S-N Editorial

Anticipating the opening

Summer arrived in full force this week. With the extended forecast calling for high temps near or over 90 degrees for the next two weeks, the thought of opening day at Hartley’s new pool has become increasingly enticing.

Luckily, local children need not wait much longer. The city council on Monday discussed progress at the new aquatic center. The pool’s variable frequency drives (VFDs) arrived last week and are in the process of being installed, with testing of equipment and employee training to follow. The VFDs’ arrival and subsequent installation were the final pieces of the puzzle at the new pool, which pushed the opening back due to delivery delays. Now, it seems we’ve just got to wait for the ribbon to be cut.

The new pool is a huge accomplishment for the community. Planning and fundraising have been no small task, and its impending completion is thanks to many dedicated individuals whose commitment to Hartley’s progress is commendable.

It’s no doubt an exciting time in the City With a Heart. Based on the buzz that’s been reverberating throughout the community over the past month, the new pool will be an unabashed hit among locals and visitors alike.

Something; anything

Recent mass shootings in Buffalo, N.Y., and Uvalde, Texas, have exacerbated pleas for lawmakers in Washington to do something – anything, really – to stem the bloodshed. This country is sick, and decades of inaction by Congress have only worsened the illness.

Mercifully, though, there appears to be rays of sunlight flickering above the dark horizon.

A bipartisan group of 20 senators – including 10 Republicans – announced on Sunday the outline of a deal to reform the nation’s gun laws, a breakthrough after weeks of negotiations sparked by the recent massacres. The proposed legislation isn’t close to everything gun reform proponents desired, but it’s at least something.

According to CBS News, the package if passed “would provide incentives for states to pass so-called ‘red flag’ laws, which the group calls ‘state crisis intervention orders;’ boost mental health resources; provide funding for school safety resources; clarify the definition of federally licensed firearms dealer; and crack down on criminals who illegally straw purchase and traffic guns. It would also expand background checks for firearms buyers under 21 by requiring an investigative period to review juvenile and mental health records. Convicted domestic violence abusers and people subject to domestic violence restraining orders would also now be included in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, closing what is called the ‘boyfriend loophole.’ ”

If it reaches the finish line, the plan would represent the most significant update to the nation’s gun laws in nearly three decades. Pessimists will say the bill is a cop out – lawmakers can now say they’ve “done something;” however, that is a shortsighted takeaway. After years of pleading by the American people, Congress actually is doing something. The door is open.

Our children should not fear their classrooms nor should they be subjected to the senseless violence continually inflicted at our schools. People should not die going to the grocery store for strawberries. This nonstop carnage is truly reprehensible, but finally, something is being done.

Will mass shootings continue if this legislation is passed? Absolutely, because guns remain easily accessible in this country and the moral compass of many Americans is apparently broken. However, if it keeps a few of the bad guys from walking through the door, it will be a success. The slaughter must end.

Democrats and Republicans are applauding themselves for finally working on an issue in bipartisan fashion. Big deal – that’s what they were elected to do. Hopefully they realize this is a starting point for gun reform and other pertinent issues that so commonly get put on the shelf in favor of much shallower issues. It’s easy to take sides on something your base supports, but it’s not so easy to actually legislate on less popular topics that go against the grain of whatever political ideology they allege to follow.

In the end, this proposal is a starting point and something both sides can agree on. Hell didn’t freeze over and pigs didn’t sprout wings – Washington can actually work. It’s just a shame the body count got so high in the meantime.

We have to keep working and building on this progress. Our children are owed at least that much.