HJR 2
Proposed amendmentprotects hunter rights
A few people are clinging to the notion that HJR 2, the proposed constitutional amendment preserving our rights to hunt, trap and fish, is an unnecessary waste of legislative effort. I believe HJR 2 is both timely and necessary.
Are we still teaching the history of the U.S. Constitution in elementary schools today? Didn’t our Founding Fathers write our Constitution to protect “inalienable rights,” which were rights they believed we already had that could not be taken or given away, and yet they still saw a powerful need to protect those rights in writing?
I believe I have the rights to hunt, trap and fish in Idaho. I don’t really need a written record to tell me that. But I do need the Constitution to reflect that I have those rights, primarily because of the people and organizations that constantly seek to strip me of those rights. Sen. Lee Heider’s forethought in creating HJR 2, and the nearly unanimous voting records in the House and Senate on HJR 2, is similar to the forethought the Founding Fathers exhibited as they drafted the foundation of this great country.
Please vote yes on HJR 2.
MICHELLE GUTIERREZ,
Mountain Home
Ballot measure offerslittle value to trappers
The proposed constitutional amendment (HJR 2) intended to guarantee forever the rights of Idahoans to hunt, fish and trap is of dubious value to trappers, and here’s why.
The blanket endorsement of trapping covers the full spectrum of traps that ranges from Havahart live traps to the extremely dangerous Conibear traps that can kill an animal within two minutes and require considerable strength, knowledge and time to release. Ironically, both of these types of traps were designed to offer a humane alternative to the foothold traps in common usage. And both are problematic. The live traps do not address the question of how the captured, but unhurt animal, is to be “dispatched.” A Conibear trap almost always kills the pet or working dog unfortunate enough to be caught in one. Conibear traps, invented in the late 1950s, make a mockery of the sentimental language used in HJR 2.
These traps are not “a valued part of our heritage.” Neither Jim Bridger nor liver-eating Johnson ever saw one. Trappers who accept 21st century values will agree to the banning of Conibear traps, snares and the notorious M-44s (coyote getters) in Idaho.
ANN FINLEY, Boise
NATIONAL NIGHT OUT
Much is gained bytalking with neighbors
Recently neighborhoods and community centers in Boise celebrated National Night Out, a night for neighbors and the community to celebrate relationships, civic awareness and engagement.
As the daughter of Phyllis Ward, I can only stress the great importance of this.
It was her neighbors that saw something wrong, that paid attention and acted on a need to help. It was her neighbors that alerted and cared for family members during the day while emergency crews searched for answers. It is her neighbors that continue to do what they can to help make any need a little less burdensome for her family. Would you or your neighbors do this?
Please, meet one another, spend time talking in your yards, take advantage of your porches, and create relationships. Share information and become aware of your neighborhood and community.
Get involved in your neighborhood associations, crime prevention units and become good stewards to those around you.
Tragedy can strike anywhere and at any time. Please make time for each other and become aware.
JENNIFER HOLLEY, Phyllis’ daughter, Boise
HEALTH CARE
U.S. behind the curvein taking care of people
Every industrialized nation in the world has universal health care except the United States. The British have had a government-run system for 64 years.
As we learned during the Olympics’ opening ceremonies, they are proud of their national health service, and their health costs are lower than ours. Several countries, including Switzerland, have health care systems that are similar to Obamacare. A government-run system works fine in other countries, but for some reason it won’t work in our country. Last year, about 750,000 American families declared medical bankruptcy. In other countries, that number is zero. We spend more on health care than other countries and still have 30 million who are uninsured.
The world’s greatest country should be able to figure out how to provide health care for our people. That will never happen as long as we allow ideology to overcome our common sense.
DARRELL W. BROCK, Boise
POSTAL SERVICE
Funding mandateshould be abolished
The U.S. Postal Service has the ability to stand on its own. It does not use a dime of taxpayer money. Outside interference by Congress to impose an impossible mandate in 2006 to fund future retirees’ health benefits at the rate of $5.5 billion a year for 10 years is a problem started by Congress and can be solved by Congress. This fund has already been overfunded by $42 billion.
This crushing mandate is still in place. A recently passed U.S. Senate bill has good intentions to reduce the funding payments and use excess pension funds to help with the financial problems, but still doesn’t tackle the main problem. H.R. 2309 in the House of Representatives proposes that the unnecessary funding payments stay in place while it negatively eliminates Saturday delivery of mail and closes post offices that so many Americans have come to depend on for quality service.
These “solutions” are not solutions; they only prolong the agony.
To me, this is a no-brainer. Eliminate the funding payments and use the overpayments in the annuity funds. No quality service is lost. Everyone wins.
JOHN PAIGE, president, Idaho State Association of Letter Carriers, Pocatello
A-BOMB
World War II weaponsended up saving lives
Annually in the first week of August misguided anti-bomb folks protest the dropping of atomic bombs on Japan during World War II. Did they read the Aug. 1, 1944, order by Tojo and the War Ministry of Japan to “kill all prisoners,” which would have led to the deaths of over 300,000 children, women and elderly in prison camps? Do they mourn the death of over a million Chinese in the rape of Nanking, or the thousands buried alive in pits in Singapore, Hong Kong and East China? They do not lament the 150,000 Philippine civilians murdered in Manila and the rest of the Philippine Islands. Who honors these victims?
Gen. Curtis LeMay’s fire bombing of Japan’s cities, including Tokyo, killed almost a half-million Japanese, and his goal was to ravage Japan.
Had the bomb not been dropped, the war would have continued and another million on both sides would have died. The A-bomb war dead was a small price to be paid to end the war and save even more lives. Without the A-bomb, the military would have fought on, but the emperor did intervene and agreed to surrender.
BERNARD SCHUR, Meridian
ACHD
Highway projectis no improvement
So who decided that it was an improvement to add a roundabout to the intersection of Eagle and Amity roads? This was a lovely rural stretch of road that was one of the few remaining “country roads” in this area. I drive this route home from Boise.
I am angry that the property owner at that intersection has basically had his land confiscated by the county to make room for this unneeded and intrusive project. This will only increase traffic in this section and will make the road much closer to his home and animals. My heart goes out to this family as another victim of the ACHD and their basic disregard for quality of life when it comes to rural property owners. The family impacted obviously does not have the resources to fight this and actually had the affected property condemned by the county in their efforts to seize. I don’t believe that they were compensated for this at all, as the property owner turned down the paltry bid that the county offered for the land. I wish there was some avenue of recourse that could be taken to stop this project.
SHANNON JONES, Star
