How Best To Head Off Lapses In Child Safety?
First, a sportscaster was ticketed for leaving his toddler alone in his car outside the Spokane International Airport terminal.
Now, a woman has been arrested for leaving her 15-month-old alone in a car for nearly 30 minutes while the outside temperature was in the 80s.
Arrests and tickets are after-the-fact. What can be done to prevent incidents like these?
Who’s right? Who’s wrong?
Gene Prince says there’s no right or wrong. Jim Shamp says there is. Therefore, they disagree, right?
Wrong.
Prince, a Republican state senator from Thornton, was quoted in this column on Tuesday as saying he doesn’t believe in right and wrong. He blames inflexible ideology for political paralysis.
The veteran lawmaker said he prefers an approach in which advocates recognize one another’s right to conflicting views and all work toward a compromise that does the greatest good for the greatest number.
“Of course, there’s a difference between right and wrong,” says Shamp, of Cheney. “The problem is that good people with good motives often disagree on which is which. Consequently, in public matters, we have to compromise to avoid killing each other.”
Which was, in essence, Prince’s point.
“Sen. Prince is probably the best legislator we have,” added Shamp. “He recognizes this reality.”
Take a hike
If there’s anything today’s youngsters need more of, it’s exercise, according to Jean Payne, of Nine Mile Falls. So when Spokane School District 81 announced plans to spend almost $300,000 on six new bus routes next year (four of them for special education students), Payne said:
“I think with the obesity that’s rampant in this country, schoolchildren should be walking more distance. If parents are concerned about safety, they should organize groups to walk together so that they can feel confident that somebody’s not going to grab them. … Our kids aren’t getting enough exercise.”
Other readers’ reactions are invited.
Campaign agenda
As the week for candidates to file for this fall’s local elections comes to a close, “Bagpipes” continues to invite your suggestions for campaign issues the candidates should address.
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