Try something else

I’m not a native of Spokane, but in the 46 years that I’ve lived here I’ve been in love with this town and the whole region. This has always been a place of beauty, kindness and hope. So where did the recent ugliness, anger and hate come from?

We’ve got one person pointing a finger at the West Side of the state saying they are not our people and we should divide ourselves from them. We’ve got another pointing a finger at the homeless and struggling, saying they are not our people and we need to divide them from us. I’m reminded of an old saying: when you point a finger at someone or something, three more on the same hand are pointing right back at you! In the sight of God, we are all the same.

So, I have some “What if?” questions. What if, instead of prisons and psych hospitals we build places where the homeless can go to get out of the weather, get a hot shower, meal and bed? What if we offer transportation to and education at a community college or skills centers to get them trained in the trades? (We certainly need plumbers, framers and electricians and that can’t cost more than prisons and hospitals.)

What if we offer counseling instead of incarceration? What if our state representatives find ways to work with instead of against the rest of the state Congress? What if we extend love instead of hate? And what if we smile and hug instead of glower and spit? Come on, people! We’re better than that!

Doug Kaer

Spokane