Why didn’t Idaho legislators cut their salaries by 3%? | Opinion

Budget cuts

I am a retired teacher. I taught in Boise schools for 32 years. I have watched Phil McGrane as he supervised elections in Ada County, and now as the Secretary of State of Idaho. He has always been honest and nonpartisan. If our Secretary of State, Phil McGrane, requests money to make sure he is able to serve all of us, you can be certain that he would never request one dollar more than he needs.

Rep. Josh Tanner seems to believe that he needs to make sure that budgets are cut by 3% as he wants to make certain that the 3% cuts requested by our governor are made — even if the cuts to the office of our Secretary of State would damage the elections we can currently trust. I am wondering if Rep. Tanner has cut his salary by 3% to reflect his concerns that 3% be cut. I wager that he has not. He should cut his own salary by 3% in the spirit of his concern for the budgeting and his wishes to comply with what the governor has requested. He should be setting an example of his sincere concern for the budget.

Katherine Zuckerman, Boise

DOJ weaponization

A question that isn’t asked often enough in American politics is, “What happens when the other party is in power and can reverse what I’m doing?” A view to the future should bring a little more caution to the activities of each administration. Of course, things have always swung from one side to the other, but it’s getting more extreme, with much worse consequences. Part of the reason it’s getting more extreme is because the left and right are now blatantly targeting each other.

The most damaging example of this is in the Department of Justice. President Trump claims to have ended the biased targeting of Republicans. What he has in fact done is pardoned all manner of Republican criminals, while going after anyone in the DOJ who participated in a case against him. He hasn’t ended lawfare, he’s made it far worse. The next Democrat to become President will have no choice but to undo what Trump has done, and will likely go even further in the other direction. Even if he does not, Republicans will accuse him of doing so. And thus we end up in a never-ending cycle of DOJ recriminations where “justice” becomes just a word.

John Crow, Boise

Simpson, Risch

After Rep. Mike Simpson successfully garnered President Trump’s favor and endorsement by suggesting a Kennedy Center opera house be named after Melanie Trump, I have a suggestion for Sen. Jim Risch. For your reelection bid this coming November, Sen. Risch, you will certainly curry favor from President Trump and secure his endorsement if you tattoo his image on your right forearm (be sure it’s the right forearm) and, with the coming moon mission, suggest that the moon be renamed Planet Trump in his honor. Your reelection in Idaho will be assured.

RW Bennett, Boise

Legislature

I left the Senate State Affairs Committee hearing on House Bill 898 embarrassed for our state’s leadership.

As Idahoans testified, committee members looked at phones, laughed, joked, and one even ate donuts. A 15-year-old showed up to participate in the democratic process — and what she saw was not leadership, but indifference. That moment has stayed with me.

House Bill 898 is not trivial. It reshapes how Idaho protects its history — places that define our communities and identity. The State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) ensures that growth is balanced with stewardship. I’ve seen its value in projects like the Lava Ridge Wind Project, where independent expertise led to informed decisions and meaningful mitigation.

Yet this bill moved forward without clear answers. How does this create efficiency? What problem is being solved? And how can SHPO function effectively within an undefined structure?

More troubling is the decision to move SHPO into the newly created Office of Species, Minerals, and Energy Coordination — an untested entity with no track record. Historic preservation is not a subset of resource extraction; it requires independence and balance.

Idaho’s values — stewardship, placemaking and neighbors looking out for one another — deserve better.

Brittney Scigliano, Boise

Bathroom bill

We are all soooo much safer now that the bathroom stalls and urinals in the public restrooms are legally protected by law due to the legislature’s incredible diligence. They ran through billions in surplus revenue, but we won’t have a pride flag to threaten us on Boise streets. It’s just soooo much better.

There should be a law that to serve in the Senate or House you have to take a basic 101 accounting class or more fittingly, at least read “Bookkeeping for Dummies.”

I am sure the residents of Idaho feel the safest when the legislature is not in session.

Dennis McDowell, Boise

Iran war

Here’s a thought bubble: Imagine the world’s reaction if Israel had acted alone, did everything that Trump did to Iran’s infrastructure, blew up schools, declared the war was won, left the enriched uranium untouched, the Strait of Hormuz closed and the Iran Revolutionary Guard in charge.

I believe that World opinion would resoundingly demonize Israel. And, a majority of Trump’s base, led by J.D. Vance and Tucker Carlson would be joining in the demonization.

Ralph Sims, Eagle

Public transportation

I think that Boise is long overdue to have public transportation. We have such an influx of people, and the traffic and pollution are only going to get worse as more people come in. We need to take the opportunity to develop better buses and even light rail. I haven’t talked to anyone who disagrees with this take, but it seems we’ve all resigned to it never happening. Other cities have done it, why can’t we?

Mattie Branham, Caldwell

Death row

Idaho’s death row at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution near Kuna houses male prisoners sentenced to death. Female death row inmates are housed at the Women’s Correctional Center in Pocatello.

Why should our legislators have budgeted a little over $19 million more of our tax dollars this year on only nine prisoners because they’re on death row?!

If the death row prisoners were instead sentenced to life imprisonment without parole in maximum security, then our legislators could be saving us taxpayers this large amount of money and still keep us safe.

The savings, every year (adjusted for inflation), could be returned to us taxpayers as a refund; or, better still, contributed to the Crime Victims Compensation Fund for murder victims’ families.

Write your legislators and tell them to show some conservative common sense to keep us SAFE and SAVE!

David Powell, Eagle