Sure, they're entertaining and fun, but the NBA SuperSonics and other franchises are businesses. Why can't they pay their own way? A Seattle neighborhood activist advocates spending taxpayer money...
So far, Mayor Nickels is sparing high-salary administrators and departments with strong unions. The reason: it's easier to cut services than personnel.
Bill Sellen lived (and died) on the streets of Seattle, never having bounced back after World War II. A nurse who helped him remembers him, and a poem he gave her.