Idaho Opinions

Redefining a party The latest effort to realign Idaho's legislative districts ended with intra-party quarreling amongst the state GOP's libertarian/constitutionalist and more traditional wings, to the benefit of neither.
Coeur d'Alene Press 2/7/2012

Public schools spending: A matter of priorities: Pay Idaho teachers State Superintendent Tom Luna wants to put $19.4 back into the salary pool for teachers, to offset a 2.38 percent salary cut planned for 2012-13. Gov. Butch Otter didn't budget the $19.4 million. While restoring the $19.4 million is no doubt a politically expedient - and savvy - move, it's still the right thing to do.
Idaho Statesman 2/7/2012

Smart, and not so much Last week, Governor Otter announced that John Foster, former executive director of the Idaho Democratic Party, would be helping him uphold the sweeping "Students Come First" education reforms passed by the Legislature last year.
Twin Falls Times-News 2/7/2012

Otter enlists nonpartisan guy, for Luna John Foster, former executive director of the Idaho Democratic Party, should hope State Superintendent Tom Luna's education reforms pass in November's referendum, because he won't be getting much work from Democrats in the future.
Idaho State Journal 2/6/2012

McKenzie reclines contently in his cocoon Senate State Affairs Committee Chairman Curt McKenzie, R-Nampa, does not want to know is how out of step he and his colleagues in the Legislature are when it comes to gay rights.
Lewiston Tribune 2/6/2012

Partisan, Nonpartisan, Bipartisan It's election season again and the Legislature is in session. That means once again, politicians are tweaking the English language to advance their own cause or reflect poorly on their opposition. These three words, often redefined, are getting quite a workout recent inter-party conflicts.
Twin Falls Times-News 2/5/2012

Idaho budget writers urged to restore Medicaid funding Friday's public hearing before the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee (JFAC) drew more than 300 people to the Capitol Auditorium, and most of those signed up to testify called on budget writers to restore $35 million cut from Medicaid in the current fiscal year.
Idaho Statesman 2/4/2012

Cheers and Jeers: The right place to be Cheers to Senate Majority Leader Bart Davis and Senate President Pro Tem Brent Hill for helping put the brakes on a House bill to eliminate camping on state property. Jeers to State Treasurer Ron Crane for charging taxpayers for his daily commute and for questionable expenses on his annual bond rating trips to New York City.
Idaho Falls Post Register 2/3/2012

A wink and a nod Columnist Ron Gill argues medical marijuana laws are shams, thinly veiled attempts to legalize the drug altogether.
Idaho Falls Post Register 2/3/2012

Keeping the citizens away Occupy Boise's long-term impact on state government will be almost nothing compared to the decision by legislators this year to lock the doors leading to House member office space in the name of security. Keeping citizens at bay is contrary to the vision of openness embodied by our state's founders and by the designers of the Capitol as it existed in 1919.
Idaho Falls Post Register 2/3/2012

Ron Crane: Would you take money advice from this guy? Legislative auditors issued a report chronicling several problems in the Idaho state treasurer's office, among them using state money to sponsor a financial literacy conference. As this audit suggests, Ron Crane himself could use a refresher course or two in financial literacy.
Idaho Statesman 2/3/2012

Spending lavishly Jeers to Idaho State Treasurer Ron Crane for expecting taxpayers to pay for his daily Nampa-to-Boise commute. And Jeers to Idaho House Speaker Lawerence Denney for waging a frontal assault on the citizens' redistricting commission.
Lewiston Tribune 2/3/2012

The invisible line through the Palouse gets lit up In Olympia, a law allowing gay marriage has passed the Senate and faces sure passage in the House and a promised signature from the governor. In Boise, a law amending the Idaho Human Rights Act to make it illegal to discriminate on the basis of "sexual orientation and gender identity" is less likely to see the light of day.
Moscow-Pullman Daily News 2/3/2012

Assessing damage from the redistricting fiasco A tally of the winners and losers in the latest go-round of the decennial process to remap Idaho's legislative districts.
Idaho Statesman 2/2/2012

