Letters to the editor: Politics, online education, border wall, Risch & Crapo, Trump

Politics

A number of years ago Gordon B. Hinckley wrote a book about the 10 most neglected virtues that are hurting our lives and the civility of our country. He said, “No nation can be greater than the strength of its individual homes or the virtue of its people. Sadly, many today would say ours is a nation in crisis. Families are splintering around us, our children are becoming alienated from their great cultural heritage, and our leaders seem increasingly out of touch.”

Hinckley then admonished his readers to adopt virtues that have proven to provide a path to a better world – love, honesty, morality, civility, forgiveness, mercy, thrift, industry, gratitude, optimism, and faith. Our most recent struggles to get along with others, even those of our own country, nationality and political party, proves his point. The United States of America is beginning to look like the divided states of America. Each political party tries to find the worst in the other so they can defame or destroy them politically.

Hinckley admonishes us and our leaders to “turn the other cheek,” have malice toward none, to give others the benefit of the doubt, and to believe in second chances.

Online education

We enrolled our daughter Lauren at Idaho Technical Career Academy (ITCA) three years ago when she struggled with reaching her full-potential at her brick and mortar school. Lauren has ADHD where the large class sizes, low teacher-to-student ratios, and constant distractions, sabotaged her success. With ITCA it’s like night-and-day.

Lauren enjoys the flexibility ITCA offers to learn at her own pace, take necessary breaks to be the best student she can, and is free from distraction. She competes with Mountain View High School on the golf team and in Business Professionals of America. She credits ITCA for preparing her for college level study.

Online school has been a game-changer for Lauren. We want Idaho to continue protecting school choice for our family and other families and students needing school options beyond the traditional classroom environment.

Border wall

I am listening to Boise State Public Radio this morning, as they are in the end of year fund drive. Over the past 20 years, or so, the funding from the U.S. government has been substantially reduced. So, we, as many others, have increased our annual donation. So, you could say that I am paying an optional tax to help fund Boise State Public Radio and NPR.

There is much in the news lately, about funding for a “wall” at the border between Mexico and the U.S. Why doesn’t U.S. Congress make the “wall” a 501c-3 charity and fund it via an optional donation that can be a tax deduction?

Risch and Crapo

Senators Risch and Crapo – This is about the sixth letter that I’ve written ... nothing seems to have changed. I, like 70 percent of U.S., will not stop. The criminality of this administration keeps going and we need it to stop. You are in a position to take our state forward and not backwards. I worked in the motion picture business for 38 years and have had to unfortunately fire a couple of people due to complacency and ineffectual work habits. I realize I changed their and their families lives, but for the good of the project it needed to happen. You must choose country over party or, as is panning out, you will have/are having a colossal flop. Stand, let your patriotism show.

Trump

As I read Al Tikker’s response to Jim Franklin’s letter criticizing Donald Trump and his supporters I asked myself why the issue between them was “who was the worst bad choice.” The sad point of the 2016 election and may others is that we the voters rarely have a really excellent candidate to choose. This is because we don’t make the effort to demand excellence in so many ways. We will be presented with mediocrity as long as we accept the choices our tribes present and fail to demand excellence. We will see the continued growth of income inequality until we demand fair treatment by our government. We will continue to be vulnerable to fraud until we demand protection. We are responsible for the failure of our leaders to respond to our needs because we have failed to demand better. We elect mediocrities, complain about it, and point the finger of blame at those we elect or those who voted for them instead of at those (ourselves) who elect them. That is the biggest area of bipartisanship in American political life. Until we step up we will continue to fail ourselves.