Porn: Questionable Priority

We deplore pornography and applaud enforcement of the laws against it. But we question the deal between the city and county of Spokane to hire a prosecuting attorney who will focus exclusively on the sex trade.

Local government faces many demands on its dollars. Crime is only one. Pornography is only one category of crime - and hardly the most pressing. Prosecuting attorneys should be flexible, changing their focus as local crime trends warrant. If smut deserves more manpower for a spell, fine.

But to single out this crime for exclusive new funding, above all other crimes and all non-criminal spending priorities, from streets to libraries, is political pandering disguised as policy. It’s a bad precedent. , DataTimes The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = John Webster For the editorial board