Letters to the editor: Masks, ACHD, judges, Democrats, Trump
Editor’s note: The deadline to submit letters to the editor related to the elections is 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23.
Masks on the trail
I just returned from a mid-week hike to Table Rock. On my uphill climb i noticed folks coming down the trail weren’t wearing masks. There are many places on the trail where social distancing is impossible. I decided to do a mental “mask count” until I reached the top.
- Total downhill hikers counted: 37
- Total hikers wearing a mask: 1
- Total hikers with a mask (not wearing): 2
- Total hikers with no mask seen: 34
I’m soon to turn 67. I recently beat breast cancer. There are several items left on my bucket list I hope to check off before I pass on, including tandem skydiving and running one more marathon.
Not wearing a mask is putting my life at risk. I have always considered Boise a community that looks out for one another. Please Boise, you can do better.
Tanya Pool, Boise
Pickering
Want to avoid California’s biggest mistakes? Focus on the ACHD race at the very bottom of your ballot.
The quickest way to ruin Idaho is to design the same transportation system that turned too much of the Golden State into a traffic-clogged, sprawly, smoggy hellscape. Unfortunately, we are making all the mistakes California made — just look at almost any arterial road in Ada County. They look exactly like the main drag in any California suburb.
The best way to keep the Treasure Valley from California’s mistakes: vote Alexis Pickering for ACHD. Alexis knows that in order to keep the quality of life we enjoy in Ada County, we need a transportation system that provides real choices to reduce the number of cars on the road, protects all road users, encourages economic development and looks to the future. Alexis can help us chart a better course.
Joe Jaszewski, Garden City
Judges
Every election, I stare down at the Magistrate Election for the District Court as I’m asked to vote whether to retain the magistrates on the court. This practice is a massive waste of paper. Unless you’ve been involved in cases in a judge’s courtroom or the judge has become notorious (in which case the judicial council might remove them before voters get a chance), most of these people are completely unknown to the voter. The only source of information for voters are online discussion threads which usually degenerate into those with axes to grind airing their one-sided account of their grievances with given judges.
While providing some sort of voter assent for the magistrates makes sense, our current system doesn’t. Either the law should allow for lawyers to run against the magistrates or the state should ditch this nonsensical “retention” vote and allow the magistrates to serve unless the Judicial Council finds serious misconduct.
Adam Graham, Boise
Vote Democrat
Isn’t it great to live in Idaho where we rank second in the nation in positivity testing for COVID-19 and LAST in the nation in per-pupil education funding. Republicans hold a super majority in the senate and house in Boise. They are failing us. As a Republican, I’m voting for improvement. I’m voting for candidates who care about our health and our children’s future. I’m voting for Democrats. Won’t you join me and vote for positive change?
Jean Weingartner, Boise
Trump
Isn’t Trump attending a large unmasked gathering right after learning he is COVID-19-positive and before he has revealed it like someone who is HIV positive sleeping with someone without revealing his/her HIV positive status? No wonder I feel violated by this administration, yet I can no longer even be shocked.
Anita Flora, Boise