OPINION
A8
Until they all come home
Sunday, March 27, 2016
Idaho Press-Tribune
Section A
OUR VIEW
Another year, another interim committee (or 2) Legislature again wastes too much time on unimportant issues
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
ormer movie director John Ford (1895-1973) once quipped “When in doubt, make a western.” For decades in the mid-1900s, Hollywood cranked out westerns like it does superhero flicks and raunchy comedies today. The Idaho Legislature doesn’t make movies, but if Ford were a Republican lawmaker in the Gem State today, he would probably say something like “When in doubt, form an interim committee to study the issue.” That seems to be the en vogue way of punting on major controversial issues in recent years, and it’s the symptom of a larger disease that has infected Idaho lawmakers. That disease is the wasting of time getting bogged down in silly, trivial issues that have little to no impact on the real lives of most Idahoans, then trying to rush through the big, important ones at the last minute and either cramming through something halfbaked at the 11th hour or … drum roll, please … voting to form the ubiquitous “interim study committee.” It happened last year with transportation, and it happened again this year with the health care coverage gap. The important stuff, known about before the session even starts, gets shoved into a corner so we can waste time with issues that inflame passions and motivate voters but really don’t make much difference in most of our lives. A few such issues this year include Shariah law, plastic grocery bags and getting the Bible back in public schools again. Lest this editorial board be accused of being godless commies, let’s state that we unequivocally oppose Shariah law
Do you believe the Legislature will pass some sort of bill next year to grant health care coverage to the 78,000 Idahoans in the coverage gap? Go to idahopress.com under “Opinion” to vote in our poll. Previous poll results: What surprises you the most about this year’s primary candidates?
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in Idaho, and we don’t hate Jesus. Heck, one of our members is a Christian pastor. We just don’t foresee any chance that any Idaho city will have a large enough Muslim population that it will attempt to implement Shariah law — and if it does, then the Legislature should take action to stop it. And the Idaho Constitution, Article IX, Section 6, states “No books, papers, tracts or documents of a political, sectarian or denominational character shall be used or introduced in any schools,” and we believe that means what it says. However, we do know that there are 78,000 people who fall into the health care “coverage gap” between traditional Medicaid and Obamacare, and legislators knew that before the 2016 session even began. Gov. Butch Otter brought it to their attention with his plan — shot down quickly at the Statehouse — to create a preventive care fund those 78,000 could access. Some alternatives to that plan were tossed around late in the session, but nothing was sent to Otter to sign. Instead, all we got was a promise from House Speaker Scott Bedke to form yet another working group to study the issue. But as we’ve seen, lawmakers have a penchant for forming interim commissions to research issues and recommend action — then turn around and ignore those recommendations when crafting bills. We’ve already had one Medicaid interim committee that recommended expanding Medicaid — it was ignored. Nampa Reps. Rick Youngblood and Robert Anderst gave countless hours of their time researching the conten-
Democrats in most 2C legislative races: 31.5% Not as many GOP challengers: 12% Pam White takes on Craig Hanson: 15.2%
No challenger to Tom Dale: 41.3%
tious issue of urban renewal as part of a study commission on that issue, only to have some of their recommendations discarded by fellow lawmakers. And rather than cutting taxes this year, lawmakers appointed another study group to look into tax cuts. If that panel comes back with the recommendation that Idaho’s tax rate is already fair and equitable, and further reductions would cut too deeply into needed services, do you really think Rep. Mike Moyle still won’t introduce a tax-cut bill next year? If you do, we can make you a heck of an offer on the Golden Gate Bridge. In fairness, the state did do a good job with the governor’s education task force, a committee that studied education reform and has seen most of its recommendations implemented into law. We don’t believe any of our legislators are nefarious people with bad intentions. There are a number of Republican lawmakers for whom the Idaho Freedom Foundation solution of “let ‘em go to churches and charities for their health
care” isn’t sufficient. There are many in the GOP who are clearly torn between wanting to help needy people and the negative stigma attached to anything related to Obamacare, and we sympathize with the tough position they’re in. The problem is, once the session gets started, too many of them fall into the trap of waging an ideological culture war against liberals. They fear Idaho will be transformed into California and want to take any pre-emptive action they can possibly fathom to prevent that. Many of those fears simply have no grounding in reality, at least not now, so they end up wasting most of their time telling cities they can’t ban plastic grocery bags rather than figuring out how to make up for a $260 million shortfall in transportation funding or offer health care coverage to 78,000 people without it. A showdown at high noon over plastic bags wouldn’t make a very good western. But it’s what passes for drama these days at the Idaho Statehouse Cinema. Maybe next year they should form an interim committee to look into the over-reliance on appointing interim committees as a means of ducking controversial issues.
