FISCAL CLIFF
Stop bickering, take action
Our leaders in Washington, D.C., have known what would happen if they didn’t solve the fiscal cliff since August of 2011.
Have they attended to this issue in the last 17 months? No they haven’t. We have little time until we hit the deadline and they still are not working together to solve this issue.
They must work together to solve this, if they don’t our economy will be pushed back into recession and that will affect all Americans in every state and city! This means more homelessness, lack of food for children and families, etc.
What is Washington waiting for? The two parties must stop bickering and do what is right for America. Our leaders must govern for the future, not the next election, they must put the country first instead of fighting for political advantage and they must accept the responsibility they were given when elected. To keep America working for all its citizens, not just a few.
I hope that my fellow Americans stop standing by and start voicing your precious ability to give your opinion to our leaders. We can no longer be silent when it comes to the governing of America.
KIM HANSEN, Payette
Everybody should pay more
All of this fiscal cliff talk on tax breaks, loopholes for business, higher rates for the wealthiest in America, entitlement programs and is ridiculous!
As an American who has fought for the freedoms everyone benefits from, I can say that everyone can and should pay more taxes. Why should they do this? It’s simple; if we don’t then our country is going to be headed down the road to Greece or worse. Nobody in America should be paid to live here, single parents who work part-time jobs, receive child support and get a huge tax kickback from claiming these dependents is just plain wrong.
Affluent members of this country owe it back to America to pay a higher tax rate than the single parent with three kids. It’s time for all of us to respect and appreciate how good we all have it here in America and embrace the opportunity to help this country and do our duty as citizens and get us back on track to being the number one economy and best country in the world. Each of us needs to do our part and stop crying and moaning.
TY BARNES, Bois
IDAHO POWER
Company fights progress
Brian Jackson, a scrappy, eternally optimistic engineer who believes that community wind projects can be built — projects that are good long term for ratepayers, good for the environment, and good for the counties that receive property taxes, partnered with an Idaho farmer, to build projects outside of Burley on the family’s scrubby piece of land where it’s tough to raise cattle in the harsh winter winds.
Unfortunately, the engineer and the farmer are up against a monopoly utility, Idaho Power, which has spent the last 10 years doing everything in its power to kill wind projects — from lobbying for state wind energy moratoriums to public anti-wind energy campaigns. Idaho gets about 50 percent of its power from coal plants, with acid rain from mercury and sulfur dioxide.
Idaho Power sat on Brian and Ben’s signed power purchase contracts and refused to sign them until one day after the Idaho PUC deadline limiting wind projects and then said they didn’t have to honor the contracts. This honest engineer still can’t believe that companies would operate this way. In this day and age of big companies disregarding the rules the rest of us play by, be a part of saying this is not right. Join our indiegogo campaign. www.indiegogo.com/ AmericanWindFarm?a=540090&i=emal
KIKI TIDWELL, Hailey
SPAULDING RANCH
Modernize, but preserve
Why can’t we work to bring Spaulding Ranch back as it once was (obviously on a smaller scale) modernized but, as is? Have it as an inner-city small scale working ranch. Use it as a community center with classes, events, bring some cattle back, a rooster, etc.; local schools, students, area university could also benefit.
You could add to it, as in having a city employee(s), cowboy or lady living, working and managing some aspects of it. Isn’t that truly what it means to “preserve” a part of our past ... rather than to bulldoze it into a residential area by or with having the building structures only as that preservation? “Preservation” should be not only about the structural content and integrity in the buildings/property; but also the way of life that brought it about, plus had it maintained for so many years.
Just, maybe, modernize this place a bit for today; without losing the integrity of yesterday!
JACI ARNESON-BUCHER, Boise
PRESIDENTIAL COINS
Phrasing has not changed
Don’t know where the person got their information or coins, but all of my presidential coins have the phrase “In God We Trust” inscribed on them.
JAMES E. DILLION, Boise
