REP. RAUL LABRADOR
Idahoans were smart in hiring congressman
I, too, agree with Rep. Raul Labrador. Missing votes is not what we voted him in office to do. We voted him to represent us the best he knew how.
A sick child or doing your best to change the course of our nation to bring jobs back is worth missing a vote to rename a post office or declare national doughnut day (or some crazy thing like that). We did a good job hiring the right person for the job.
All life decisions come with consequences. We all have to choose the ones that are the best for our family, our nation and Idaho. I don’t like it that he has missed votes (not knowing what actual votes he missed), but I know Congressman Labrador and I know he is working for Idaho, even if he didn’t vote to make a day national doughnut day!
TOM SHORES, Boise
Labrador works for change where it’s needed the most
Hope. Change.
After noticing the front-page article recently, and subsequent page 2 writeup thereafter, I thought I should point out that the scheduled votes Congressman Labrador missed are actually three, not 27, as reported. Furthermore, I “hope” Congressman Labrador will do everything he can to fight for Mitt Romney’s victory and “change” the economic course of our country.
Obama has been a failure — as Idahoans predicted he would be, which is judged by the 30 percent of the vote Obama got in 2008 (which Raul’s opponent was a part of when he cast his first vote in life for Obama). Thank you, Congressman Raul Labrador, for fighting for us in D.C., and reaching out to critical demographic groups across the country, thus helping Romney win in November. That’s why we elected you!
LAMONT BOSTROM, Nampa
STUDENTS COME FIRST
Conservatives are right to question reform ideas
Opposition to the Luna agenda and phony school “reform” is not limited to “pro-union liberals,” but includes conservatives such as Charlotte Iserbyt.
In her December 2010 article, “The Death of Free Will,” Iserbyt finds it strange that the teachers unions are the scapegoat of the conservative leadership while the U.S. Department of Education monstrosity is ignored.
She wonders if conservative leaders want to keep the Department of Education “so (they) can — with the business community and ... ‘select’ leadership of the two unions — use the U.S. Department of Education to implement this international retraining of our children and teachers, using choice/charter schools as part of the global economic agenda.” This is the real reason, she says, behind the push for computer education — facilitating the globalists’ agenda directly into students’ minds without interference from parents or teachers.
There are Internet interviews with Iserbyt, plus www.deliberatedumbingdown.com and www.americandeception.com make available the 3,000-page Reece Committee/Dodd Report on the agenda of tax-free foundations to control education.
Tom Luna, president of the CCSSO, has shown no leadership against the International Baccalaureate program infiltrating schools. The keynote speaker at the CCSSO 2012 Conference was David Gergen, member of the Council on Foreign Relations and of the Trilateral Commission’s executive committee.
Conservatives, beware!
CHRISTY SHUTZ, Boise
Vote ‘no’ on referendums
I will vote “no” to any education reform laws passed as these were, regardless of the subject, because of my conservative belief in the republic. For over 20 years I swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution from all enemies.
For a decade before that, I said the Pledge of Allegiance every school day. The germane committees thought more about pushing these laws to the floor of the House and Senate than the overwhelming opposition testifying before them. They abused their authority in adding the “emergency” clauses after the referendum drive began.
An emergency? Really? What kind of emergency? Fire? Riot? Flood? Famine? War? Tornado? No, they added the clauses so as not to cause “a disruption” in implementing the laws. We, the people of Idaho, were denied our only legitimate course of civil action to delay implementation until a vote of the people could be held.
This is not the “right and proper role of government” and concerns those who still believe in government of the people, by the people and for the people.
If you feel your legislators weren’t listening, take five minutes in November and stand in a legislator’s shoes — your own, at the voting booth.
DECKER SANDERS, Mountain Home
Proposals filled with flaws
The three Luna laws are, at best, an injudicious attempt to reform Idaho education, or at worst, a vendetta against teachers. It insults the intelligence of Idahoans who support public education.
Proposition 1 eliminates teacher input regarding school policy and it makes it illegal for them to advocate for class-size limits, student safety protections, lesson-planning time, or funding for basic classroom supplies. Why would anyone mute the voice of those who advocate for our children every day? Mr. Luna has never taught. Proposition 1 doesn’t trust teachers or value them as professionals.
Proposition 2 bases merit pay off test scores and offers bonuses to teachers who take hard-to-fill positions. How is that fair? Should the science teacher be paid more than the English teacher?
Proposition 3 is ludicrous! My son took physical education and speech online. He earned an A in both. He was not marked down for having a resting heart rate of 12 bpm, or uploading a speech without sound on YouTube. Online education is a joke, just like Mr. Luna’s online degree.
Vote “no” on these propositions.
MISTY STERK, Eagle
TEACHERS UNIONS
Place confidence in education pros
The entire country got up in arms concerning the bad call made by a nonunion referee and wanted the NFL to pay or do whatever is necessary to get the union refs back on the job. What is wrong with this picture?
Why don’t we put these kind of concerns toward supporting the teachers unions, which are entrusted with the education and safeguarding of our children’s welfare? Does this mean that football is more important than our young people?
Over the last 40 years I have watched the business vs. employee relationship deteriorate into one of a company and employee having the same priorities and pride to where a company disposes of employees like so much inventory to reduce expenses.
If this country cannot support the working person and allow them a livable wage, then we are letting the 1 percent dictate how the common folk survive. If this happens then our country is doomed. This form of government is called a dictatorship where the wealthy rule and civil war is imminent.
RICK JONES, Middleton
