IdahoStatesman.com Opinion

Richert: Votes, money keep Minnick from being vulnerable

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:00:00 MST

One year from the 2010 elections, Idaho Rep. Walt Minnick has made an unenviable Top 10 list.

Letters to the editor

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:00:00 MST

The 2009 Legislature passed a bill requiring the Idaho Department of Fish and Game to give priority to domestic sheep over wild bighorn sheep, one of Idaho's premier wildlife species, even when the domestic sheep are spreading deadly diseases to bighorn sheep. The transmission of diseases to bighorns by domestic sheep has been known since 1994, and that groundbreaking study and proof spread like wildfire through the wool growing industry and wildlife conservation groups at the time. It's been extensively discussed and verified by other studies ever since. It defies belief that any rancher raising domestic sheep would not be aware of that fact.

Our View: Firing Pam Lowe becomes a messy lawsuit - and a challenge to credibility for some politicians

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:00:00 MST

So maybe, in retrospect, it's best that the Legislature spent two winters resisting Gov. Butch Otter's call for a major investment in road repair.

Letters to the Editor

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:00:00 MST

I may have missed an article, but I believe that in all the coverage of the possibility of stationing F-35 fighter planes in Idaho, the Statesman has not mentioned the well-documented fact that these planes are at least twice as noisy as the F-15s currently operating out of Gowen Field. In view of the controversy surrounding the noise level of the F-15s, it is important that the public be aware of the noise issue before the decision is made to bring the F-35s here.

Jim Wordelman: Let's separate fact from fiction in reform plans

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:00:00 MST

We've all heard the myths by now. Reforming health care will kill old people. It will ration care. It is socialized medicine that is too expensive, will hurt Medicare and let the government make life-and-death decisions for you. Oh, and it will also keep you from getting the care you need.

Letters to the editor feedback

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:00:00 MST

Are you kidding me? How many front-page articles in the Statesman do we have to endure about wolf kills/wolf hunters in Idaho ("Wolf hunters near limit in 2 zones" Oct. 27). And even better, this time there was a map showing the wolf kills throughout the state - and it was in color! If this wasn't enough, we even had a picture of a dead wolf on page A4 - again in color! Are we proud of these wolf kills or what? Is there nothing else happening that is "newsworthy," or is this it for Idaho ... wolf hunters/wolf kills?

Victoria Young: Increasing class time won't improve our public schools

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:00:00 MST

The Our View (Oct. 18) concerning an Obama administration suggestion for a longer school day or year ended with "it's good to begin the discussion sooner, not later."

Letters to the Editor health care

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:00:00 MST

The insurance industry's "study group" has stated that insurance companies will raise premiums if the Baucus health care bill is passed. The Baucus bill does not even contain a public option, nor does it force all Americans to get health insurance. The industry's admission that it will raise premiums because the government will not provide more healthy clients to the insurance pool is the very reason we need a public option. We need a nonprofit competitor to force the insurance industry to keep premiums down. We also need all Americans to contribute to the plan instead of all taxpayers having to pay more when they do get sick and use the emergency room.

WestViews: Opinions from newspapers in Idaho and the West commenting on Western issues

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:00:00 MST

Gov. Butch Otter has indicated reorganization is part of his plan toward repairing Idaho's recession-battered budget. Consolidation may not yield savings soon enough to salvage the budget next year - or even the year after. But fiscal problems are incentive enough to begin asking some questions, such as:

Our View: Businesses need to help build case for new jail

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 MST

County officials had, after all, whittled $26.5 million from the much-needed project. The resulting $46 million proposal represented a good plan at the worst possible time. Even with the savings, the jail would have increased taxes by $16.47 a year on $100,000 worth of taxable property.

Letters to the Editor: Boise streetcar

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 MST

The city of Boise should consider experimenting with small shuttle buses before committing to a giant streetcar or even an expensive study. The proposed loop could be expanded to stretch from Broadway to 27th Street in order to access potential parking. Three small shuttles might be spaced to limit waits to 10 minutes and gauge actual demand. Please do not make a large investment if the demand does not exist.

