[Vision2020] Pocatello Journal editoral on Republican politics
inIdaho
Art Deco aka W. Fox
deco at moscow.com
Thu Dec 9 16:18:39 PST 2004
Rose, et al,
There is the libertarian "right" which stands for individual rights and
non-interference of the government things of taste, sex, religion, etc. This
group supports gay marriage and removing tax exemptions for religion among other
things.
Unfortunately, there is fascist "right" which seeks to do just the opposite.
Guess which "right" dominates Idaho politics?
W.
----- Original Message -----
From: DonaldH675 at aol.com
To: vision2020 at moscow.com
Sent: Thursday, December 09, 2004 3:49 PM
Subject: [Vision2020] Pocatello Journal editoral on Republican politics
inIdaho
How far right do Visionaries think the Republican Party will steer this
legislative sessions - and more to the point, what can be done about it?
Rose Huskey
From the Pocatello Journal editorial page
Majority party shows rightward drift, ideological bent
Last week's upheaval by Republicans of ldaho Senate committee chairmanships
has the likely effect of steering future legislative efforts further to the
right, if that is possible.
Replacing Sen. Gary Schroeder, of Moscow, with Sen. John Goedde, of Coeur
d'Alene, as chairman of the Education Committee sends a clear message to critics
of the present charter school system that amplification of current problems is
likely under the new chairman.
Schroeder's tenure as chairman had been marked by legislative decisions
sometimes at odds with his committee. Apparently Goedde's philosophical bent is
more palatable to the Republican caucus.
With Sen. Don Burtenshaw, of Terreton, replacing retired Sen. Sheila Sorensen,
of Boise, as the chairman of the State Affairs Committee, we will likely see the
constitutional amendment banning homosexual marriages resurface with a
vengeance. Sorensen, aware that Idaho already has a law stating marriage must be
between a man and a woman, used her seniority status last session to help block
the constitutional amendment from reaching the Senate floor.
There are a handful of difficult, time-consuming issues to resolve in the
upcoming legislative session: Sunset of the sales tax, water rights, charter
schools, funding for institutions of higher learning, prison overcrowding and a
constitutional amendment banning homosexual marriages. Five valid issues and one
red herring confront the upcoming Legislature.
When the Republican caucus replaces moderate chairmen and women with more
conservative lawmakers, it doesn't take a palm reader to divine what direction
the majority party will take and what issues they will spend precious time
debating. There are truly relevant issues facing Idaho that demand the undivided
attention of our legislators. Banning homosexual marriages is not on that list.
Legislators demean themselves, the Statehouse, state government and the people
they represent by spending an iota of their time revisiting an issue that is of
little, if any, import to the governance of our state.
Perhaps it is expecting too much from our lawmakers, once they begin breathing
the rarefied air inside the Capitol, that they approach the upcoming season with
a degree of common sense by tackling the more formidable issues before wasting
taxpayers' money on ephemera. But common sense is an uncommon commodity in the
reactionary wing.
Time spent on this ideological, chest-thumping issue will be time lost to real
concerns. Let's hope the consequence is not another mad, slapdash, Stooges-like
run to the finish line, well after the nominal 60-day limit for the session has
passed.
"One cannot level one's moral lance at every evil in the universe. There are
just too many of them. But you can do something, and the difference between
doing something and doing nothing is everything." Daniel Berrigan
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