What are our priorities?

The money that comes into the state treasury from Lotto tickets goes to pay off the sports stadiums in Seattle? We can’t afford to hire more teachers, we can’t afford to decrease class size, we can’t afford to give our teachers a decent salary – but we can afford to subsidize a sports stadium?

We can’t afford senior services, we can’t afford children’s services and some children go to bed hungry. Yet we subsidize a sports stadium? We can’t afford to update our schools, roads, police, social services and community transportation, but we have no problem with a sports stadium?

We’re talking millions of dollars here. What is more important: Our children who are our future and our seniors who built the past and present for us? Or a sports facility – especially one only used a few months of the year?

We need to let our legislators and local politicians know education is more important than sports. Otherwise we will have a generation that knows every player’s batting averages but can’t spell or finish a sentence.

I estimate the profits of the last lottery alone would have cut class sizes in half and paid the salaries of Ph.D.’s to teach our kids. We’re making the decisions. What are our priorities?

Everett