Here are some editorial topics we are considering this first week of December. As always, you’re encouraged to post your thoughts on any or all topics.
The men’s shelter at the Tri-City Union Gospel Mission routinely accommodates more than 100 of the homeless in a facility that has beds for 45. Mats spread over every available space make it possible, but there’s only so much room. If the community can’t find ways to make more beds available, we’re afraid that exposure to winter weather will prove fatal to some.
Kristi Szendre, a hospice nurse for the Tri-Cities Chaplaincy, wrote the winning in a contest sponsored by the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. We’re fortunate to have Szendre and all other the professionals and volunteers who provide hospice care in our community. Their compassion is reduces human suffering every day.
PETA wants Washington Closure Hanford to stop the indiscriminate killing mice in an effort to stop the spread of radioactive mouse droppings. The animal rights group suggests instead that workers use live traps, test for radiation, release the nuclear-free mice and humanely dispatch the others. At least PETA is consistently unafraid of drawing ridicule for taking positions most people find extreme — if not inane.
Kamiakin football fans turned out in mass to clear snow from Lampson Stadium and preserve the Braves’ home field advantage. Let’s hope the community’s supporter gives them the edge at Friday’s state championship. They’ll need it — Bellevue has won seven of the last nine Class 3A state titles.
The latest Wikileaks fiasco has plenty of blame to go around.
President Obama called for two-year pay freeze for federal workers. With $28 billion in savings and the wraith of union members, this is more than an empty gesture. But Americans who’ve never seen a federal paycheck will have to share the pain before we make a dent in the national debt.
Supporters of the DREAM Act are hoping to push it through during the lame duck session. Helping kids who ended up in the U.S. illegally through no fault of their own become contributing members of society is a good idea but the devil is in the details. We’re waiting to see what the Senate approves before weighing in.
