Plans for the new Dale Turner YMCA in Shoreline include family changing stations, something that is long overdue.
A family station will allow a mother who takes her 4-year-old son to the pool to have a safe and private place to change. It will also allow a disabled man to go to the pool with a female attendant.
Expect an emotional campaign over I-1000
Between now and the November general election, expect lots of emotional advertising over Initiative 1000, which proponents call “Death with Dignity” and opponents call “Assisted Suicide.”
Both sides have raised huge amounts of money and are likely to spend it on emotional ads.
I expect a campaign like the one in 1970, when a statewide initiative legalized abortion in the state almost two and a half years before the Roe v. Wade decision made abortion a federal constitutional right.
I have two memories of that election 38 years ago: One, an emotional family argument; the other an anti-abortion billboard with an outstretched hand holding a fetus.
This campaign will be at least as emotional and will probably see record spending from both sides. One side will tell us that people should be able to voluntarily shorten the suffering in their last months of life, and the other will tell us of moving towards pressure on the elderly and handicapped to end their lives.
Need to reduce travel for high school sports
We had a story a few weeks ago about rising travel costs for high school sports teams.
As fuel costs rise, sports teams need to do less travel and to keep their trips shorter.
First, let’s have teams play fewer games. For example, football teams could go back to playing nine games instead of 10.
Schools in Skagit and Whatcom counties have cut the number of contests for sub-varsity teams by 10 percent. Let’s take it a step further and do that for varsity teams too.
Second, let’s put limits on how far we travel. If our high schools simply limited their travel to King and Snohomish counties, they would still have about 45 possible 4A and 3A opponents.
Time for a smaller Olympic ceremony
Television commentators have talked for two weeks about how spectacular the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics were. It happens every four years: The host country presents a highly choreographed show meant to outdo the previous host.
Four years from now in London, it will be time for an opening ceremony without spectacle.
Let’s have no fireworks. Let’s have no archer or flying gymnast lighting the flame. After the athletes march in, let some past British sports hero light the flame and the Queen simply declare games open.
Then, let’s stop counting medals. Many of Michael Phelps gold medals came in events that didn’t exist a few decades ago.
Evan Smith is Enterprise forum editor. Send comments to him at entopinion@heraldnet.com.
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