| Letters
to the editor from this week's Chronicle To the Editor
A Blessing, a Curse In my mind, society and
‘government’ structures are separate and distinct. A society stems from
individuals with needs and hopes. The result is communication,
work, and trade between individuals and families. A society of
working individuals is a blessing. In a society, however, as
individuals we are not always angels. Due to limited experience
or fatigue, we err. When we err, we suffer. Because
suffering is pain, sometimes to avoid pain or work, an individual may
plunder the fruit of his neighbor to sustain life. Plundering is, of
course, wrong. In order to deter plundering, honest individuals,
due to their hard work to sustain life, create a governmental
structure: sheriff, judges, representatives. A good
Sheriff is a blessing. So are other honest public servants.
However, if public servants/elected officials forget why honest
individuals originally elected them, as found in their oath of office,
these public servants transform themselves to self-appointed ‘gods on
earth’ who use the ‘force of law as their scepter’. These
‘servants’ may even plunder in their behalf or in behalf of their
donors for the ‘good of all’ or ‘safety of all’. This dreadful
condition worsens when we realize that we are the means, through taxes,
that fund their tyranny and legalized plunder. Honest public
servants, initially a blessing, now operating opposite to their
original purpose, are now a curse. Scott Perrin Cottonwood OPINION: Vote NO on SJR 102, vote against big Guest Opinion by Former Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter A small question on your November ballot could have big, detrimental consequences for Idahoans if approved.Idaho legislators want you, the voters, to amend our Idaho Constitution and allow them to easily call themselves back into session, setting the stage for a fulltime Legislature like California and other left-leaning states. Idahoans need to VOTE NO on SJR 102. I won’t just be voting no on SJR 102. I’ll be voting HELL NO! As a former conservative Republican governor, I know firsthand you don’t want to mess with a good thing. For more than 130 years, our part-time citizen legislature has played a critical role in keeping our state on track. Idaho is the least regulated state in the country. Our economy is booming even amid historic inflation. Decades of fiscal conservatism, limited government, kitchen table economics, and a business-friendly approach have positioned our state for enormous prosperity and the ability to withstand any downturn in the economy. Controlling spending, cutting red tape, and reining in government – like we’ve done for years in Idaho – would be impossible with an overactive legislative branch. Simply put, more legislative activity equals more government meddling and more regulations. Less legislative activity equals less government and fewer regulations. It is just common sense. The least regulated states – like Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, South Dakota, and North Dakota – have truly part-time citizen legislators. They are everyday people who come to the Capitol to represent their districts on a limited basis and crank out the people’s work in a transparent, open process. The most regulated states – think California, New York, Ohio, Washington, and Oregon – see constant interference from lawmakers, only adding dysfunction and division. Do we want Idaho to become like our neighbors to the West? California, Washington, and Oregon? Or do we want Idaho to STAY like our freedom-minded, limited government neighbor states such as Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota? Look at Utah. Just four years ago, the voters amended their state’s Constitution to allow the Utah Legislature to call itself back into session. Since then, the Utah Legislature has held 15 legislative sessions! Now the Idaho Legislature is asking you to pass SJR 102 and set an even lower bar than Utah’s to call themselves back. SJR 102 requires only 60-percent of the Idaho Legislature to sign off on coming back; Utah requires two-thirds. SJR 102 has no requirement for limiting the duration of a special session; Utah’s special sessions cannot exceed 10 days. SJR 102 has no limit on the issues that can be considered; Utah at least requires a fiscal crisis, war, natural disaster, or other emergency. Our system here in Idaho works just fine the way it is. It has worked well since statehood. Idahoans need to VOTE NO on SJR 102 and resist government growth. Idahoans need to VOTE NO on SJR 102 and stand up against wasting taxpayer money. Idahoans need to VOTE NO on SJR 102 and defend our Constitution! Redneck Review! No. 392 - 10/30/2022 With this last RNR that will be going out before the election Nov. 8, my intentions are still to pass along the way this old farmer, part time salesman of insurance, real estate, father of10, and grandpa to 57, with 53 years of teaching math, social studies, economics and the reading of hundreds of books on those subjects, finds compelled to tell how his ballot will be marked that day. Since retiring from Prairie in 2000, and 2012 from Summit, now John Bosco, a private school started basically by my wife and other determined ladies, my reading also counts, 167 books on Barnes and Noble's Nook, and 155 on Amazon's Kindle, 75% of which have dealt with politics or economics. and range from Obama's book Dreams Of My Father, and Saul Alinsky's who wrote Rules For Radicals. Thus he is the author of the book and creator of the system of organizing grassroot support by use of COMMUNITY ORGANIZING. The book mentions Lucifer on its dedication page! Alinsky also served in Obama's administration. But first a couple of comments. It is not my intention to tell anyone how to vote, for background, religious factors, status in life today, and a large number of other factors slowly pushes a person into a growing conviction over the years, and in the later years of life, make it more and more difficult to change. For example, Idaho County was controlled by the Democratic Party when my first voting opportunity here came in the 1960 presidential election, the end of my first year as a teacher at my Alma mater, St. Gertrude's Academy, a Catholic High School here in Cottonwood, Idaho. Winner of the presidency that year was Catholic John F. Kennedy, who survived a close election with some opponents convinced that it was dangerous to bring Catholics, who seemed to be at least, devoted to the Pope at the time, and many Americans clear back to our founding fathers had an inborn fear of any sect that paid allegiance to one person. Historians will tell you that the freedom they found in America, compared to the dictations of their former English kings, was very precious, and a huge majority of them were NOT GOING TO GIVE IT UP WITHOUT AFIGHT! Pope or no pope! Anyway, in previous RNR's were listed 5 of my critical issues which convince me have the opportunity to again steer our beloved country back towards the very Christian makeup of our founding fathers, or carry us further down the road to the siren call of the Pied Piper of Socialism, the last step needed according to the founders of Communism, to finally allow that bankrupt and freedom killing system to take over another country, this time our own! I simply note two very important methods of the two systems used to drive their country. Numbers of direct quotes from Communist leaders sight HATE as the tool, creating DIVISION as the method for eventually installing outright Communism in a country, killing as history clearly records over 100,000,000 people on the way. And we know that our country founded on Christianity has tried at least to enact a system called for by Christ Himself to recognize God the Father as the Creator of all, making us all brothers, with LOVE as the glue to hold every living soul together as brothers, and following Christ's most important Commandment: "Love God with your whole heart and soul and your neighbor as yourself." So the bottom line is that national and many state candidates are lining up with parties which try at least to use those two basic emotions to pursue their goals! Admitted here is that many supporters do not subscribe to those basic divisive emotions, but none the less, sufficient research leaves no doubt about their importance! With this background, this older man is forced to take positions on the following: Abortion which is a no-brainer, crime clearly out of control in cities dominated by one party, inflation clearly traced to actions of our current president, election integrity clearly involved in the shocking switch of votes on election night, political corruption growing daily about current officials, and two new ones, border disaster, and fuel and possibly food shortages coming as a result of national policies. Other issues andtheir source can be identified by the use of the criteria mentioned above! Pray and vote! Jake Wren
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