Smokey Bear should be proud of the men and women fighting Idaho fires | Opinion
Firefighters
Smokey Bear should be proud of his agency, The U.S. Forest Service. I am. Over 50 years ago, I worked summers as a USFS Wilderness Ranger. Then, naturally caused fire was healthy for the forests and it still is. Now, natural and man-caused forest fires are often totally destructive due to climate change among other reasons. In the West, we are paying the price for ignoring the red flags of rapid climate change. We all suffer from bad air quality or miles of charred woods and grasslands. Those of us with cabins and homes in the wildland urban interface are at great risk.
Our cabin is 10 miles west of Grandjean, where the Wapiti started. The USFS and Boise County firefighters were heroes in protecting our little enclave of 15 or so cabins. The rain ultimately saved us, but I have no doubt that their efforts would have protected our cabins from burning had it engulfed our community.
The Forest Service and other governmental entities like counties and local fire departments are working tirelessly and successfully to save our structures. For weeks now, we have watched the men and women of these organizations clear brush and trees, lay down miles of hoses and set up water pumps to protect our beloved cabin, leaving it and others better prepared for fire than they were.
They are not only fighting the fires, they work with the communities keeping us informed with frequent comprehensive, and educational descriptions including maps of their progress. I thank them and Smokey.
Dave Greegor, Boise
Gov. Little
I was disappointed by a recent letter from Idaho Gov. Brad Little spewing outright lies to scare me into a campaign donation.
He uses the tired tactic of dividing us and making us fear our immigrant neighbors. Immigrants have always been part of the fabric of our industries like agriculture and construction, and both would implode if Republicans succeed in the mass deportation they seek.
Little points fingers elsewhere, but the biggest threat to law enforcement funding comes from the budget caps he enacted. Every Democratic legislator supports the Idaho Police State budget, while Republicans vote against it. Unlike Republican politicians, Democrats know we must also invest in crime prevention, like ensuring youth have great learning opportunities and paths to good jobs.
Little uses fear and division to win votes and donations (by the way, he’s not even on the ballot). Meanwhile, he caused nearly one in four of our OB/GYNs to flee the state, turned control of our libraries over to book banners and cut revenue to benefit the richest people and his corporate donors. It’s no wonder he’s talking about boogeymen rather than his record of embracing extremism and turning his back on the middle class.
Shameful.
Rhonda G Anderson, Boise
Child care
It’s election season and the number one issue on parents’ minds is child care. The average cost of child care for two kids is higher than the average cost of rent in all fifty states.
As a mom of a 22-month-old, my family spends the same amount on child care here in Boise as we spend on our monthly mortgage, and that is with my mother watching him one day a week. We are lucky to be able to afford this cost, but many families cannot. The cost of child care is a huge weight on the shoulders of working families in Idaho.
We’re hearing candidates at the local, state, and national level talk about putting families first. But unless real policy solutions are prioritized — family first is all talk.
Child care is not a partisan issue — 89% of voters want candidates to have a plan to help working parents afford high-quality child care. I urge candidates up and down our ballot in Idaho, to commit to prioritizing child care in their first 100 days if elected. Our families, our economy, and our children’s futures depend on it.
Kelly Pennings, Boise