coveted fifth vote? Probably around 2016. Unless the Republicans win back the presidency. If the Democrats win in 2016, conservatives had better get prepared to duck....

Disclaimer: This writer is 59 years old and thus has a completely unrealistic view of the term “young”.... This writer is also well aware that John Roberts has a heart condition. All Americans pray for the Chief Justice’s and Justice Ginsberg's good health.

Could it really be? The U.S. economy is finally coming up for some air? Well, thank goodness, and pass the Visas. This frugality business is getting old.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is spending $100 million to find out if any one of 81 unorthodox ideas will pan out. The grants, while relatively modest in size, have real potential for resulting in incremental advances that will help people live longer and better lives.

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

Want to sit in on a daily ed board meeting? Email cheryl.tucker@thenewstribune.com to make an appointment.

I was listening to the radio Tuesday and heard an ad for a May 16 educational event at Mount St. Helens featuring Bill Nye the Science Guy.

The event is called "It's a Blast."

Am I being too sensitive to think that sounds a little in-sensitive? Maybe I'm putting myself in the shoes of those who lost someone in the eruption of Mount St. Helens on May 18, 1980. When they hear the word "blast," do they think "fun time" or something else?

Fifty-seven people were killed when the volcano erupted. I know it's been almost three decades, but it still seems too soon to be making light of the event with a snappy "It's a Blast" reference.

Adding to the cringe-worthiness: The event is taking place at the Johnston Ridge Observatory – named after geologist David Johnston, one of those killed that day.