Our editorial board Our editorials are based on the majority opinions of our editorial board. Not all opinions are unanimous. Members of the board are Publisher Matt Davison, Opinion Editor Phil Bridges and community members Gretchen Quarve, Rick Hogaboam, Dee Sizeland and Matt Andrew. Editor Scott McIntosh is a nonvoting member.
Hear ye, hear ye! Wouldst thou vote in a primary? Oyez, oyez. Didst thou attend Ye Olde Democratic Caucus yesterweek? Many of you loaded up the horse and buggy, filled the lantern and headed out to your caucus location to debate the merits of each presidential candidate. I, myself, did not attend a caucus, but I can imagine it in my head: The town crier, ringing his bell and reading from an unfurled scroll just delivered by a man on a trusty steed, stands atop a rock in the town square, not too far from the witch-burning site, “Come now, all ye who lend your allegiance to the good senator from Vermont, gather now and place yourselves on the west side of the village square near the stockades and blacksmith shop.” Of course, all the letters “s” look like the letter “f.” Or this scene: The smell of homemade pumpkin pie permeates the two-room farmhouse as a
small group of farmers, after a long the caucus — and that Lincoln had day of shearing sheep and putting been shot and killed a month ago. up the hay, gather around their Ah, the good old days. Yes, of goblets of mead, a blazing fire in course, I would have been that the hearth illuminating the handhunchbacked tired old editor hewn furniture. As the back then, and I probably mead is consumed, the would have loved it. debate becomes more As well, I love the idea heated. “Methinks of gathering in living Sanders is the best man rooms or church basements to meet with your for the job.” “Nay, you neighbors and talk about beggarly knave. Clinton the candidates, trying be our party’s best to persuade your fellow chance for victory come Americans to vote a cerNovember!” tain way, discussing well And then, a fortnight SCOTT McINTOSH into the night matters of after the caucus, a stack Editor’s Notebook political importance. of newspapers, still But we don’t live in that world tacky with the ink from the hot lead letterpress hand-cranked by a anymore. Caucuses really are just hunchbacked, tired editor wearing votes. My goodness, do people a green eyeshade and sleeve garter, really need more information than is already available to them at is delivered to the General Store, their fingertips 24 hours a day? As “The Merc,” as it’s known locally, it is, the people who participated where gathering villagers finally in last week’s Democratic caucus — finally — learn the outcome of
didn’t spend hours debating the candidates — they spent hours standing in line. It’s all well and good that 11,000 people participated in the caucus last week in Idaho. But, first, that just shows that the caucus isn’t really like that old-timey old-fashioned notion of gathering in living rooms and church basements with your neighbors to make your selection for presidential candidate. It’s a vote. People want to show up and cast their vote and go home. They don’t want to sit around and debate. They’ve already made up their minds, for the most part. There’s enough information and ad nauseum debates that are televised and streamed online constantly that voters have ample opportunity to educate themselves on the candidates. Second, I’m willing to bet that many of you reading this right
now know someone who did not attend the caucus because he or she knew it was going to be a long, boring, painful process. I do. Imagine how many more people would have cast a vote in a primary. And is it really inclusive to older folks or people with disabilities to make them stand in line outside for hours on end? And what about those folks working the swing shift who couldn’t make it to the 7 p.m. caucus? However record-breaking and visually dramatic last week’s Democratic caucus was, it’s clear that it’s time for the Democratic Party to switch to a primary. After all, isn’t the Democratic Party the one that wants to make it easier for people to vote? Scott McIntosh is the editor of the Idaho Press-Tribune. Call 465-8110 or email smcintosh@ idahopress.com.
