The Idaho GOP should fix its own messes and stop plotting against Idaho voters | Opinion

GOP should stop plotting against voters

What a hoot! Or it would be if it were not such a serious attempt to subordinate voters to the will of our elected representatives. I’m referring to the resolutions proposed by Dorothy Moon to eliminate citizen-led ballot initiatives. Talk about hypocrisy. They are elected to represent us and, yet, their first objective this year is to eliminate direct citizen input. Yes, I get it — citizen priorities can be inconvenient if they don’t align with party preferences. Maybe our representatives should listen more and plot less.

Noel Schoneman, Star

Arkoosh dead-on about Labrador

Upon reading Mr. Tom Arkoosh’s article concerning Labrador’s unprofessional behavior, my mind flashed back to the 2022 Idaho AG election. After barely winning the primary over Wasden, Labrador gave the Idaho votes a choice for the general election: a well-respected, professional lawyer or a Make All Great Again professional politician. The MAGA cult chose Labrador despite all the warnings by respected leaders of both parties.

We were all warned about what to expect, but alas in an R state, it didn’t matter.

Now as we are warned against the traitorous MAGA loser responsible for over 200,000 COVID deaths and a divided nation among other things, will Idaho voters heed the warnings, facts and reality, or continue following their preferred fantasy.

The salvation of our union will probably rest, as it has before, in the hands of our youth. Thank God for their vision.

And thank God for the patriotic leadership of people like Mr. Arkoosh

James Franklin, Meridian

Idaho maternal mortality is shameful

When counting things per population, the rate is “normalized” to how often it would occur per 100,000 people. In this way, one can easily compare rates.

In 2019, Idaho’s Maternal Mortality rate was 18/100,000 live births. In 2021, it was 40/100,000 live births. Because Idaho had a bit more than 20,000 live births in 2021, that means 16 moms died in 2021. They died from embolism, infection and untreated mental illness. Every death was preventable.

For comparison, in 2021, war-torn Syria’s maternal mortality was 30/100,000. Developing nation Chile’s was 13/100,000.

Only local tracking of what’s killing moms to prevent it from happening again will decrease Idaho’s atrocious maternal mortality. Last year, Idaho had a team of experts identifying those causes — the Maternal Mortality Review Committee.

Instead of following the experts’ recommendations to keep Idaho moms alive, our legislature disbanded the Maternal Mortality Review Committee. Idaho’s maternal mortality isn’t tracked anymore.

One recommendation to save Idaho moms’ lives? Permit postpartum women access to Medicaid for 12 months after birth. Idaho stops postpartum Medicaid at 60 days. Infection, blood clots, postpartum depression, retained placenta, and uterine bleeding — all last longer than 60 days.

Kama Parrish, Nampa

No matter who does it, targeting civilians is wrong

The attack by Hamas in Israel underscores that civilians should never be targeted by warring parties. Sadly, this is a reprise of the 1982 massacre, mutilation, and rape of over 2,000 innocent civilians at Sabra and Shatila in Lebanon at the hands of Ariel Sharon and Israel. When the Palestinian state, armed by the world’s greatest superpower, then took revenge by carpet bombing Tel Aviv, destroying half of all residential buildings and killing 25,000 innocent citizens.

But only the first event happened, the massacre perpetrated by Israel with complete impugnity.

In this blood-soaked region, there are no wholly clean hands. A two-state solution is the only way to peace, and the US can make this happen by making any further aid to Israel contingent on forcing the Israeli government to break the decades-long continuous stealing of Palestinian land and then having them withdraw from the occupied lands. Our government should know history and work for peace and justice instead of participating in the latest ugly eye-for-an-eye blindness.

Scott Cook, Boise

Gov. Little should thank, not insult Feds

In his State of the State, Gov. Little patted himself on the back and bit the Federal hand that funds Idahoans’ health, standard of living and prosperity. For the past decade, the Feds have provided 30 to 40 percent of Idaho’s revenue each year. That includes $5.74 billion from Biden’s American Rescue Plan and $2.6 billion in infrastructure funding. These funds kept people in their homes and able to buy food, kept businesses alive, schools open, state and local government operating and more. They will be used to repair bridges, roads, airports, clean water, bring internet to rural communities.

Little would have little say about tax relief, investments in education, transportation, clean water and a host of other programs without these federal funds. But Little and Idaho’s Congressional delegation has nothing to say about the importance of these benefits and instead offers insults to gratify their right-wing base. Why not show some character, be honest about the very important role that Federal funds play in Idaho’s prosperity?

Thomas Buchta, Boise

Idaho’s constitutional violations could get worse

Public education is the first step in economic advancement. Currently, Idaho is at or near the bottom of spending per pupil, and the lowest in school infrastructure spending.

From the ID Constitution: “No person shall be required to attend or support any ministry or place of worship, religious sect or denomination, or pay tithes against his consent; nor shall any preference be given by law to any religious denomination or mode of worship.”

And: “The stability of a republican form of government depending mainly upon the intelligence of the people, it shall be the duty of the legislature of Idaho, to establish and maintain a general, uniform and thorough system of public, free common schools.”

Clearly, Idaho is in violation of its constitution, and siphoning public funds to private and religious schools will only exacerbate that. Religious schools teach their religion. Clearly, tax money to religious schools requires Idahoans to support ministries or places of worship, religious sects or denominations, and pay tithes against their consent.

Tim Teater, Boise