GOP leaders take wrong redistricting approach Idaho changed its redistricting process from one that's done by the Legislature to one done by a bipartisan panel for a reason - to take politics out of it and base it solely on what's best for voters. That's the way it should be, whether state GOP party officials like it or not.
Idaho Press-Tribune 2/1/2012

Reasons for Idaho’s low rankings aren’t as simple as ideology Idaho ranks near the bottom for many categories, such as household income and childhood immunization. As is often the case with such rankings, reaction was basically split into two ideological camps, but the issues are far more complex than these simple ideological divisions suggest.
Idaho Press-Tribune 2/1/2012

Idaho Transportation Department: Sharing the roads with megafreeloaders Since the state seems determined to embrace the megaload shipments now rolling through north Idaho - claiming economic benefits that are at best questionable - then the least the Idaho Transportation Department can do is keep a closer eye on the costs.
Idaho Statesman 2/1/2012

Internet sales taxes: It’s a step, but a small one: Otter gets aboard Gov. Butch Otter told Idaho chambers of commerce that he would support a tax on Internet purchases. His position puts him on the right side of the issue. But not exactly in the middle of the fray.
Idaho Statesman 2/1/2012

Democrat’s defection roils the Idaho Statehouse John Foster, a former Idaho Democratic Party executive director and campaign manager for former 1st Congressional District Representative Walt Minnick, will work with Gov. Butch Otter to help preserve the "Students Come First" education reform laws.
Idaho Statesman 2/1/2012

When Otter capitulates, nobody suffers It took Idaho Gov. C.L. (Butch) Otter only three weeks to throw in the towel on his signature legislation for the year - creation of a state-based health insurance exchange.
Lewiston Tribune 2/1/2012

GOP leaders caught with their briefs down House Speaker Lawerence Denney, R-Midvale, and Idaho GOP Chairman Norm Semanko lost a lawsuit seeking the Idaho Supreme Court's blessing for their attempt to fire their appointees to the redistricting commission because their lawyers failed to file a brief in support of the suit.
Lewiston Tribune 2/1/2012

Getting the job done Idahoans owe its six citizen redistricting commissioners a debt of gratitude. They approached their task professionally and without regard to party politics, and produced a map that, while not a good as the one thrown out by the Idaho Supreme Court, is still defensible.
Idaho Falls Post Register 1/31/2012

Over there in Boise That State Treasurer Ron Crane thinks taxpayers ought to pay for his commute to work is indicative of an attitude of entitlement among elected officials.
Idaho Falls Post Register 1/31/2012

Otter’s plan for IGEM missing key components Idaho's IGEM plan not likely to see same results as Utah's USTAR initiative unless the state is willing to increase funding for its higher-education infrastructure and make an ongoing financial commitment in order to maintain that infrastructure and keep key people.
Idaho Press-Tribune 1/31/2012

With Idaho Republican Chairman Semanko leaving, Gov. Otter seeks a replacement Governor and U.S. Rep. Raul Labrador, who clashed over party chairman in 2008, seek candidate who can unify grassroots and establishment wings of GOP.
Idaho Statesman 1/31/2012

Luna’s right – Pay teachers more now State Superintendent Tom Luna has told legislative budget writers it's more important to bulk up teacher pay than to divert state funds to replenish reserves.
Idaho State Journal 1/30/2012

Nellis pleads for increase University of Idaho President Duane Nellis says his school is losing good faculty members to other institutions which pay better, and he wants the Legislature to do something about that.
Idaho State Journal 1/30/2012

Nellis is right to lobby legislators for his employees University of Idaho President Duane Nellis went to Boise last week to make a case for more money in his budget to be distributed to faculty salaries. Hopefully, the legislature will agree.
Moscow-Pullman Daily News 1/30/2012

Booting Hansen was justified Idaho GOP Chairman Norm Semanko explains why he was justified in asking Redistricting Commission member Randy Hansen to resign.
Twin Falls Times-News 1/30/2012

To Occupy or not to Occupy Just because legal precedent and the Idaho Attorney General say that the legislature "can" do something, those opinions in no way suggest that they should. And passing a law specifically to target a small group of Idahoans - in this case, the Occupy Boise protestors - appears more overkill than good government.
Twin Falls Times-News 1/30/2012