Gomers: What's going wrong

FINALLY DOUSED: After two weeks of fighting a fire that at times shot huge flames into the air and produced dangerous levels of air pollution, as well as high-risk conditions for those engaged in the battle, Cedar Rapids firefighters finally were able to leave the former Sinclair slaughterhouse grounds on Wednesday. The expensive, difficult task interrupted many firefighters' holiday celebrations with friends and family, and we appreciate their extended service. A silver lining: Federal officials agreed to help pay for the massive cleanup of this abandoned, now city-owned complex of buildings.

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UNFAIR SHARE? The state's court system lost 105 employees, including a dozen in the 6th Judicial District that serves our area, from a total of 1,935 in an effort to meet the governor's 10 percent across-the-board budget cuts. Remaining judicial staff, including judges, must take 10 unpaid days off. Compare those numbers to 109 layoffs among about 18,000 employees in the executive branch, where staff also will take five unpaid days off. Overall, since 2002, judicial staffing is down 17 percent. Unfair or not, the latest and most severe cuts likely mean that delayed justice looms large in 2010.