What Sanders landslide may say about Idaho Democrats Some weeks ago I chatted with he won every county save for the smallish Lewis). And the several leading Idaho Democrats same day in Utah, which bears who supported Hillary Clinton for president. Asked why they pre- some demographic similarity to ferred the former secretary of state southern Idaho, Sanders did even better. over Vermont Senator That’s not the genBernie Sanders, the core of the answer was that eral electorate, of course, Sanders would be too only participants in the risky a nominee. Democratic meetings. But their unusually Meaning: He’s viewed large size (for caucuses) as a left-wing extremist, coupled with the overand the “socialist” label whelming result surely would be death, at least carries a message. in Idaho. Clinton, in RANDY STAPILUS Many of the caucus relative terms, was the meetings were much more centrist and there- Local columnist larger than expected, fore “safer” choice. and many participants waited in So far as I can tell, this was the prevailing view across most of the long lines — four to five hours in Boise — to participate. The actual Idaho Democratic leadership. process often took more hours Nationally, the odds favor still, vastly unlike the normal Clinton winning the nomination duck-in, duck-out voting in over Sanders. But in the light of last week’s caucuses, let’s revisit the primary and general elections. (A lot of Democrats have complained subject of Sanders and Idaho. about the caucus procedures, In those meetings, where which also excluded many who turnout busted historical records, wanted to vote but, for illness, emSanders demolished Clinton, ployment or other reasons, could with 78 percent of the vote (and
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not get to the sites on time.) Consider too: These were public votes, not secret ballots. When Idaho Republicans cast ballots in their recent primary, no one ever saw who they supported. At the Democratic caucuses, you had to publicly endorse your candidate. If you were going to support that New York-accented Democratic socialist from Vermont, as nearly four out of five Idaho Democrats did, in the face of opposition not only from the majority Republicans in the county all around you, but also most of the state’s Democratic leadership as well, you were doing it as publicly as if you’d taken out a display ad in the newspaper. More: You had to look those people in the eye. That may not be so big a deal in Latah County or Blaine County, or in Boise. But think about those Democrats in Madison County — which has been called, with justification, the most Republican county in the nation — and in Cassia, Franklin, Lemhi or Payette. The culture in these
counties, in nearly all of Idaho, is overwhelmingly conservative and Republican. Local Democrats most typically keep their heads down. But in significant numbers, in support of a candidate labeled as far-left and “socialist,” they were visible last week. One astonished Magic Valley woman commented at her caucus, “Hey, 140 people in Jerome. I am not alone.” What they did took serious fortitude. (As it would if you were a Republican caucusing for, say, Ted Cruz in an overwhelmingly liberal Democratic locale.) What does this imply for politics in Idaho and beyond? Maybe, maybe, that something is changing in Idaho. It may indicate that there are plenty of Democratic sympathizers out there, unorganized (“unchurched”?) who have little in common with most of the state’s Democratic establishment. Many Idaho Democrats for years have tried to position themselves not to lose, or at least lose badly, and shaped their message to
mesh at least partly with that of the Republicans. Maybe these Democrats out there, and possibly others as well, are signaling now they would be more responsive to something else. After the caucuses, state Democratic Chair Bert Marley, a super delegate to the national convention with an unbound vote, said he would vote there for Sanders. That may be a first step to one of the most useful things leading Idaho Democrats could do in the months ahead: Make contact with these super-determined caucus goers and find out what’s motivating them. In many respects, these people seem to be the new majority among Democrats in Idaho, and maybe elsewhere. Randy Stapilus is a former Idaho newspaper reporter and editor, blogs at www.ridenbaugh.com. He can be reached at stapilus@ridenbaugh.com. A book of his Idaho columns from the past decade, Crossing the Snake, is available at www.ridenbaughpress.com/crossing.
