Letters to the editor: Gas prices, masks, election
Price setting
In regards to the article titled “Idaho Convenience Stores Deny Gas Price-Gouging Allegations but Agree to Lower Prices,” I believe that there is a philosophical question that must be considered. Who is government to determine an appropriate price when the market is more than capable of setting prices when left alone?
Sellers provide goods and services at specific prices if and only if consumers are able and willing to purchase these goods and services at this price. If a price is deemed too high by consumers, they have the freedom to choose an alternative supplier with which to transact. Consumers do in fact have access to numerous providers of gasoline outside of these three convenience stores. Government bullying of local businesses into providing discounted gasoline is immoral.
Government intervention into the market, in the form of price controls, is a cornerstone of fiscal liberalism that highlights the hypocrisy of our “conservative”-identifying state government. More importantly, it is immoral to allow government to intervene in mutually beneficial transactions between free individuals in the marketplace.
Andrew Bothke, Nampa
Fair election
Enough! This election is over, Joe Biden won fair and square, security experts have testified to that. At this point Trump and his team are not “revealing” election fraud, they are committing it.
“No person, whether acting under color of law or otherwise, shall intimidate, threaten, or coerce or attempt to intimidate, threaten, or coerce any person… for urging or aiding any person to vote or attempt to vote.” And voting is “all action necessary to make a vote effective in any election, including, but not limited to… having such ballot counted properly and included in the appropriate totals of votes cast.”
By their barrage of frivolous lawsuits, and even more by attempts to subvert election officials, secretaries of state, governors, and legislatures to throw out millions of legally cast ballots, or to void the election entirely and just hand it to Trump because he wants it, Trump et al. are breaking the law.
Furthermore, attacking an election official is assault.
Death threats to officials are terrorism.
And suggesting that the election result be overthrown by force is sedition.
Our senators need to break their silence and call this what it is, attempted dictatorship.
Nancy Parker, Caldwell
Wear a mask
Kristi Noem, Governor of South Dakota, tweeted “If folks want to wear a mask, they should be free to do so. Those who don’t want to wear a mask shouldn’t be shamed into it,” That’s like saying that those who want to drive on the right side of the road should do so, but if they wish to drive on the left, toward oncoming traffic, they should be free to do so. Mask wearing and driving with the traffic protects others as well as oneself.
In a free society you are free to do as you please, as long as your actions don’t endanger others. Doing as you please without regard to others is anarchy.
Some cultures have long protected others by wearing a mask whenever a minor ailment occurs. Because COVID-19 is often asymptomatic, it was an easy transition for them to mask up when in public. Those cultures have enjoyed greater success in containing the virus.
In the United States, our mindset is that masks protect the wearer. While this is true, masks are primarily for the protection of others. We must wear masks (and refrain from driving against traffic) for the benefit of everyone
Penny Neely, Caldwell