Letters to the editor: Teaching racism and sexism, Idaho Legislature, closed primaries, foreign aid

Racism, sexism

I am a student at Boise State University majoring in political science and history. When I heard that the House Education Committee voted unanimously to introduce a bill to prohibit schools from teaching students about racist or sexist concepts, I became completely overwhelmed, unable to stop myself from thinking about the detrimental consequences this bill could produce. I believe that removing the negative and shameful aspects of history would leave students not only misinformed but with a completely falsified understanding of how we got to where we are in society. History provides current and future generations with an opportunity to learn from past mistakes. Throughout my own education, it was through the honest and often difficult truth that I was inspired not only to make a difference but to confront the injustices of the past in order to make sure that they are not repeated. While I support the walkout by the Committee Democrats from the March 19 hearing, it is not enough. I urge all state legislators, no matter their party affiliation, to take the time and truly consider what kind of impact this bill could have.

Sydney O’Connor, Boise

Voting Republican

Many have expressed dismay, unhappiness, and anger with Republican legislators. The legislators won’t be changing until Republican voters change.

Until Republican voters get their heads out of Fox News lies and conspiracies, until they quit listening to right wing hate radio, and until they get MAGA/QAnon lies and conspiracies off their social media, they will keep voting like they do. They are paying more attention to Russian trolls and white supremacist trolls than the reality that touches them every day.

Reality and the real world want to deal with the pandemic, fully fund education pre-K through college, fix infrastructure that has been abandoned for as long as decades, keep our social safety net secure, and a host of pressing issues. We want corporations and the wealthy to pay their fair share of what our society needs.

Fox, right wing radio, and MAGA/QAnon won’t be delivering anything to us, just escapism from the real world.

Dallas Chase, Boise

Closed primaries

Regarding open primaries, they are like allowing BYU fans to have a say in who the BSU starters are.

Chris Bolton, Meridian

Bad legislation

Is our legislature in a COVID stupor? That might explain Senate Bill 1110 and House Bill 332. Contact your legislators and voice your opposition. Tell Gov. Little to veto these bills if they make it to his desk.

SB 1110 will make citizen initiatives, such as Medicaid expansion virtually impossible by requiring signatures be collected from 35 districts rather than 18. A single district could veto the process, and deprive everyone else the right to vote on it. Rural voters do have a voice, Medicaid expansion passed in almost all of the rural districts. Rural districts are well represented in the legislature. SB 1110 might also encourage out-of-state big money since grass root efforts will be much harder.

HB 332 will give the wealthiest and large corporations a large tax break, but for most of us, almost no break at all. A family of four with an adjusted gross income of $25,000 would see a $213 tax cut; the same family with an adjusted gross income of $1 million would receive a $10,217 cut. HB 332 also jeopardizes federal funds for infrastructure.

Other bills being considered are geared towards making voting harder. Will Idaho act like Georgia and make handing out water illegal?

Diane McConnaughey, Boise

Foreign aid

Investment in foreign aid means better business for America.

There’s certainly a lot of debate around foreign aid. Sure, it’s great that the U.S. gives money to hungry people and such, but what about U.S. citizens who have to pay for it when they themselves need the money? Well, investing in foreign aid turns back around and ends up helping those U.S. citizens, too.

A few billion invested in a foreign country (which is relatively small compared to the trillions the government spends every year) means huge return investments for U.S. companies. From 1960-2005, the United States government invested $1.7 billion in foreign aid in Mexico. In 2018, the total exports from the U.S. into Mexico were worth over $265 billion. Other figures can be found at The Borgen Project’s website.

Investment in foreign aid is critical not only to their futures, but to ours.

Holly Dorman, Nampa