City Government

Education Over Enforcement

Idaho is getting more difficult to understand as time goes on.

Apparently the politicos think we are all pretty stupid. They pass laws, but work to EDUCATE us rather than enforce the laws they pass. Perhaps they should pass a CURRICULUM.

For instance, it is illegal to hold a phone or other device–even at a stop sign or red light–while operating a car. Rather than write tickets, the protocol is to EDUCATE us ignorant folks.

Same for fireworks. It is illegal to use aerial fireworks, but rather than enforce the law–which allows the sale, but not the use–we are subject of EDUCATION.

The COVID-19 pandemic supposedly can be quelled by wearing a face mask (depending on your political belief). Several Idaho cities have passed emergency rules mandating use of masks in public, but once again rather than enforcing the law, the plan is to EDUCATE.

Even when it comes to elections for bonds and other funding we hear the politicos say they need to EDUCATE people about the need for spending.

The GUARDIAN thinks it might be more honest to forget about passing laws and simply respectfully ask citizens to respect each other. Perhaps we can EDUCATE them about such an idea.

Comments & Discussion

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  1. Reminds me of Illegal Aliens. It’s illegal for them to be here yet no one enforces it.(depending on your political belief) Instead, they would rather spend millions educating their children in our schools. They would rather give them our opportunities and welfare.

  2. Foothills Rider
    Jul 7, 2020, 2:45 pm

    “Educate” is not the goal for anything in Idaho; not when Idaho is again ranked 51st in per-pupil spending.

  3. western guy
    Jul 7, 2020, 5:17 pm

    Wearing masks is a PUBLIC HEALTH issue, not a POLITICAL STATEMENT. I don’t want your spew to hit my face, nor do I want my sneeze/cough to hit your face.

    “Science, not scare tactics”

  4. COVIDIOT Avoidance!
    Jul 7, 2020, 5:59 pm

    Hey, perhaps some statistics from the coppers and sheriffs to know what is really going on? The press people often fib.

    Story time, with a point. Had a jackass bobbing and weaving a few feet behind while all of us trailed a slower car thru a no passing zone. I’ve no doubt this boy will eventually lose his teeth in a bar fight on a steering wheel one day, but gee whiz why did the sheriff just sit there and watch him harass and tailgate? COVID avoidance? Perhaps they don’t want to make a stop unless absolutely needed? Can’t say as I blame them. In spite of what those chosen by God say, it’s a really nasty bug even for the young. So, perhaps educate policy is a covid prevention technique. It’s perhaps for our benefit. If society turns to shit like it has in some of the bigger cities I hope to have lots of healthy cops available. I’m very unimpressed with those bringing an AR to a virus fight. You are way more stupid than I ever guessed. Worried we will be filling up The Unit soon.

  5. Deep Midnight
    Jul 7, 2020, 9:13 pm

    The laws they are passing are for latter use. Beware. They are all adding up to something you may not like regardless of which side your on.

    Regarding the face masks, come make me put one on is the saying that I most often think about.

    Regarding western guy; I see you seem to think we should all wear one to make yourself feel secure; whether it be scientifically or personally. Those who give up liberty for security deserve neither. If you dont want spew, dont leave your house; leave the rest of us alone please. Nothing gives you the right to impose your beliefs upon others.

  6. Concerned Neighbor
    Jul 7, 2020, 10:20 pm

    I was at the airport recently and counted 16 people in 10 minutes that didn’t have a mask on while walking by a huge sign that said “Masks Mandatory”.
    No Enforcement = No Laws
    I’ve also driven across several states recently (social distancing, mask, sanitizer at every stop) and saw at least 1 hazardous driver every 20 minutes. Not just little stuff, but driving over 100 mph, passing on double yellow, weaving, etc.
    I don’t blame the police given the overwhelming assault on them by democrats. I blame blue mayors that refuse to have laws enforced. It’s a repeat of the worst part of the 60’s which led to crime doubling. Chazuela/Soymalia in Seattle was just a start – its already worse in Atlanta. Portland, LA, and others will soon have dozens of anarchy zones which we’ve already seen turn into nightly murders.
    July’s movie of the month might be “The Purge”.

  7. Foothills Rider: Spending per-pupil does not correlate directly to “education”. 15 or 20 other States spend more for worse results. Do you just want to throw out more tax money to create a better statistic? Let’s focus on higher achievement not dollars expended.

  8. Eastie agrees with Western Guy. From the West to the East- it is not political. It is public health.

    When a person’s actions affect others- there should be a public policy for the benefit of all and to protect individual rights – that is a basic of Libertarian ideology as well; even though the “L”s are the main opposition to the the policy.
    Your right to express germs stops when you infringe on my right to be the same public space. When AIDS first surfaced, it the was the right-wing nuts were saying “gays can’t drink from public fountains”. Now they are saying the opposite, effectively ‘if you are worried, don’t drink.Me and my MAGA friends can piss in the water fountain if we want to- we are the liberty dogs. FUD!

