GOP PRIMARY
How much ‘educating’do voters really need?
Let me get this straight. The GOP sues the overwhelmingly GOP Idaho government over its closed GOP primary. The GOP wins and the GOP Legislature awards its GOP lawyer $100,000 in taxpayer money. Then the GOP secretary of state wants another $200,000 in taxpayer money to educate the GOP voters in how to vote in their closed GOP primary?
I’ve been voting in primaries and attending caucuses since I was 18 and it required $0 in taxpayer funds to educate me. Are Republicans really that stupid?
CHARLETTE PRESNELL KREMER, Lewiston
Silencing the independents
“Independent” is the political category of most Idahoans, and as most are conservative, most vote Republican. But with the closed caucus selected by the present Republican Party, the independent voice is no longer heard in the primary process. I understand the thinking of the Republicans in that they want lockstep loyalty in the Legislature to allow the Republican agenda to become law. This is the same condition in the U.S. Congress, and those who step out of lockstep are punished by the party by withheld campaign financing. If this continues, the independent will no longer have a voice in governing Idaho. No candidate for political office will have to satisfy the public in a run for office. Candidates will just have to satisfy the party to get on the ballot.
The need for a primary has been eliminated, and state tax funds should no longer be utilized to pay for the Democrat and Republican primaries.
It would be good if a lot of independents filed for office this year and, when elected, changed the laws to allow the people to select their leaders. Let the people of Idaho decide if they like the party selection or the citizens’ selection.
RONALD M. HARRIMAN, Nampa
FOOD STAMPS
This efficient programmeets a short-range need
Idaho’s nutrition assistance program, food stamps, serves our working families with children, our seniors and our neighbors who are in financial distress. Remember, 83 percent of these households have a child, a senior or a disabled person.
The food stamp program is second only to unemployment in responding to an economic crisis: expanding with need, contracting with prosperity. This temporary relief was never intended for long-term nutrition sustainability. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the average length of time on the program is nine months, providing an average of $132 per month. This rarely, if ever, meets all nutrition needs for the month.
With a payment accuracy rate of over 96 percent, Idaho’s food stamp program is 18th best in the nation, and only two states have lower administrative costs. It also has one of the most rigorous quality-control programs in the nation. Thanks to Rep. Janice McGeachin, Sen. Patti Anne Lodge and Rep. Sharon Block for realizing the breadth of the issues caused by job loss — including basic access to food.
Please remember who must use food stamps right now — your grandmother, the family next door, or the employee you let go during this recession.
RICK GROFF, Idaho Interfaith Roundtable Against Hunger, Boise
HUMAN RIGHTS
Anti-discrimination laws should protect everyone
Imagine being fired because your employer found out you worship one God. You might wonder, how does that impact my job performance?
But discrimination based on religion, race, sex, creed, national origin and age is illegal in Idaho. If you are fired for being religious, you can turn to the state for legal protections.
Unfortunately, not all employees are judged solely on their capabilities, as discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity is still legal. No one deserves to be fired for whom they love.
The Human Rights Act should protect all people. Just as no one should be able to be denied housing for being straight, no woman should be fired from her job simply because her employer believes she is a lesbian — for reasons having nothing to do with her job performance.
JESSI BUNCH, Boise
NATIONAL DEBT
Another look at the stats
Data on the national debt is a little different than presented by Karen Winter in her Jan. 26 letter. Debt during Clinton’s term increased by $1.5 trillion, as she said. But this includes surpluses. There was only one surplus year — 2000. The rest were projections made before he left office that never materialized. Make note, Mr. Gingrich.
Debt during Bush Jr.’s term increased $5 trillion ($5.6 trillion to $10.6 trillion). In his first three years, Obama has increased debt by $4.4 trillion ($10.6 trillion to $15.1 trillion). He is on track to hit $6 trillion by the end of 2012. More than Bush Jr. racked up in eight years. That is even more scary when you consider our debt is already more than 100 percent of GDP. Source: www.skymachines.com/US-National-Debt-Per-Capita-Percent-of-GDP-and-by-Presidental-Term.htm.
Lest you think Clinton was such a fiscal conservative, remember he inherited a booming economy and a peace dividend as a result of Reagan ending the Cold War.
Bush’s mistakes were funding the Iraq War on borrowed money and compounding it by cutting taxes and starting Medicare drug coverage. Obama suffers with a lousy economy and two wars. But he has contributed by growing government massively.
RAYMOND TURNER, Fruitland
STATESMAN
Well, it’s a start ...
On Jan. 25 I saw a tiny sliver of hope for America. I’ve read the Statesman since the ’80s. The Calvin Woodward AP story that day with headline “Obama’s to-do list a wish list” on your front page is a first to me for the Statesman. Did the ownership change? In the past it has mostly been a leftist propaganda poop sheet with Kevin Richert and Dan Popkey leading the talking points for the Democrats.
To see The Associated Press do this story with a few fact checks is a breath of fresh air. Including our national representatives also on the front page is encouraging. But I can’t take you off the hook, because you left out the Indiana governor’s GOP and Herman Cain’s tea party responses to Obama’s wish list, which were not included in the A section. The responses are a part of State of the Union coverage in balanced media.
We still need to see some truths spoken with the leftist slant on ABC, CBS and NBC networks on political subjects.
However, it is a start and I appreciate that.
DARREL MCROBERTS, Meridian
LOTTERY
Where to spend the jackpot
If I win the lottery I am going to buy the Idaho Lottery a new marketing team. The Scratch Players must go.
CATHY DUBISH, Boise
