If you live two hundred miles or so north of the Idaho Capitol, it looks like Idaho’s political leaders are running against the people.
On my campaign swing through Latah, Nez Perce, and Idaho counties, I heard a version of the same question again and again: why do Republican leaders want to make it harder for Idaho families?
This week, top GOP politicians proposed hiking the sales tax by 33 percent to 8 cents. Tack that onto historically high inflation and you get a bad idea that no regular Idahoan would have lobbied for.
Seriously. Why? Who wants that? Homeowners want tax relief, but not like that.
Folks wonder why on earth aren’t the politicians investing in our kids. Most parents agree that early learning is a big boost for kids. Most parents agree that if a school building needs fixed, then it should get fixed. All parents understand that politicians are the last people who should decide what kids learn.
But Republican leaders in Boise decided to short schoolkids and give big dollars to big businesses instead. Well, in rural Idaho, anytime a school-roof springs a leak, the droplets splashing onto a kid’s desk represent what “trickle down” economics means to them.
And by the way, the most unpopular political opinion around northern Idaho doesn’t come from Washington, D.C. It comes from one of my opponents for this job, House Speaker Scott Bedke. He has dedicated his public life to trying to sell our public lands.
People up here value hunting, fishing, hiking, ATVing, you name it. It’s where we play, and work, and teach our kids to be tough and self-sufficient. The other trait that Speaker Bedke lacks is the political courage to talk straight. If he ever did, he’d know that people love public lands.
I’d be remiss not to mention that this is part of the state where my other opponent, Rep. Priscilla Giddings lives. But she has hitched her wagon to former Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin, who has made a mockery–literally–of her time in this position. People have seen that Giddings’ extremist views are likely to translate into an extremist kind of leadership that ignores the citizens of Idaho for the sake of splashy headlines and breathless fundraising appeals.
This part of the state is diverse: Moscow is a busy university town, Lewiston is a manufacturing center, and the growing community of Grangeville is a gateway to vast public lands.
For their own reasons, hyper-partisan politicians will tell you that these neighbors are incapable of agreeing. That’s nonsense. I can tell you that they all want safe communities, well-built roads and bridges, good education for their kids, and they all want the government to stay out of their personal business.
You know what else they agree on?
They want politicians to stop making life harder. They want extremists out of government. And, I can tell you that I spoke with Independents, Democrats, and Republicans who say they are voting for me.