Letters to the editor: Education task force, vaccines, Legislature
Censorship task force
Lt. Gov. McGeachin’s indoctrination task force is a waste of our limited tax dollars and a useless enterprise. Censorship of information, whether about alternative political systems or any other topic, is the tool of authoritarian governments. Countries that censor their schools include China, Iran and North Korea. In a state where freedom from government overreach is an important concept, how can we possibly support this government effort to take power away from parents and citizens via their own local, elected school boards? If the state of Idaho wants to improve education, it should pay teachers enough to keep them and fund preschool and kindergarten programs that prepare students for success. These are effective, research-based methods of improving education. Censorship is not.
Lois Ortmann, Meridian
Vaccine
I am OK with people not getting vaccinated. People may become infected and survive COVID-19. About 30% of these survivors will become “long-haulers.” They will want some medical care. I believe that medical care should be provided but that the first question that insurance, Medicaid, Medicare or Tri-care should ask is, “Are you vaccinated”? If the individual is vaccinated, then no treatment should be denied them. If they have refused to be vaccinated, then they should be provided with palliative medical care. Shouldn’t people’s decisions to not be vaccinated be followed with accountability?
Joseph Gallagher, Boise
New Red Scare
Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin, I am greatly concerned by your actions to root out socialism, critical race theory and whatever else your task force is planning on doing. I feel that you are resurrecting the spirit of Joseph McCarthy who warned the country of the “Red Scare,” which was a witch hunt and a scam. You and other members of our governing bodies are not paying attention to budgets, childhood education or anything else that really matters in Idaho. Voter suppression and ignorance are the order of the day.
Curt Kelley, Boise
Witch hunt
The witch hunt is on. Beware, teachers and administrators in public schools. McCarthyism — oh no, it’s McGeachinism this time — gun, bible and conspiracy theories in hand. She’s on the loose with her posse to ferret out communism, socialism, social justice in the public schools (which her Idaho Freedom Foundation buddies hope to privatize by not giving federal money to public schools — get the connection?).
McGeachin’s Task Force has been formed much like McCarthy’s Un-American Activities panel.
So what does this state leader plan to accomplish? Irreparable harm to our public schools?
Last year our schools had 120-plus classrooms without a certified teacher, some went to four-day weeks, etc. As Sen. Ward-Engelking noted, Idaho is a training ground for teachers leaving for Washington, Oregon and Wyoming. We’re bottom of the states for education funding.
The legislators leading this conspiracy have no facts for their complaints — one has heard a substitute say blah blah, another some obscure person’s report.
This is exactly why McGeachin has to go hunting for evidence and ask families to sell out their teachers.
Remember the damage McCarthy did to our country?
Consider the damage McGeachin will do to our state — in education, industry, community morale.
Legislators, please stop this idiocy!
Lois Morgan, Boise
105 days
The Idaho legislature has been in session for longer than Joe Biden has been president, but what have they actually gotten done? They voted to restrict the ballot initiative process through SB 1110 (which Gov. Brad Little subsequently signed into law) amid a backlash, including a petition signed by 16,000 and more than 6,000 calls and emails in opposition of the bill. They tried to create more barriers to students receiving sex education in school, before HB 249 ultimately died in committee. They killed both HB 226 and HB 331 — bills that would have helped fund early childhood education and care, and instead decided to use money to give tax breaks benefiting the wealthiest Idahoans through HB 380. And of course, they’ve continued their crusade to restrict constituents’ bodies through the pushing of egregious anti-choice bills in SB 1183, HB 302, HB 220.
How are Idahoans better off now than they were 105 days, countless killed bills and hundreds of thousands of dollars ago? Do your jobs, legislators. Ignore your fear of losing a primary, and support your people.
Sam Gilbert, Boise