by Ben Adlin
If you were caught off guard when you received your ballot last month, you’re not alone — by today’s standards, the buzz around the State’s special election next Tuesday, Feb. 8, has been mellow. But if you care at all about schools (or taxes), it’s time to tear open that envelope and get going on your civic duty.
Continue reading Help! What’s on the Ballot for Next Week’s Election?by Vallerie Fisher
Seattle voters have another decision to make this year — and this one should be a no-brainer! Seattle Public Schools (SPS) has two critical levies on the ballot and as a South Seattle educator, I urge you to vote “YES” by Feb. 8.
These levies are voted on for renewal every three years — most recently in 2019. Seattle voters have supported these levies year after year because our students rely on this funding for everything from textbooks to after-school programs. These levies are an investment in our children’s future and well-being.
Continue reading OPINION: Vote ‘YES’ for Seattle Schools by February 8by Carolyn Bick
King County Metro bus operator Sam Smith is worried about job security. Already, he said, Metro had to cut 200 part-time driver jobs in August, as a cost-saving measure, due to the economic fallout of the current novel coronavirus pandemic. In September, Metro reduced bus service by 15%. If Proposition 1 — which would continue a portion of public transit funding for the next five years — doesn’t pass, Smith thinks his job is likely on the chopping block. He also worries about the effect a lack of funding will have on the wider public.
“Cuts in transit right now are counter-productive. Routes that run in heavily populated areas such as the A Line, E Line, and the 7 which serves South Seattle are packed at capacity,” Smith said in an emailed statement to the Emerald.
In an effort to prevent these cuts, the Transit Riders Union (TRU) will be holding a Day of Action on Oct. 6, which is meant to frame public transportation as a mutual aid effort and make the case for voters to pass Proposition 1 in November. The TRU will also join national transit riders unions across the country that day in calling for the United States Congress to pass the HEROES Act, which includes $32 billion in emergency transit funds.
Continue reading TRU to Hold Day of Action to Bolster Support for Crucial Public Transit Ballot Measureby Dr. Ben Danielson
In a clinic that serves a broadly diverse group of kids, a high proportion from low income backgrounds, I’ve learned a fair amount about the factors that influence health. Unfortunately, today’s healthcare system is off target. It is more prepared to treat illnesses once they’ve gotten really bad than it is prepared to catch illnesses in their earliest forms; let alone prevent illness. The bulk of our healthcare resources are directed far ‘downstream’ from the primary sources of health. As a result, our healthcare system basically spends more than any other country and has some of the worst health outcomes in the developed world. Continue reading Op-Ed: “The Best Start” We Can Provide Our Children