OPINION PAGE EDITOR: PHIL BRIDGES, 465-8115, OP-ED@IDAHOPRESS.COM C M Y K
OPINION
A8
Until they all come home
Sunday, September 18, 2016
Idaho Press-Tribune
Section A
OUR VIEW
Vote ‘yes’ on College of Western Idaho bond A nyone associated with the College of Western Idaho — from president Bert Glandon on down — will acknowledge that this rapidly growing institution would not exist without the support of Canyon County voters. Now, CWI is asking taxpayers in Ada and Canyon county for help in building on the success it has achieved. This should be an easy “yes” for voters in the Nov. 8 election. A $180 million general obligation bond for three buildings — two of which would be constructed on the Nampa campus — seems like a lot to ask of Canyon County voters who typically are not friendly to tax increases of any form. But in the final analysis, it’s a bargain considering what the college has accomplished in seven short years and the economic impact on the community. For a moment, set aside the dollar amount and the plan for three new buildings. Bricks and mortar, no matter how much they are needed, do not carry the day for hard-working residents who equate tax increases with root canals. Set aside the argument that it will cost property owners living in a $200,000 home $2 a month. Taxpayers get sick and tired of being nickel-anddimed to death, and there are plenty of entities that have their hands out. What Nampa voters do care about are results. Glandon and others at CWI make a strong case for what the $180 million bond issue means to the future of a college that accepts all comers and opens doors for thousands of students who might not otherwise be able to go to college. Rejection of the bond issue eventually would retard the growth and eventually force CWI to turn away students — which would be a tragic outcome. Idaho, a state known for low wages
as much as potatoes, has a king-sized problem trying to attract and keep younger people in the state. According to former Idaho Department of Commerce Director Jeff Sayer, and others, Idaho’s problem is not low wages. There are some 5,000 high-paying jobs that employers cannot fill because of the lack of education. CWI, with its variety of programs and business partnerships, is part of the solution to solving that problem — as much, if not more, than the four-year universities. One of the examples Glandon talks about is the diesel education program, which is partnering with Western CAT. Those students go to school eight hours a day, five days a week and graduate in 13 months. Glandon says the graduation rate and placement for high-paying jobs is 100 percent. Another example is the Micron Center, which is open 16-18 hours a day for technical training — another big need in the business community. He expects at some point that the building will be open 24 hours. CWI is not your typical community college that starts with 500-or-so students and grows to a couple of thousand in four years. This college started with 1,200 students and expanded to 3,600 after one semester. Now the enrollment is anywhere from 13,000 to 20,000, with projections of going to 30,000 in 10 years. Students are flocking to CWI for a simple reason: It fits the academic needs of the 21st century and the business needs of the future. The vote in November is not about whether CWI should exist. That was decided years ago, and it’s a no-brainer today. The vote is whether to allow the school to grow, and that too should be a no-brainer.
Two of the three buildings would be on the Nampa campus — one for a health and science building, which would consolidate all related programs to the Nampa campus. The other would be a “Student Success Center.” No, that is not “egghead” lingo for bowling alleys and pool tables. It would be designed to accommodate meeting space for clubs and organizations and services such as registration, financial advising and career counseling. A third building would be for classroom learning in Boise. Up to now, CWI has survived by leasing buildings throughout the Treasure Valley. The economic reality is that owning buildings is much cheaper than leasing, especially if lease prices continue to rise — which surely would be the case if the bond issue were rejected. There are a few issues of concern, including the promise that the levy years ago would be $11 per $100,000 of taxable value for 25 years. The levy rate is now $16, and passage of this bond would bring it up to $38 per $100,000 of taxable property value. CWI officials now say the promise made years ago was unrealistic, particularly considering the school’s tremendous growth rate, a credible argument. Plus, consider that the property tax levy rates for the state’s two other community colleges — College of Southern Idaho and North Idaho College — are $95 and $112 per $100,000 of taxable property value. In addition, the College of Western Idaho has gone to the state multiple times asking for money to build new buildings out of the state’s Permanent Building Fund. CWI has been turned down repeatedly, leaving few options for building new buildings. Editorially, we criticized CWI from forging ahead, with lack of transpar-
ency, on the purchase of prime land for the buildings. The glitches are not minor, but they provide no cause for rejecting the bond issue. We are also convinced that doing this now, with historically low interest rates and still-relatively low costs for construction materials and labor, is the wise thing to do fiscally, rather than waiting or asking for bonds on a piecemeal basis. All of this will become more expensive in the future. Twenty years hence, we’ll be glad we did this when the timing was right. We will, however, caution college officials against looking down their noses at Canyon County residents, who are historically more conservative and fiscally frugal than our neighbors to the east. CWI officials — particularly our good friends who may live in Boise — should not dismiss a healthy skepticism of new taxes simply as a knee-jerk reaction or “the Nampa factor.” CWI planners and campaign organizers would do well to assure our reluctant voters that they will be frugal and fiscally conservative with our taxpayer dollars. No brass doorknobs and woodpaneled administrative offices, please. The positives of approving this bond overwhelmingly outweigh the negatives. The College of Western Idaho has changed thousands of lives for the better over the last seven years, and Canyon County has been one of the prime beneficiaries.
