Cheers: To Bernie Sanders. Regardless of what one thinks about his politics, the fact that a major presidential candidate is holding a rally in Vancouver is exciting for the city — with Sanders appearing Sunday at Hudson’s Bay High School. Campaign officials say the event is free and will be first-come, first-serve, with doors opening at 11 a.m. and the event starting at 1 p.m.
Sanders, a U.S. senator from Vermont, has provided Hillary Clinton with a tougher-than-expected race for the Democratic nomination for president. And while Clinton appears headed for the nomination, Sanders’ presence has helped invigorate voters and has elevated the discussion in the presidential race. His appearance will help place Vancouver in the national spotlight at least for one Sunday afternoon.
Jeers: To a lethargic Hanford cleanup. For faithful readers of Cheers & Jeers, this might sound like a broken record. The problem is that the issue has been going on since people actually listened to records. A federal judge has set new deadlines for the U.S. Department of Energy to clean up radioactive waste at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, where 56 million gallons of gunk sits in underground tanks that have been in use long past their expected lifespan.
Washington and Oregon sued the federal government more than a decade ago over missed cleanup deadlines. That resulted in a settlement agreement, but Washington sued again in 2014 when the new deadlines were ignored — leading to last week’s court ruling. So, once again, the federal government has been ordered to clean up Hanford. The beat goes on.
Cheers: To practical education. Two stories recently highlighted students learning skills that can be readily translated to employment opportunities. Clark College is retooling its welding program to better prepare students with the skills necessary to build a career in the field.
Meanwhile, students in the Geometry in Construction classes at Evergreen and Mountain View high schools are involved in building homes to benefit Habitat for Humanity. Using the math skills and problem-solving skills learned in class, they set about building an actual home and demonstrating abilities that are applicable in the real world. Both stories serve as a reminder that education is about more than the three Rs.
Jeers: To the Washington Legislature. In case you were wondering, lawmakers are still at work — well past the deadline for this year’s session. Legislative leaders are still negotiating a supplemental budget to add to the biennial operating budget passed last year.
Considering that a supplemental budget was the most important item on the list for this year’s scheduled 60-day session, the fact that it is still being negotiated is costly and frustrating for taxpayers. The fact that lawmakers also punted the issue of K-12 education funding to next year also is frustrating. The long and the short of it: Legislators must do a better job of doing their jobs.
Cheers: To the Washington Legislature. Yes, while lawmakers have been unable to reach a budget agreement, they also have taken strides to help rape victims in the state. Washington is poised to become the first state to use bar codes to track evidence from rape investigations — evidence that until now often has sat on a shelf and gone unexamined.
This certainly is preferable to say, Idaho, where a sheriff recently invited embarrassing headlines by saying most rape accusations he investigates are false. Washington’s legislative action will ensure that the utmost attention is given to rape victims and help remove violators from the public. In other words, it is the compassionate and morally correct thing to do.
