Sometimes politics mean nothing
Why don’t they just quit?
Ted Cruz and John Kasich “suspended” their campaigns after being trounced by Trump in Indiana. We’re just wondering how it has become standard practice for the thoroughly defeated to “suspend” rather than end, quit, give up, withdraw, abandon, cease or discontinue their efforts. Do they think “suspending” their campaigns means they are leaving the door open to resuming them? Is it lingering denial about just how completely they’ve been beaten? Whatever it is, it needs to stop, desist, end or halt.
Listen up landlords
On April 19, the Olympia City Council joined Tumwater and several other Washington cities in banning landlord discrimination against low-income people, including veterans and people with disabilities, who receive rental assistance. Most rental assistance programs require people to pay 30 percent of their income in rent, and the program pays the landlord the balance. Accepting tenants with rental vouchers creates extra paperwork for landlords and subjects their rental units to health and safety inspections. But it’s an important way to prevent vulnerable people from becoming or remaining homeless. It’s the right thing to do. Will the city of Lacey follow suit? We hope so.
Washington’s least relevant election ever
We’re usually pretty passionate about urging people to vote, but we are having a hard time working up much enthusiasm for our state’s May 24 presidential primary. The die is already cast on the Republican side, and the Democrats don’t use primary votes to award convention delegates — a poke in the eye for voters. So, um, yeah, sure, vote your heart out. Then insist that the legislators we will elect this fall pledge to fix this state’s horrible presidential primary system.
The week’s best news
Last week this paper printed 32 stories of smart, determined young leaders from Thurston and Mason counties who have overcome big challenges in their lives and won Together’s Awards of Excellence. The awards honor “nontraditional leaders and those who have shown resilience in the face of hardship or overcome adversity.” These young people are role models for all of us, and we hope reading their stories will inspire people of all ages to learn from the examples they set.
This story was originally published May 9, 2016 at 1:16 AM with the headline "Sometimes politics mean nothing."