Our editorial board Our editorials are written by Idaho Press-Tribune editorial writer Chuck Malloy and are based on the majority opinions of our editorial board. Not all opinions are unanimous. Members of the board are Publisher Matt Davison and community members David Beverly, Layne Bell, Claudia Swope and Marlene Jacobsen. Editor Scott McIntosh is a nonvoting member.
Public officials must answer reporters’ questions It’s been a bad couple of weeks for public officials here in the 2C. The city of Middleton has been going through some rough patches with some developers over what the developers say are unfair and at least inconsistent applications of codes and ordinances. Then, last Sunday, we documented in previously unreported detail the specific accusations against Canyon County Sheriff Kieran Donahue, which included using taxpayerpaid employees to do errands for the K. Donahue Foundation, which runs a very worthy effort, the Man Up Crusade. We consider ourselves advocates for the taxpayers. We represent the people, as we keep an eye on what the government is doing. That’s the essence of watchdog journalism. And Middleton Mayor Darin Taylor is the government. Sheriff Kieran
they have a duty and a responDonahue is the government. sibility as elected officers and Don’t you want to know why caretakers of the public trust Taylor cut a check of $24,000 and public money to answer to in taxpayer money to Coleman the public, which means us, “the Homes? Should we just place media,” who are asking the quesour trust in Taylor and accept that it must be a wise tions on behalf of the decision? taxpayers. Don’t you want to It’s not a witch hunt. know that Donahue It’s not trying to get had taxpayer-funded someone out of office. employees making copWe’re not “picking on” anyone. It’s an attempt ies of CD’s and picking to bring accountability up dry cleaning and to the government. arranging flights to To me, there are still Oklahoma for a rodeo SCOTT McINTOSH a lot of unanswered for Donahue? And questions that the pubabout that $200 change Editor’s Notebook lic has a right to know. order — was that taxFor example, are county empayer money? We still don’t know. That’s be- ployees still doing work for the Man Up Crusade while being cause Taylor and Donahue did paid by taxpayer dollars? not comment on these facts for It’s not about the Man Up our stories, despite our repeated Crusade. The Man Up Crusade attempts. is a terrific and worthy cause. And that’s a shame, because
People should donate money to the cause and people should volunteer to do things like pick up dry cleaning, burn CD’s and book flights to Oklahoma for rodeos. But should employees of the sheriff ’s department do that work on the taxpayer dime? Is that an appropriate use of tax dollars? I reserve judgment. But I would like to hear an explanation or a justification. That’s what our reporter Ruth Brown was hoping to get from Donahue when she called him multiple times. But he didn’t respond. You see, that’s part of what we do, too. We get both sides. We present facts to our readers and then we let all sides have their say to explain the situation, to persuade, to convince, so that you, the reader, can make up your own mind. After hearing
an explanation from Donahue, you may be persuaded that what he’s doing is good and right. Unfortunately, when someone clams up and hides from the media, their side never gets told. It’s unfortunate, but it’s also an abdication of the responsibility of a public official, who must answer to the public, to the taxpayers, to the people who elected them. Taxpayers have a right to know, and elected officials who get a paycheck from tax dollars have a duty to respond to a reporter’s questions. So just a warning to public officials: When the caller ID says it’s the Idaho Press-Tribune, pick up the phone. It’s part of your job. Scott McIntosh is the editor of the Idaho Press-Tribune. Call 465-8110 or email smcintosh@ idahopress.com.