Letters to the Editor

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 MST

Gov. Otter has betrayed us. He has sworn with his arm to the square to protect and defend the Constitution from enemies, foreign and domestic, yet he does nothing when Washington attacks our freedoms by mutilating the Constitution. Why doesn't he speak to Washington with authority as federal powers expand? Why doesn't he say, "As governor, as an Idaho Republican and as a citizen of our state, I reject and condemn, e.g., bailouts, TARP funds, the Patriot Act, health care reform, Cash for Clunkers, the Federal Reserve, the president's czars, the list goes on and on. There is no place for these in Idaho."

Kevin Richert: Streetcar didn't inspire Boise residents to vote

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 MST

I 'm not sure 17.6 percent of the voters can deliver a mandate. This sliver of the Boise electorate resoundingly re-elected City Council incumbents Vern Bisterfeldt and Maryanne Jordan and gave TJ Thomson a comfortable win in an open council race.

Darrel Deide: Special interests prevent technology in the classroom

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 MST

When technology was brought into the classroom many years ago, everything changed and schooling improved dramatically. This "new" technology allowed information to be presented all at once, freeing up teachers to spend more time educating and less time replicating basic data. Because an innovation like this was impossible to ignore, soon every classroom was utilizing this technology. This technology was put into classrooms around 1801. It was the blackboard.

Letters to the Editor

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 MST

Leonard Pitts missed the point in his commentary on Sept. 27.

Walt Minnick: We need financial reform, but we need to do it right

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:05:30 MST

Throughout my decades as an Idaho business leader, I always made sure I could look my associates in the eye and explain every decision.

Letters to the Editor

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:05:30 MST

It doesn't make any difference what your political persuasion is or if you are for or against the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, but recently we lost eight American soldiers in a single attack. These soldiers were stationed at a remote, thinly manned outpost in the middle of an area swarming with the enemy. Does that make any sense at all, and does this infuriate anyone as much as it does me? Are our soldiers sacrificial lambs?

Our View: 3-foot rule for drivers is a good safety measure

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:05:29 MST

Drivers and cyclists must do a better job of sharing Boise's streets. And city code should reflect this needed balance.

Here's a review of the Idaho Statesman's picks

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:00:00 MST

Municipal elections tend to get lost between the races for statewide offices or legislative posts. But in cities across the Valley, voters will get a chance to guide the agenda on issues that hit close to home. Funding for police, fire, parks and libraries. Land use. Economic development and transportation.

Our View: Even copier contracts matter

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:00:00 MST

When a photocopied note shows up in a kid's backpack, most parents don't really care who serviced the school's copier.

Letters to the Editor

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:00:00 MST

In reference to Tim Teater, Oct. 11 letter. I read this and was amazed. This tirade about white Christian male supremacy is so utterly ridiculous it is unfathomable. Liberals speak of tolerance, yet all I see are double standards. In addition, others (conservatives) who don't share the liberal mindset are racists? Someday I wish I was this enlightened - not.

Letters to the editor

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:00:00 MST

Senator Crapo sure is talking a good game as commercials air across the state touting all he is doing to protect Medicare and fight for Idaho's seniors. I beg to differ.

Saundra McDavid: I want planning, not higher taxes for Eagle

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 23:00:00 MDT

I have been involved in Eagle's civic affairs for the past several years, attending City Council meetings and planning and zoning meetings. Over the years there have been several instances where I have been very concerned about the city heading in the wrong direction. One was the city's push to increase growth and population in Eagle by rezoning rural land to accommodate developers' wishes for overly dense subdivisions, particularly in west Eagle. Another was the local improvement district sponsored by council in order for the city to purchase a water company at enormous cost to its citizens. I knew citizens had to speak out against it, and I actively lobbied our council to stop the LID proceedings.