    Generally accepted laws for public safety, just to name a few, include:

    Seat belts.
    Motorcycle helmets.
    Child immunizations.
    Vehicle safety, like dui, stop signs, and sober pilots.

    Otherwise, when Deep Midnight and the flag-waving, careless, protesters jam up the hospitals with ICU and respiratory care there will be NO VACANCY for the Editor and his ol friends when they need their ordinary heart care or hip replacements.

    Some areas have FULL hospitals.
    We (Boise) do NOT want to have that situation just because Midnight wants to smile to everyone.

    Doing something voluntarily is not giving up liberty.
    It is basic, society values vs individual selfishness.
    So apparently we DO need to educate (teach) respect for other people instead of just a “don’t tread on me” mentality.

    Or, be stupid like the people lighting aerial firebombs, and texting while driving. Pretty simple.

    “simply respectfully ask citizens to respect each other” – wear a mask.
    Why do we even need to “ask”?

  9. The records of the Idaho State Legislature show the following approved for Boise 111 years ago:

    March 11, 1909
    House Bill No. 297

    Be It Enacted By the Legislature of the State of Idaho :
    Section 1. That Section 42 and Section 48 of an Act
    entitled, “An Act to Incorporate Boise City, in Ada County”, (approved Jan. 11, 1866) and to amend an Act entitled “an Act amending the Charter of the City of Boise ; amending Sections 3, 5 and 9 of an act incorporating the City of Boise, (approved Jan. 11, 1866)…

    Section 42. The Mayor and Common Council shall have
    power:

    10. To make regulations to prevent the introduction of
    contagious diseases in the City, or to remove persons af-
    flicted with such diseases therefrom to suitable hospitals
    provided by the City for that purpose ; to secure the protection of persons and property therein, and to provide for the health, cleanliness, ornament, peace and good order of the City;…to make such sanitary regulations as to the council may seem proper.

    EDITOR NOTE: These Idaho laws also apply…
    For cities, 50-304 and 50-606.

    For the Gov, 46-1008 and 46-601

    For health and welfare, 46-1003(7)

    For public health districts, 39-415.

  10. How we teach now
    Jul 8, 2020, 5:19 pm

    How do we teach now? We pass laws and do not enforce them.

    What are we teaching? Laws do not matter – so do whatever you want there are no consequences.

    What is coming? More people that disregard the laws and think their feelings are more important.

  11. Maybe they need to add “educate” to the “protect, serve, lead” on the back of their cars. Just avoid “enforce.”

  12. My Body, My Choice
    Jul 9, 2020, 11:38 am

    My body, my choice. Remember that little saying created for the Anti-abortion crowd who wanted to tell women that they had to have an unwanted baby for Jesus?

    Now we have the fearful, ignorant, hysterical Democrats all lining up like cattle at the slaughter house to do any ridiculous thing the TV tells them to do.

    The “STAY HOME SAVE LIVES” slogan should have been “STAY FEARFUL, DESTROY THE ECONOMY”. (So Dementia Biden has a chance at the polls)

    Wearing a mask all day is creating a health crisis of hypoxia in those forced to do so, while dehumanizing and degrading them.

    Social Distancing is weakening peoples immune systems.

    FEAR peddled 24/7 by the lying, treasonous Corporate Media is making people physically ill.

    Why is all this happening over a very average virus?

    The Oligarchs just pulled of the heist of the century by stealing TRILLIONS of dollars they termed Bail-outs.

    The Oligarchs know that fearful Sheeple won’t protest their massive theft if they are all cowering at home.

    Those who BELIEVE the lying Corporate Media are idiots and don’t deserve to be called Americans.

    Our Founding Fathers would be ashamed of the masked cowards.

  13. For the past several months the corporate media and business community has been busy glorifying the healthcare profession during the Covid hysteria. Pardon me if I don’t feel any sympathy or compassion for healthcare workers who were educated and hired to do those jobs, and are paid quite handsomely as well I might add. BTW, if the situation is so bad, why do nurses have time to make Tik Tok videos? Why are hospitals laying off staff?

  14. western guy
    Jul 9, 2020, 8:15 pm

    To ‘My Body, My Choice’:

    Stop exaggerating. You will not have to wear a mask ‘all day’. Stay home where you don’t have to wear a mask.

  15. funkhobo69, we can say the same of police who are not enforcing our laws.
    If it’s so scary they gotta kill folk, they why they doin it and not training instead of making tiktok videos. Here is your proof that you needs some education
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgt_mXVd234

    and when you say, “paid quite handsomely”— what do you mean?

  16. My Body, My Choice
    Jul 10, 2020, 11:00 am

    Western Guy – You can stay home and cower in fear. I’m out hiking, canoeing, motorcycle touring, biking, and generally enjoying life. I’m healthy and happy, and won’t fall for the Fake Virus Hoax.

    It’s a great time to get out and have some summer fun while the cowards are all hiding inside over the Virus that has sickened or killed NO ONE that anyone actually knows.