Redoubters doubt: A look at the political movement in the time of Trump In this time of Trump, states (eastern Oregon, and let’s review the Redoubt. eastern Washington) as a Idahoans have had an safe haven for conservative, awareness of this sort-of libertarian-leaning Christians and Jews.” phenomenon It isn’t just a for some time, call from a mesespecially but not siah, though. An exclusively those article about the in the north. It is Redoubt from listed in Wikipedia, where the last May in the descriptive article Spokane Spokesabout it begins, man-Review “The American was headlined, RANDY STAPILUS Redoubt is a “Extreme right political migrainvites like-mindLocal columnist tion movement ed to region.” first proposed in 2011 by The area overall is said best-selling survivalist to have attracted thousands of people, though novelist and blogger James no one knows for sure Wesley Rawles which how many. designates three states in No one knows for sure the northwestern United what its political impact States (Idaho, Montana, may be, either. Wyoming), and adjoining portions of two other It sounds like the kind
of movement that might find common cause with the Donald Trump campaign, and maybe many of its people do. That, too, is hard to know, because so many of them are determinedly off the grid, unallied with large organizations, even those as disorganized as the Trump campaign. But if so, it does not seem to be taking over. In Idaho, the core of the Redoubt area is in the Panhandle, and in the May primary election, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, won all of the Panhandle except for Shoshone County (a relatively lightly populated area); Trump won mainly in the areas that were more remote still, outside the areas usually classed as
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the Redoubt. A late August article in the Washington Post on the Redoubt, a wellcrafted piece focusing on Idaho, missed most of the recent electoral context, which extended beyond the presidential level. An opinion piece on the Spokesman-Review website on Sept. 1 noted, “reasonable Republicans largely prevailed during the Idaho primary in May. Kootenai County Sheriff Ben Wolfinger easily beat his ‘constitutionalist’ sheriff opponent. Jim Chmelik, one of the region’s leading proponents for public land takeovers, lost his bid for re-election as Idaho County commissioner. Four far-right incumbent legislators in North Idaho
were defeated. So, in the short term, it would appear as if the majority of Idahoans haven’t bought into the fear-based agenda of the extreme right. They don’t envision teeming hordes streaming out of the Lilac City.” I don’t mean here to conflate the Redoubters of today with the Aryan Nations Neo-Nazi gaggle of yesteryear — gone now, happily, for more than a decade — except for this: The actual numerical influence of both probably has been and now is being overstated. Back in the Aryans’ day, some member of that tribe (on one occasion, head honcho Richard Butler himself) would run for a local office, and invari-
ably collect no more than a handful of votes, losing in an overwhelming rout. That part of the Aryan story didn’t often get as much play as their parades or other activities that seemed to puff up their visibility and seeming size and influence. That could change with the Redoubters. In theory, it could affect this election. But I’ll believe it when I see it. Randy Stapilus, a former Idaho newspaper reporter and editor, blogs at www. ridenbaugh.com. He can be reached at stapilus@ ridenbaugh.com. A book of his Idaho columns from the past decade, “Crossing the Snake,” is available at www.ridenbaughpress.com/ crossing.
OPINION PAGE EDITOR: PHIL BRIDGES, 465-8115, OP-ED@IDAHOPRESS.COM C M Y K
OPINION
A8
Until they all come home
Sunday, October 2, 2016
Idaho Press-Tribune
Section A
OUR VIEW
Health care gap task force needs to take action
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he legislative task force that is exploring ways to fill the healthcare gap for 78,000 Idahoans should have an appropriate name to match its accomplishments so far. Let’s call it the “Do Nothing Commission.” A longer version could be “The Waste of Time, Effort and Legislative Per Diem Panel,” but that sounds too bureaucratic and would take too much time to explain. “Do Nothing” is simple, and it fits. Don’t take our word for it about this group’s inaction. Meridian Republican Sen. Marv Hagedorn, a co-chairman of the task force, said in an Idaho Statesman article last week, “I just don’t see us agreeing here.” The other co-chairman, Rep. Tom Loertscher of Iona says in the same article, “for this group to come up with legislation would be foolhardy.” So the co-chairmen should pound the gavel, shut it down and end the pretense that Idaho legislators give a hoot about the gap population – those who make too much income to be eligible for Medicaid, but not enough to qualify for coverage under the state’s health insurance exchange. Tell the estimated 78,000 people
in the gap population (more than 10,000 of which are in Canyon County) that they’ll have to continue to choose between buying food or medicine for their children. Tell county commissioners in Idaho to ramp up the indigent care budgets. Then take the “do nothing” recommendation to the full Legislature where, of course, nothing will be done. The quick solution, and the best so far, is for lawmakers to accept Medicaid expansion, which will remove the coverage gap and — at least temporarily — solve the problem. We understand why legislators are nervous about dependency on federal dollars, because we have reservations ourselves. But nobody has yet come up with a better idea, or one that the legislative task force has accepted. Idaho doesn’t have to be married to Medicaid expansion. Lawmakers can try it out for a year or two and see if it works — or until they can come up with something better. Even a “do-nothing” group of legislators ought to be able to figure out a way to sunset Medicaid expansion. Simple solutions aren’t always the best for political purposes –
