Buoyed by a string of hopeful government reports on layoffs, factory production and consumer spending, economists are predicting that hiring and even housing will pick up in 2011 and make it a better year after all.

The Commerce Department is calling for the creation of a “privacy bill of rights” for Internet users to set ground rules for companies that collect consumer data online and use that information for marketing and other purposes.

Despite a delay, the White House pushed hard Thursday for the House to pass a tax package that would save millions of Americans thousands of dollars in higher taxes beginning Jan. 1.

While stores still sell a plethora of good old-fashioned toys such as board games, action figures and stuffed animals, electronic ones aren’t exactly a niche category anymore either.