Idaho Opinions

Congress should pass Idaho senator's Owyhee Canyonlands bill Idaho Sen. Mike Crapo has spent the last seven years crafting legislation that would protect the Owyhee Canyonlands as wilderness as well as creating a new all-hands-in process for such measures, and Congress should reward Crapo's painstaking process and give Idaho it's first wilderness area in 28 years.
Idaho Statesman 4/20/2008

Give teachers a voice After struggling over the issue of how - and how much - to compensate Idaho's public school teachers, state officials now join teachers in a collaborative process.
Idaho Falls Post Register 4/7/2008

Evaluating teachers key to future of merit pay plan Our view: At last, Superintendent Tom Luna is bringing interested parties to the table to develop standards for evaluating teachers in a pay-for-performance system.
Twin Falls Times-News 4/7/2008

Who knows what lurks in the minds of senators? Shortly before adjourning, the Senate voted to require voters to choose a particular party's ballot before voting in primary elections, and to authorize the state to record their choices.
Lewiston Morning Tribune 4/7/2008

2008 Legislature ignores long-term needs The 2008 session went on too long and achieved too little.
Idaho Statesman 4/6/2008

Blaming Otter for road funding failure ignores complexity of politics To suggest the Governor lost his fight to boost funding for roads and bridges because of a failure of leadership not only is unfair, but misreads the facts and discounts the complexity of persuading a conservative Legislature to raise taxes.
Idaho Statesman 4/6/2008

Otter's squandered legislative session The governor is not entirely to blame for a squandered legislative session, but he sets the agenda. When the governor produces flawed ideas and then executes them poorly, there's nobody to fill the void.
Idaho Falls Post Register 4/6/2008

Where have you gone, Phil Batt? Our view: Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter has a lot to learn about the untidy business of give-and-take.
Twin Falls Times-News 4/6/2008

Legislators head home on their potholed roads Gov. Butch Otter and legislative leaders let ideology and ego stand in the way of a primary responsibility: to keep the transportation system on which Idaho's economy depends running smoothly.
Lewiston Morning Tribune 4/6/2008

Grading the Legislature: It's a D The 2008 legislative session goes down as largely a waste of time, marred by a lack of action and an inability to unify and focus.
Idaho Press-Tribune 4/5/2008

Luna starts fresh - and well - on teacher pay New task force charged with devising a better way to evaluate teachers' performance will include members who weren't part of the discussions on pay and performance last year.
Lewiston Morning Tribune 4/5/2008

Landmark tax-cut legislation will allow businesses to reinvest House GOP leaders laud the just-passed business personal property tax exemption bill.
Idaho Statesman 4/4/2008

Legislators unite to provide grocery tax relief Especially in light of the increasing prices in grocery staples such as bread, milk and meat, the increased income tax credit will be a much-appreciated help for Idahoans, especially those who struggle to earn a "living wage."
Idaho Press-Tribune 4/4/2008

Cheers and Jeers Cheers to the chair of the House Rev and Tax committee, to the Senate Education committee, and to a House-Senate conference committe for forging a compromise on the business personal property tax; jeers to a House member for incivility in the session's waning days.
Idaho Falls Post Register 4/4/2008

Lost opportunities and missing leadership in Boise Our view: The Idaho Legislature rates a "D" on its performance in the just-adjourned session.
Twin Falls Times-News 4/4/2008

A fine here, a fine there: This is a fine romance Lawmaker calls the business personal property tax a "fine for doing business;" if all taxes are fines, then we're all being punished for living.
Lewiston Morning Tribune 4/4/2008

When legislators cooperate, we get results Without a single dissenting vote, lawmakers passed a sound, affordable bill providing all businesses a break on a cumbersome property tax that they now pay on supplies, furnishings and equipment.
Idaho Statesman 4/3/2008

Vote against tax bill was a vote against reason Senate's version of the business personal property tax exemption is vastly superior to the House's.
Idaho Statesman 4/2/2008

From the mouths of babes The new tax credit for groceries still misses many of Idaho's poorest citizens because it doesn't apply to those who receive food stamps.
Idaho Falls Post Register 4/2/2008

Unfair advantage Our View: Owners should get equity if property is auctioned.
Spokane Spokesman-Review 4/1/2008

Potential challengers decline to take on powerful Mike Moyle Until pro-business, pro-urban critics step out of the shadows and openly challenge House Majority Leader Mike Moyle, his power will continue to grow.
Idaho Statesman 4/1/2008

Idaho should study causes of child deaths Forty-nine states have panels that investigate child deaths - looking into suspicious cases and looking for ways to prevent similar deaths in the future; Idaho is the only one that doesn't.
Idaho Statesman 4/1/2008

Why repeat this deadly mistake? Built in a geologically unsuitable location, the Teton Dam collapsed 32 years ago, killing 11 people and causing $1 billion in damage. Now the Idaho Legislature wants to invest $400,000 to consider rebuilding the dam.
Idaho Falls Post Register 4/1/2008

Is unexpected child death now a parental right? Senator kills bill requiring review of child deaths over worries that parental rights will be usurped.
Lewiston Morning Tribune 4/1/2008

Going over the Legislature's head to pay for local needs Our view: The Legislature won't empower most communities to use local-option taxation to pay for transportation and infrastructure. Citizens themselves will have to do it.
Twin Falls Times-News 4/1/2008

Otter, Legislature need to get on same page Poor communication between Governor and lawmakers leads to private deals struck at the last-minute and, ultimately, to bad laws.
Moscow-Pullman Daily News 3/31/2008

Bill's failure shows lawmaker hypocrisy It would cost each resident of Idaho 3 cents a year to set up a mortality review team to examine all unexpected child deaths. But the Idaho Legislature – made up primarily of conservative lawmakers who pride themselves on traditional family values – decided it won't happen this year.
Spokane Spokesman-Review 3/31/2008

Get used to potholes: There will be lots more Our view: The Legislature failed us by not closing the state's highway repair funding deficit.
Twin Falls Times-News 3/31/2008

When it comes to road funding, something beats nothing The $68.5 million approved by the House Ways and Means Committee for road funding was a good start; with the economy softening, and the state surplus dwindling, what's wrong with that?
Idaho Statesman 3/30/2008

Lawmakers failed Idaho motorists By going home without a viable plan to boost highway funding, lawmakers dropped the ball on a critical issue.
Idaho Press-Tribune 3/30/2008