at least in the eyes of politicians. Medicaid expansion is the brainchild of “Obamacare,” which to Republicans is nastier than any four-letter word uttered after a bad golf shot. Republicans have legitimate reasons for opposing Medicaid expansion that goes beyond dislike for Obama. According to an article by Kimberlee Kruesi of the Associate Press, opponents warn that expanding the program could cost the state millions, while doing little to drive down medical fees. Dr. John Livingston, a Boise physician and adviser to the Idaho Freedom Foundation, says states that have expanded Medicaid have faced higherthan-expected enrollments, along with higher costs. So if Republicans on the panel don’t like Obama and don’t think that Medicaid expansion is what it is cracked up to be, then fine. Do your jobs and come up with something that will work. Wayne Hoffman, director of the Idaho Freedom Foundation, suggests funding the gap by clearing the way for more charitable giving. His solutions include expanding Idaho’s charity-care liability immunity statute “to include physicians offering services
for free from their own clinics, and to provide continuing education credits associated with such services.” He talks about expanding laws governing individual development accounts, which could be used by Idahoans to save for healthcare emergency. One fairly painless option is to give taxpayers the option of donating their grocery tax credit toward healthrelated programs for low-income individuals and families. These are not bad ideas, and they’re certainly worth talking about. If the taskforce likes Hoffman’s plan, then adopt them. If the number crunchers think these ideas would cover the healthcare gap without Medicare expansion, then by all means adopt them. For gosh sake, do something. The task force is scheduled to meet again late October. If actions warrant, we’ll be delighted to come up with a more flattering name for the group. Our editorial board Our editorials are written by Idaho Press-Tribune editorial writer Chuck Malloy and are based on the majority opinions of our editorial board. Not all opinions are unanimous. Members of the board are Publisher Matt Davison and community members David Beverly, Layne Bell, Claudia Swope and Marlene Jacobsen. Editor Scott McIntosh is a nonvoting member.
Never give up on Christopher Reese’s homicide case
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hirteen years ago, in 2003, a man wearing an FBI jacket walked into the Xerox Federal Credit Union in the quiet suburban town of Webster, just outside of Rochester, New York, robbed the credit union and shot two Xerox employees who were there transacting business. One of those customers, Raymond Batzel, 51, was killed. He had a son and two high school-age daughters. At the time, I was an assistant metro editor at the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, and I remember our staff covering the robbery and homicide. I also remember the many, many follow-up articles we ran in the subsequent weeks and years. We would pull out the grainy, pixelated surveillance camera images of the killer and run them on the front page of the newspaper. We’d talk to police officials about whether there were any updates on the case. Year after year, we shook the
OK?” the 89-year-old Bentrees, hoping someone would come forward, and police nett told the Democrat and would arrest the killer. Chronicle. “I said, ‘This is the Last week, just a little over best day of my life.’ “ 13 years since the robbery At a press conference last and homicide, police week, Bennett said, made an arrest in “I’m 89-and-a-halfthe case, arresting a years-old, and it former Xerox Corp. was my prayer that employee who once I would live long sued the company for enough to see this racial discrimination. case come to justice.” Richard Leon As I’ve been readWilbern was charged ing these stories, I’m in federal court with reminded of our own the robbery and the local cold case, that SCOTT McINTOSH homicide of Batzel. of Christopher Reese, I always wondered who was killed Dec. Editor’s Notebook if our stories and pub17, 2014, when the Jackson’s convenience store licity of the case ever did any in Notus, where Reese was good. As the years went by, working, was robbed by two each one without an arrest, it masked, armed assailants. seemed pointless to continue Reese was 25 and had a to drag the story out of the 4-year-old daughter at the archives. time. Well, now that an arrest has Just like my former paper, been made, my former newswe here at the Idaho Presspaper called Rowena Bennett, Batzel’s mother, and asked her Tribune have run several stories about Reese’s murder how she felt. in the past two years. We’ve “All my other children were pulled out the surveillance calling me to say, ‘Are you
camera photos and run them cording to Jackson’s company on the front page. We’ve run officials. photos of Reese. We’ve talked I’m heartened by last week’s to his mom and his sister. It’s arrest in the Webster Xerox a heart-wrenching story of an credit union robbery and hoinnocent man whose life was micide. It was brought about cut short in a senseless robfrom a tip that came in after a press conference bery. I don’t want it to take the FBI held in Two masked March this year people, one wear13 years, but I do nearly 13 years ing a camouwant us to interview — after the robbery. flage jacket and Reese’s mother some It goes to tan pants, one wearing a black day and ask her how show that we should continue hooded sweatshe feels when an to do what we shirt and blue arrest has been made do, continue jeans, walked to write stories into the Jackson’s in her son’s case and continue store with guns to let the public know that drawn. Surveillance video we haven’t forgotten, that we footage shows one man leavare still waiting for justice. I ing with a bag, still carrying the weapon. The other person don’t want it to take 13 years, is seen entering the store with but I do want us to interview Reese’s mother some day and a hand truck and leaving with ask her how she feels when an the store’s safe. arrest has been made in her The safe was found off son’s case. Purple Sage Road near where Scott McIntosh is the editor the robbers abandoned Reese’s of the Idaho Press-Tribune. 2007 Lincoln MKZ, stolen Call 465-8110 or email smcinfrom the store’s parking lot. The safe was not opened, actosh@idahopress.com.
