It’s interesting to see the commonalities between people of various social perspectives. Unfortunately, it’s very difficult for me to group “professional” politicians into this category – especially ones who first belonged to the Tax’n’Spend party and then switched to the Don’t Tax’n’Spend party just to get elected.

Of course if no one fits in this category, then no one should be offended.

On a side note, when my kids get their allowance (when they go above and beyond their chores) they get to spend 1/3 however they want, 1/3 goes in their savings account, and 1/3 goes into the “tax” jar. At the end of the year all the money comes out of the tax jar and is spent on a family event. And, we always go out to eat for a special dinner after we vote.

So often, folks (depending on their party affiliation) like to say America is either Democratic or Republican – when truthfully, it’s a democratic republic. We elect our representatives to speak for us, and if they get it wrong we don’t re-elect them. This is why I think a referendum is an abrogation of American principals, why a recall is uncalled for (barring a conviction for illegal behavior), and why our duly elected leaders have been (or at least should be) given the responsibility to determine how our taxes should be spent.

I don’t know if this makes me a progressive liberal, or a reactionary conservative, but I know expressing these opinions makes me an American.

Thank you again Guardian.

The simple fact is that the framers of our State Constitution saw this motivation and tried to stop it – by putting in the document the words they did.

They (our officials) often talk (weekly) about the fact that they can make decisions and the voters do not have either the time or money to challenge them. They know it takes time and money to challenge them in court – and by the way they have FREE, tax payer financed legal resources! Voters don’t – not too fair ughh?

Several of our officals lecture voters weekly as to how they (the officals) have to follow the law but then they work very, very hard to bend it as far as possible. Again they are smarter than we are. 😉

It is very very common to have a city council person recuse themself from a vote yet broker deals outside the council meetings on that very issue – just an example of some creative “bending”.

Good job Guardian – we need more like you – and those who comment.

My fellow Vietnam veteran, you fought a good battle, and I know you will continue the war on government, corporate facism. People need to take back their government.

P.S. I couldn’t help but notice that only two commenters were identified with a full name; Joe Moran and Sharon Ullman. I still use one of her quotes often with reference to the Ada County Courthouse “Taj Mahal”.

Folks we need to remember that we have a representative form of government. When I went to school, they taught us that we vote for representatives who then vote on our BEHALF. Since they can’t please all the people, they need to do what’s right for the masses. In my mind, that’s what makes GARVEE without each of us making an individual decision to take on debt, an appropriate move. Not that it’s appropriate in its intent, but that it’s appropriate in its execution.

The difference as I see it with the Airport Garage issue is the size of the necessary expenditure, the global nature of the debt, in that it impacts everyone…not just a limited user group, and as I’ve stated before, the Airport proving itself time and again as poor fiscal managers. Overall I have not opposed Judicial Confirmation as a tool….but it is because we have a REPRESENTATIVE form of government. If we want to have something different, there are better places to start than GARVEE bonds.

ED NOTE–The airport and its parking are SPECIFICALLY covered in the Idaho constitution as needing a vote. GARVEE is not.

Jack, I hate to be the one to tell you this, but “federal tax money” comes from the same place as state tax money, city tax money, county tax money, highway district tax money, etc. — the pockets of us po’ folk.

Besides, Kempthorne wants to build all these new roads with money that we don’t even have, banking on the idea that the feds will give it to us someday. (Maybe he hasn’t heard that the federal goverment is about umpteen zillion dollars in debt and cutting all kinds of programs except those that aid Emperor George W.’s buddies.

King Kemp found out somehow (I don’t know who told him) that this state isn’t supposed to go into debt, so he swam around in the sea of laws and found a nice big loophole to dive through. Simple: We won’t go into debt; our grandchildren will, so not our problem, right?

Sure, some roads need fixin’ — some roads ALWAYS need fixin’, so are we gonna play this smoke and mirrors game every time another highway needs a bridge or more lanes, and every time a governor wants a quicker route to his favorite ski resort?

Bad precedent. Bad! Bad! Bad!

GARVEE bonds ARE a tool like a mortgage, but it seems to me that when I have gotten a mortgage, I had some VOICE in whether I would be taking on that debt or not. It seems the state wants us to take on that $200 MILLION debt (BILLIONS once they are done with the desired road projects) without asking voters whether we are willing to take it on or not. In that regard, GARVEE bonds are similar to bonds for an airport parking garage in the judicial confirmation case that the GUARDIAN just won on our behalf!

This IS different from, for example, the $75,000 annual expenditure for the Boise Depot. That expense can be handled within the City’s annual budget without incurring any bonded indebtedness. That doesn’t necessarily mean it is a good expenditure, particularly if the Depot is not actually accessible to the taxpayers who are paying the bills, but it does appear to fall within the expenditures allowed by our Idaho Constitution without a vote of the people.

Maybe I should have made myself a bit clearer (I see a typo or two on my part) or maybe you should read a bit more carefully. I fully understand that GARVEE’s are debt, I was just stating that GARVEE’s and the like are a tool, just like a mortgage.

Jon