Does Washington Need More Places For People To Gamble?
Gov. Gary Locke has a decision to make about whether to fund a study of casino gambling at Washington state horse racing tracks.
The Legislature put money for a study of the concept into the supplemental budget that now is on Locke’s desk. Some people are encouraging the governor to veto the section relating to the casino idea.
The proposal reportedly originated with horse racing interests who say their business is suffering because liberalized forms of gambling - casinos operated by Indian tribes, for example - are siphoning bettors’ dollars away from the tracks.
Only a couple of decades ago, a major scandal rocked the Washington Legislature over the expansion of gambling. Two legislative leaders and a lobbyist went to prison over the episode, but it did nothing to slow the growth of legalized betting opportunities in Washington.
Should state lawmakers be looking for more gambling venues, such as casinos at racetracks or should they be cutting back?
How do you promote decency?
Whitman County is the latest community seeking to counteract a wave of bigotry.
Besides prosecuting criminal behavior, what can responsible citizens do to foster the kind of civic values that promote fairness and mute the voice of prejudice before it can be uttered in the first place?
Be true to your school
The passage of recent school bond and levy issues - generally by wide margins - contradicts the common notion that public education is in disfavor, says Bagpipes reader Shannon Selland of Spokane.
“I love my kids’ school, Shiloh Hills Elementary in the Mead School District,” she said. “We all work together to make it work and I’m very proud of it.”
Success of Mead’s recent ballot measures shows other Mead patrons are proud, as well, she said.
Follow the Montana model
Diagonal instead of parallel parking in downtown Spokane?
“I think it’s a great idea,” says Mary Mitchell of Spokane.
Mitchell, 72, said she’s been driving since she was a child growing up on a Montana ranch.
“We used to do that (diagonal parking) in Montana and still do,” she said. She estimates it makes room for half again as many cars - and makes it easier to get in and out of parking spots.
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