    If the TV wasn’t spewing their FEAR 24/7, no one would be alarmed in the slightest.

    Internet trolls will claim to know of Covid-1984 tragedies, but I am lucky enough to know folks all across America, and nobody I know, or anyone they know is sick from the Phantom Menace, or has died from it.

    It’s all a HOAX to frighten the Sheeple.

    Your TV and Newspapers are LYING to you, just like they did about the nonexistent “Weapons of Mass Destruction” that Iraq was supposed to have, just like the “active shooter drills” that were portrayed as real mass shootings, and every other event of consequence.

    TV and Newspapers are delivery devices for propaganda, manufactured narrative, and infotainment. Banning them from your home will improve your mental health dramatically.

  17. Covid hasn’t brought out the best in us.

  18. According to My Body, My Choice, we should believe that we have a master-of-a-magician behind the curtain who has managed to mastermind a hoax on the entire planet and organized all parties to cooperate in unison, including lining up citizen actors around the world.

    Two close family/friend members have been seriously sickened but pulled through, and I have a family member who is the head charge nurse at a major hospital – she is a “card-carrying Catholic” whose guilt would eat her alive if she actually lied about this to her family members.

  19. Russian Troll?
    Jul 10, 2020, 10:24 pm

    My Body My Choice,

    I am embarrassed that you are my fellow American and that you likely call yourself a christian conservative or perhaps libertarian as do I.

    America was not built by people like you, it was built in spite of you. Patriotism is not this vile angry ignorant diatribe you spew disrespectfully on others who differ even slightly from you.

    I would like the editor to consider you might be a foreign troll sent to cause distress and disharmony.

  20. There is a falling rock with your name on it.
    Jul 10, 2020, 11:49 pm

    A friend worked during the peak New York crisis before returning to her home state. It very real and especially hard on lazy fat men who drink too much. In other words the very same idiots who are most likely to claim it’s all bullshoot.

  21. Evidently to one commentator in this stream being an American means you can be selfish, irresponsible and proudly take the position that “its all about me—F&$k everyone else.”

  22. Education….we don’t have that anymore. Foothills Rider complains that we are “51st” on spending…So…what are we getting for said spending? Look what California gets for their education spending….a FAILED society that is trying to pick up and leave as fast as they can for intact communities. Some of them want to REPEAT the same policies over again!

    Oh and you will all love this…according to Seattle Magazine…they are dumping zoning for single family homes…because they are racist…this is happening everywhere now. Yeah…we talked about this in Green Party too…and my house was actually picked on because I lived alone in a space deemed “too big” for the proper calculation of enviros that have figured out the correct size for each person living, based on impact studies (that I can’t find). But they all enjoyed using my abode for our organizing and facilitating the Party’s needs. It’s like…they hate cars…but use them because THEY are fighting the good fight. Kinda like Leo Dicaprio takes his private plane to enviro seminars.

    Nooow…it’s just plain racist to have a single family home, inherently so.

    THAT is what they are teaching the kiddies….so forgive me if I don’t lose sleep for Idaho’s spending levels.

    Education…it used to be a THING..but now it’s a line item on my property taxes that needs removed.

  23. @ My Body My Choice;

    you must live in a very small ignorant bubble. While I agree the Lame Stream Media is biased and dishonest in their ninja advocacy described as journalism, but this pandemic is real. While I do not know anyone who has died from COVID, I know some who have gotten this very real, and very dangerous disease. Is your circle of friends really so small you do not know a single doctor, nurse, EMT, paramedic or other health professional. Any one of them could set you straight. A good friend of mine is waiting for a live saving organ transplant, but the hospital will not perform the procedure until COVID has subsided and ICU beds are available. The extremely selfish actions of people like you, who act as if there is no pandemic, is putting his, and everyone else’ life at risk.

    While I question the government’s right to force me to stay home and wear a mask, I choose to do so out of respect for the community of which I am a part of.

  24. Alive in Eagle
    Jul 13, 2020, 12:32 pm

    The best answer:

    JJ
    “While I question the government’s right to force me to stay home and wear a mask, I choose to do so out of respect for the community of which I am a part of.”

  25. Read up on very old Tuberculosis laws
    Jul 13, 2020, 12:48 pm

    Read up on very old Tuberculosis laws. It’s well within the governments power to suspend rights and force precautions. Thank Goodness! No more have the right to go without a mask in public than the right to shoot a gun carelessly. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one. It’s not about you! It’s about everyone else.

    Prayer’s for the Deputy shot today. Sadly our valley is changing.

  26. JJ Hit the nail on the head. Some of this goes towards discussion of a social contract and whether it is implied or explicit. https://ethicsunwrapped.utexas.edu/glossary/social-contract-theory

    Or we could just remember the Golden Rule that we teach our kids. “Do unto others as they would do unto you.”

  27. Do unto others as YOU WOULD HAVE THEM do unto you.

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