Letters to the editor: Elections, Wasden, climate, Interfaith Sanctuary, budget surplus

Budget surplus

Don’t believe everything you hear about Idaho’s budget surplus. It’s not the result of astute management. It’s creative accounting. Every accountant knows when you underestimate revenue and underfund expenses, you create a surplus, and management gets a raise, or in this case tax cuts for the wealthy and lofty campaign promises. This was not the time for tax cuts or slush funds to pay outside legal fees.

We had a rare opportunity to do the right thing. Fund kindergarten and fairly compensate our teachers. Fund the education system so schools are not seeking levies for everyday operations. Fix our roads, bridges and deteriorating buildings full of lead paint and asbestos. The health of state employees is at risk.

The state needs to own the responsibilities it has pushed down to counties and cities causing out of control property taxes. The homeless problem is not a city issue; it’s an Idaho issue. Own it and fund it.

We are in a period of unprecedented growth. Again, not a city or county issue, it is a state issue. We need to step up and fund the infrastructure to accommodate this growth and provide funding for the growth we know is coming.

James Dodd, Boise

Wasden

Lawrence Wasden must be re-elected Idaho attorney general. Lawrence is a conservative, honest and hard-working. I know — I worked with and for him for 10 years. To me, his record as a fiscal conservative is extremely impressive. Since he has been in office, his budget has grown 16.47%, less than the state budget, and the number of employees in his office have grown 36.47%, less than the state’s population. Some self-styled “conservatives” may be frustrated that he won’t lie to them about the law when they want to pass wacky legislation, but that’s their problem. In case after case where legislators have used private attorneys when they were mad at Lawrence, the state of Idaho has lost millions of dollars. Lawrence Wasden is by far the best candidate for attorney general.

Thorpe Peter Orton, Boise

Climate

Corporate climate sustainability is profitable.

Barron’s Magazine found that despite COVID, national supply chain problems and devastating climate change droughts and floods, American companies that focused on sustainability, water risks and dealing with supply chains demonstrated that being “good to the Earth’‘ was also profitable.

The average return for the 100 most sustainable corporations was 34.4%. The S&P 500 was only 28.7%. American corporations have been hiring corporate sustainability officers at a rate that is not likely to subside.

Since Congress has failed to pass significant climate change laws because there is lobbying, conflicts of interest and misleading information (there’s no such thing as clean coal), the Securities and Exchange Commission proposed a rule that would make it mandatory for corporations to tell their investors about their financial risks on a short-term and long-term basis due to their climate change risks.There are no economic reasons for opposing these SEC rules, just political hack excuses.

Climate change is five facts in 10 words: 1. it’s real, 2. it’s us, 3. it’s bad, 4. scientists agree, 5. There’s hope!

Go to CitizensClimateLobby.org to help create the political will for a livable world.

Ed Wardwell, Boise

Elections

I am very excited to learn from the two female candidates for the office of Secretary of State that Trump really won the 2020 election.

As a lawyer I often do pro bono work and I am willing to help the two candidates without a fee of any kind. I propose to take their sworn affidavits into the U.S. District Court in Boise without delay and to petition the Court to declare Trump as the winner of the election. Of course, the affidavits must contain facts supporting their claim that Biden lost.

John Adams correctly stated: “Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.” If these two candidates have no facts, they might not be the best persons for the office they seek...or perhaps any public office.

Don Lojek, Boise

Interfaith Sanctuary

I live directly behind the new Interfaith Sanctuary. I never signed a petition against it, or protested, or attended a meeting to voice my support or opposition. From the moment Interfaith purchased the property, it was 100% going in. They would appeal and sue their way into the location if needed. Most of the neighborhood supports the mission statement of Interfaith. We all recognize something needs to be done to help and assist the homeless. I also understand my neighbors’ concerns that our property values, ability to sell, or children’s routes to school will be affected by a shelter that is over 3 miles from downtown and surrounded by mostly residential homes. The “not in my neighborhood” argument. When Jodi Peterson Stigers and Interfaith purchased the property, that was their vote for “not in my neighborhood.” When City Council voted to overturn the planning and zoning commission, that was their vote for “not in my neighborhood,” because none of them live in our neighborhood. None of them will share in the negative impacts of what this shelter means to our neighborhood, but it has to go somewhere, why not that neighborhood with the trailer parks away from downtown.

Tyler Walker, Boise

Carbon tax

I want to thank you for publishing “Enacting a Carbon Tax is Critical to Future,” a recent guest editorial by Judy Peres. A tax on carbon would force users of fossil fuels to pay at least some of the true costs of using these fuels. As the editorial points out, it would also reduce the influence of autocratic petro-states like Russia, encourage innovation into new sources of low or zero-carbon energy, and encourage the use of all forms of renewable energy. Coupled with a household dividend, it even compensates lower income households for higher energy costs.

The editorial mentions a border carbon adjustment, which would spread the benefits of the tax to our trading partners. The health benefits alone from reduced air pollution would seem to make this approach a no-brainer.

A carbon tax and dividend is good for people, good for business, good for the climate and very good for Idaho.

Greg Weeks, Boise