Freedom to hunt diminished by landowners’ decision to bar recreation
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tions they depend on to bring people to the area; many places where people have enjoyed the backcountry now were off limits. And with the loss of access comes significant loss of revenue to local businesses. That Valley-Adams buy was the second really large Idaho lands purchase by the Wilkses. In 2015, they were reported to have purchased 38,000 acres in Idaho County and there, too, promptly cut off recreation access. These are only a part of the family’s massive land buys around the West. Attempts on the part of Idahoans, including private citizens and the Department of Fish and Game (which has tried to mediate), have had little success. Maybe the Wilkses may have figured Idahoans wouldn’t object, on political grounds. They have been major multimillion-dollar donors to the
ment, a Texas property develhose who reflexively opment firm led by members find private ownership of the Wilks family. The and control freeing and Wilkses have been, as Rocky liberating, and government Barker reported in the Idaho control and ownership the reStatesman, “buying up land verse, will find a conundrum all over the West, and closhere. ing off much of the access to About 305 hunters, some those lands. . . . The Idahoans and some Wilkses are closing from out of state, were off the timberlands eagerly anticipating to hunting and other the opening of huntrecreation. They aling season to start ready canceled leases tracking down elk in with Valley County certain southern parts to maintain roads of Idaho backcountry, that provided access pieces of which are to snowmobile trails publicly owned, but RANDY STAPILUS on public land.” much of which was The hunters, who long owned by PotLocal columnist were left with little latch Corporation and area to hunt, were stunned. Boise Cascade. Those compaBut there wasn’t much they nies generally did not object, though they could have, to the could do. Local communities around hunters being there or pursuAdams and Valley counties ing game. and their leaders were likeRecently, however, Potlatch wise left with few options. sold many of its large tracts, They faced the loss of a big reported to consist of about 172,000 acres, to DF Develop- part of the outdoors attrac-
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presidential campaign of U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, who was the top choice in Idaho’s presidential primary this year. Cruz has suggested that Texas, which (surprisingly given the size of the state) has almost no federal public lands, should be a public lands model for the nation. In 2014, Cruz proposed an amendment to a sportsman’s law capping the amount of federal lands in any one state, and forcing federal agencies to either give to the states or sell to the top bidder any overages. Late last year, he told the Review-Journal newspaper in Las Vegas, “I believe we should transfer as much federal land as possible back to the states and ideally back to the people.” The point, as he explained it, was to maximize freedom. Freedom for some, apparently those like the Wilkses, but not for all. It’s a diminished freedom for the hunters and other recreationists
who find that a decision by the new land owners — one that could have been made by previous owners but wasn’t possibly in the interest of good will — has significantly cut their options. As compared to publicly owned lands where hunting, fishing and recreating may be regulated but still are broadly allowed. Try applying all this to the formula of private=free, public=locked up, and you’ll quickly wrap yourself in pretzels. Or maybe the ideologues among us simply need to come up with new and more creative definitions for words like “freedom.” Randy Stapilus is a former Idaho newspaper reporter and editor and blogs at www.ridenbaugh.com. He can be reached at stapilus@ridenbaugh.com. A book of his Idaho columns from the past decade, Crossing the Snake, is available at www. ridenbaughpress.com/crossing.
EDITOR: SCOTT MCINTOSH, 465-8110, OP-ED@IDAHOPRESS.COM C M Y K