Whenever a Ten Commandments monument is challenged, the government usually defends them in court. These court battles can drag out for years and cost a bundle. That doesn't seem to matter to the governments who keep losing, though. Why?

That's a question facing the town of Everett, Washington, as the Seattle Times explains:

Everett already has paid $70,000 to a Seattle law firm, and that tab could reach $100,000 by the time U.S. District Judge Robert Lasnik rules, City Attorney Jim Iles said. That figure doesn't include city staff time, which hasn't been calculated yet. ... In March, Mayor Ray Stephanson cut $3.5 million from the 2004 budget and laid off 17 permanent and seven seasonal employees. He said the city would need to cut $3.7 million more from next year's budget. He has told neighborhood groups that one reason the city needs to cut services is because of unanticipated legal expenses, including this case.

Thus, in Everett, Washington, a granite monument to the Ten Commandments is more important than city employees. With the money being spent on defending the monument, the city would be able to hire back at least a couple of those people who were laid off. I guess they now know what the city council thinks of them.

Read More:

• Separation of Church and State 101
• Ten Commandments