City Government

GUARDIAN Guest on Channel 4 Dialogue Show

GUARDIAN editor David R. Frazier will be on Idaho Public TV’s DIALOGUE show Thursday at 8:30 p.m. discussing the three constitutional amendments on the Nov. 2 ballot.

State Senator Joe Stegner of Lewiston will also be featured on the show hosted by Marcia Franklin. We plan to discuss the importance–and what passage could mean–of HJR 4,5, and 7.

All three seek to abolish the right of citizens to vote on public debt issues. HJR4 deals with publicly owned hospitals with taxing authority, HJR5 seeks to allow airports broad authority with no vote of the people, and HJR7 deals with authority of city owned utilities to do long term debt agreements.

The live Thursday (September 23) show at 8:30/7:30 p.m. MT/PT will take calls from viewers on a toll-free line: 1-800-973-9800. Questions can also be submitted before the show begins via email at [email protected] or to the Dialogue Facebook page at www.facebook.com/dialogue.

Comments & Discussion

Comments are closed for this post.

  1. Editor:

    Thank you for helping educate voters on these important amendments.

    KTA

  2. Rod in SE Boise
    Sep 22, 2010, 6:38 pm

    Good luck, Dave.

    I set the DVR to record it.

  3. I thought one of them had to do with U of I, the state’s “land grant” university, being allowed to charge “tuition” versus “fees.” I thought there were three: airport, hospitals and U of I. Can you please clarify. I did not see the city utility one on my ballot and I live in the city of Boise. Thanks.

    EDITOR NOTE– There are actually 4. You describe the U of I correctly and it is mostly without opposition and a technical correction. The “power cities” amendment is for places like Idaho Falls and Burley that own utilities and generate electricity. They want to enter into agreements–17 years in the case of I.F.–the obligate citizens without their permission. Not as big an issue as airports and hospitals, but still chips away the existing right of citizens to vote.

  4. Thank you Dave.

  5. Sorry Game Day is here between that and the boys on the blue, my weekly allowance of TV time has been used up.

  6. Hopefully Spongebob and other citizen/voters got a chance to watch a rerun. (I watched a little of the live broadcast; watched the entirety Sunday afternoon.) Of course, the reality is, despite the “Dialogue,” and the $60,000 “informational campaign,” etc., the majority of eligible voters won’t vote. And the majority of those who do vote will enter the booth uninformed. (Too busy watching the Broncos, or Bristol on “Dancing with the Stars,” or the new-and-improved “American Idol.”) I hope they take the time to read Dave’s explanation as to why these amendments are not a good idea.

    Regarding the “Dialogue” program…

    Marcia Franklin is a master; she truly comes across as unbiased, and asks fantastic questions to get at the jist of the matter.

    Both participants were well-prepared and eloquent, but Mr. Stegner gave me the distinct impression I get from far too many “public servants.” He pats us on the head and tells us to go away quietly, because it’s too complicated for us to understand, and we can trust him to do the thinkin’ for us. (Cut from the same cloth as Shealy.)

    One of the “case examples” was a public hospital buying a used, bargain-priced imaging machine. And if they can’t act quickly and quietly, they might miss out on an opportunity to save the taxpayers some money.

    I’m not buying it.

    Currently if they need an imaging machine, they ask 2/3 of the taxpayers to approve the purchase. THEN they start shopping, or perhaps start watching for a bargain in a used machine. (Imagine how impressed the taxpayers would be, if they approved $1 million and their awesome hospital administrators ended up getting one for $500K!)

    Under the amended rules, apparently if they happened across a bargain-priced imaging machine, or the semi-annual wheelchair sale, or whatever, they could cut the check? And then issue bonds or whatever to cover it, without taxpayer approval? I hope I’m not the only one who prefers the current methodology.

    My hat is off to Mr. Frazier. If it weren’t for him, I’m confident I would’ve entered that voting booth on November 2, never having given these amendments much thought.

    (Sorry to wax verbose…)

    EDITOR NOTE–Earlier commenter cites example of Meridian Schools purchase of Jabil plant. Schools wrote “letter of intent” to purchase subject to voter approval. They played by the rules and now have the facility and promise of voters to pay. Clean and honest deal.

  7. Bristol who??

Get the Guardian by email

Enter your email address:

Categories