Fixing the West Ada School Board means getting good board members | Opinion

West Ada school board needs good people

Don’t get me wrong, I think the West Ada School Board has done some really stupid things. The “All are welcome here” incident was handled badly, and the September meeting was an embarrassment (check it out on YouTube).

On the other hand, the board is in the unenviable position of having to fulfill our esteemed legislators’ fiscal restrictions and unreasonable proposals. As an example, over-reaching legislation that monitors what can be taught.

We need to change the makeup of the board to include educators and younger community members who listen. I would suggest a vote for Dara Ezzell-Pebworth and Meghan Brown for Trustees.

Aletha Lundblad, Meridian

Bradescu has no place on Boise coucil

Lynn Bradescu is running for Boise City Council District 6. Those like me who have been deeply involved in Republican politics in Idaho and Ada County know Lynn, her troubling values and company she keeps. If you know Bradescu, you know she is not fit for any office, anywhere.

She has long associated herself with the fringiest and most dangerous actors in Idaho politics, those who sympathize with and proudly identify as White Christian Nationalists, Neo-Nazi groups, anti-Semitic ideologues, anti-LGBT hate groups, and election deniers. She loudly and proudly champions the most divisive, hateful and reprehensible aspects of Idaho politics. Her public association and support for Doug Traubel, the 2024 Ada County Sheriff candidate who blamed Jews in his book for “leading the Bolshevik Revolution” and accused European Jews of causing Nazism, further demonstrate her extremism.

Lynn has launched profanity and insult-laced screaming episodes toward me and fellow elected GOP precinct committeemen that was filmed and publicly posted on Facebook for all to see. She is not fit for office.

Amos Rothstein, Boise

Trump hurting the economy

It appears that Donald Trump has done irritable damage to the economy of the United States. His racist attitude has pretty much told everyone that they are not welcomed.

From the last that I heard we have lost something like 79,000 manufacturing jobs. The tourist industry is crashing. American companies like General Electric have moved to Canada. One farm equipment company has moved to Germany. It was stated it would be cheaper to ship a combine from Germany to Canada for less than to make in America and with the tariffs ship to Canada.

All the while as this country burns to the ground, and the Republican Party sits on their thumbs afraid to do what would be the right thing to save this country. And once again we have to use taxpayers dollars’ to bail out the farmers that overwhelming voted for Trump to destroy their businesses.

In all, the Republican Party has proven that they can’t manage, they can’t lead all they can do is follow a moron. The demise of this country can now be solely placed on the shoulders of every Republican in this country.

Jerry Johnson, Payette

Little passing the buck

Before Gov. Brad Little started tossing dirt and blaming Biden for the delay to the Idaho State Veterans Home, he should have answered some questions. Biden’s Buy America Act required purchasing U.S. materials on Federal projects. Isn’t that kind of what MAGA is, to support our U.S. manufacturing? And then Trump gives a waiver after all his bombast about bringing back American manufacturing. Rather hypocritical!

Who does this, who starts a project buying materials before specifications are known or funds secured? I can see raising money but not to start by buying materials. It appears that this is an attempt to blame the Biden bill for someone’s poor management.

There are different methods to get a waiver for federal projects. Regulations allow the purchase of foreign materials if you can show there is no domestic source, so why sit on a project for four years without getting approval or swapping out materials? Was it state of Idaho funds that bought those materials? Where were they stored for four years? I’d like some answers.

Our representatives should represent all the people not just those that voted for them and this blame game is childish!

Carol Haddock, Nampa

Idah senators lying to voters

A recent letter from one of Idaho’s senators claimed that Congressional Democrats demanded “free health care for illegal aliens” and sought to “strip rural hospital funding.” These claims are inaccurate.

Federal law prohibits undocumented immigrants from receiving taxpayer-funded health care. The Democratic proposal aimed to restore coverage for lawfully present immigrants — including refugees and victims of violence — who lost access under recent legislation. No provision offered benefits to undocumented individuals.

Democrats also proposed restoring funding to support medical insurance for American citizens with low incomes — many of whom stand to lose coverage under the “Big Beautiful Bill” recently signed into law. That law reduced ACA subsidies and Medicaid reimbursements, threatening coverage for working families and seniors across Idaho.

The claim that Democrats sought to strip rural hospital funding is equally misleading. Their proposal aimed to reverse Medicaid cuts that disproportionately harm emergency care providers — not eliminate support.

Idahoans deserve honest representation. Mischaracterizing legislation to inflame voters undermines public trust and distracts from real policy debates. We can disagree on solutions, but truth should never be optional.

Clinton Dunn, Dayton

The GOP left me

Prior to 2016, I was a solid Republican. Donald Trump has changed that.

His press secretary has said, “President Trump is truly the most transparent and accessible President in American history.” Nothing could be further from the truth.

He and his cabinet, Speaker Mike Johnson and the Idaho congressional delegation have continually lied and tried hard to hide the truth. They say that the shutdown is because Democrats want to provide free health care for illegal aliens.

That is totally false. Just ask AI.

When you stop releasing climate data, you are not transparent. When you block the release of the Epstein files you are not transparent. When you refused to release your Tax returns like all other presidents you are not transparent. When you hide the video of border czar Tom Homan accepting a bag of $50,000 in cash from an FBI agent you are not transparent. A transparent president would not require journalists to sign pledges that they will report only what the administration wants.

When you can’t believe what a leader or a party tells you, it’s time to vote for someone else.

Steve Severn, Boise