| Letters
to the editor from this week's Chronicle:
To the Editor
Can Idaho’s Legislative Process be Restored? As it stands currently in Idaho, the Speaker of the House controls which bills go forward. He also appoints committee chairmen. This gives him wide latitude to choose the bills he likes and to influence the chairmen to do his bidding. This practice came to a head on the House chamber floor on March 8, 2017. The video archive is available at idahoptv.org (under the Idaho Legislature Media Archive site). During that session several representatives rose to debate serious concerns over the top-down process that eliminated certain bills from being heard by lawmakers. The leadership argued vehemently in favor of protecting the status quo and maintaining their control over the bill process. The bottom-up process would be the representative republic model for allowing the people’s ideas to be heard. After the problem of dumping bills was dramatically exposed last year, the Speaker of the House publically promised he would allow all constituent proposals be given initial print hearings during the coming session. I traveled throughout district 7 asking for legislative ideas. So far, I have a handful ready to go through the legislative process – let’s see how far they get. Here is a brief summary of each: The first legislative proposal came from a constituent who was audited for his aviation business. During the audit he discovered that the Idaho State Tax Commissioners have 6 months to determine if he, the taxpayer, followed Idaho code. Due to a high number of audits, the commissioners usually have to use the entire 6 months before issuing their judgment, and if the taxpayer is found in violation he has to pay interest for the 6 months that it took for the judgment. This bill would prevent additional interest from being incurred during the tax commission’s judgment process. The second legislative proposal came from a 100% disabled veteran who is having a difficult time paying his ever-increasing property taxes. Existing law allows a flat rate reduction in property tax for disabled veterans, but the reduction does not increase along with tax hikes. This bill would provide additional property tax relief for 100% disabled veterans. The third proposal came from a member of the armed forces who is an Idaho resident but currently serves out of state. Since he is an Idaho resident, the law allows him to vote in Idaho as an absentee voter. However, the law does not allow his wife to vote as an absentee voter, effectively silencing her vote. The state they currently work in does not allow her to vote there because she does not meet the residency requirements of that state. This bill would allow spouses of Idaho service members the right to vote in their home state of Idaho. The fourth legislative proposal was initiated by concerns from constituents who found out that Idaho taxpayers pay millions of dollars for lobbyists for public institutions including colleges and universities. They didn’t think it was right for lobbyists representing the interests of their schools or any other publicly funded institutions to be funded by Idahoans. This bill would stop Idaho’s public institutions from using taxpayer money to pay lobbyists. I am working on a handful of other bills suggested by constituents and would welcome your suggestions for pieces of future legislation. If the legislature can restore the process of allowing bills by the people to be presented and voted on and not just have new laws being pushed down through government agencies, it will be a big improvement on the legislative process, and a great New Year for us all. Drugs & Alcohol, when the party's over Idaho County Sheriff personnel in the last 90 days have made many drug related arrests. -A continuously growing local statistic. Our county has put ever-increasing emphasis on drug interdiction and has made considerable strides in drug trafficking arrests. We have intentionally increased DUI interception and drug searches. In the end, police can no more stop the use of drugs than they can stop people from speeding by issuing citations. Our law enforcement system has no solution to drug use other than incarceration and a small psychological influence as deterrent. Jail or prison may interrupt the addiction but does not resolve the origin of the problem. For the user, what starts out as adventure, rebellion, or peer pressure ends too often with felony conviction, a 911 call, or heartbreak. An arrest record rarely fixes the attitude or the mind set about drugs. The lifestyle is miserable and cyclical even for those who find ways to manage their habits. Nobody wins. Most perceive drug related deaths of young people to be more tragic, even though the problem exists across all age groups. The youngest among us are the least able to cope with the issues surrounding drug and alcohol consumption; and the least able to deal with the destructive results. Ultimately, law enforcement is the system that is most often called upon to make the criminal arrest and issue the “punishment” for drug and alcohol behaviors .It is shortsighted and naïve to think that the legal system is the solution to the rising drug problem. It is also shortsighted and naïve to think that drug problems only happen in bad family settings. All socio-economic groups can and do have drug and alcohol related issues. According to mental health sources, the top 10 reasons people seek intoxication: Social events –fun –lowers inhibitions Popular media and music make it seem cool Escape and self-medication to “feel” better Boredom Rebellion –defying the system Instant short-cut to happiness Boost confidence and relieve social anxiety To look and feel “grown up” or cool Curiosity Misinformation -thinking it is harmless At the beginning of drug use, there exists no truthful realistic picture, but plenty of encouragement from peers, media, and song lyrics glorifying the rush. Drugs are promoted, accepted, maybe even expected as rite-of-passage, with no real source of help or recovery when the fun ends. At first the decision may be subtle and “innocent” but for many the hook is set on first and second use. –If a person finds out they like the drug feeling, they will be back for more. On some occasions, misuse or overuse ends a life all too early. The hard truth is these deaths are not “accidents”. They are the result of risky, self-destructive choices. In Idaho County the drugs of choice are alcohol, marijuana, and meth with heavier drugs rising in popularity. The beliefs and cultural attitudes that condone the drug use and make it seem Ok inevitably evolve into blaming somebody when the fantasy doesn’t work out and life gets messy. It seems to me to be outrageous that with the difficulties we have as a society associated with drug abuse, that neighboring states are exacerbating the problem by legalizing marijuana.-Even further promoting its use. We can’t even mange our alcohol troubles. This is not going in the right direction. Law enforcement alone is not going to fix this fascination with intoxication. We, as a community of people, must begin to acknowledge the subtle but deadly origins of drug attraction. Redneck Review!
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