Constitution
Points To Ponder
April 19, 2021 
Apologies to all for not posting any topics of late. Frankly, there isn’t much outside of shootings and COVID that are already covered by the legacy media or the prolific blogs.
Here are some items to comment upon:
–Gov Little failed the citizens by not using his veto stamp on SB1110 which makes it nearly impossible for the voice of the citizens to be heard on initiatives.
–He did veto two bills which would have diminished gubernatorial power during emergencies.
–Recent local crimes include child found deceased in Emmett. Suicide in Meridian following Canyon copper chase. Boise coppers stop pipe-wielding northlander who allegedly smacked police dog. Stabbing suicide on Federal way. Garden City coppers shoot man in domestic incident.
–Trucker crossed median near Nampa and hit another semi head-on resulting in fatality. ISP wants witness info on the east bounder’s driving prior to crash.
(Feel free to offer up your own topics of debate or comment as well)
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Comments & Discussion
Comments are closed for this post.
Apr 19, 2021, 6:51 pm
Pretty boring stuff. You don’t like the fact that initiatives must have signatures of supporters from all counties and I find it amusing. If the pot initiative comes up, my bet is they will be among the first to sign.
Apr 19, 2021, 7:45 pm
I’m not sure which is worse – 50/50 partisan gridlock, as seen in D.C., or supermajority one-party rule, as seen on “Statehouse Hill” here at home.
The governor and the Legislature are apparently in full agreement that CITIZENS should be stripped of any power. (We aren’t smart enough to figure stuff out – our Benevolent Overlords will make the hard choices for us.) It’s funny, in a pathetic sort of way, to watch the Executive and Legislative arm-wrassle for dominance. (And since I’m in all-Democrat District 17, I’ve never felt more powerless, since the Democrats are relegated to sitting quietly the corner.)
I’m still trying to maintain hope that they’ll throw us some scraps in the form of property tax relief… but they’ve disappointed me before in that regard.
Apr 20, 2021, 8:16 am
We need a super smart, super strong democrat to run against McGeachin, whether it is the Lt. or the Gov. job. The head of the snake.
Apr 20, 2021, 8:46 am
bikeboy,
So, I’m pretty liberal. But I wouldn’t want the Dems to have a majority like the GOP. Anytime there is a lack of interchange of ideas (and a sharing of power), things just aren’t good. When the worst thing a legislator in Idaho has to worry about is being challenged and likely replaced by someone more extreme, things aren’t going to get better anytime soon.
As you can tell by my comments on other stories, I’m deeply, deeply disappointed in Governor Little. I thought he’d be more interested in the people of Idaho, but he mostly seems to have been concerned about trying to head off a challenge from the right by McGeachin, which he will lose. His veto of the bill trying to keep the Legislature from grabbing power was upheld, which surprised me. I sure wish he would have had the same courage on the initiative process one.
On property tax relief: until we regain a healthy balance between the taxes paid by commercial property and residential property, we aren’t going to get anything but crumbs. Some day people in this state will realize that demand is what drives hiring, and hopefully that will result in voters electing candidates who pander less to the “job creators”.
Apr 20, 2021, 9:57 am
Indeed, Dems needed. Where do you propose to find one of those?
Apr 20, 2021, 10:18 am
Idaho politics today:
Guns and a bible.
Kind of tough to make much sense beyond a 30-round magazine and Easter.
COVID
Last year, 4/23/20, here on Guardian I predicted “At that rate, it is 700-1,000 deaths for a year, in Idaho, WHILE ISOLATED!”
Dang, I was wrong.
Over 2,000 Idahoans have died from Covid-in some part due to the ‘nonbelievers’ (aka many of the bible believers)- plus or minus some erroneous cause of deaths, that is still too many.
🙁
Initiatives
It takes 2/3 of the states (or Congress) to propose an amendment to US Constitution. Imagine if our Founding Fathers had the same extreme beliefs of as these Idaho “constitutionalist” control freaks.
Little
Governor Little does not have enough political backbone. Should kick out the teabaggers and bring some light Dems (similar to Blue Dogs) along and be a reasonable Independent voting block in Idaho.
Apr 20, 2021, 12:24 pm
Bonnie it is reassuring that Idahoans might come together over a pot initiative especially seein how we’re celebrating today April twenty.
Apr 20, 2021, 1:32 pm
light Dems, Easterner? Where do you propose to find one of those?
Apr 20, 2021, 1:50 pm
Anyone got any ideas for how to get trump to simply shut up and stay off the air… the guy is the solitary reason we lost the senate and we will lose more seats rather than gain it back if we can’t get him to shut up and go away.
Apr 20, 2021, 6:43 pm
Bike boy. They fled town last year with no property tax relief..the one damn thing I wanted them to address. This year they spend a lot of time on BS, but no property tax relief! I am in 16 and my senator is pretty smart and a D. But I have to believe that they could be more assertive (read that obnoxious). The Ds better run a great candidate for governor. God help us if McGeachin (sp?) gets in.
Apr 20, 2021, 10:35 pm
McGeachin comes off a bit kooky, but I like her attitude. She seems to want people to live lives free of government tyranny. Those of you calling for a Dem challenger, I hate to tell you the last decent Democrat (Walter Mondale) died the other day. I realize some of you are older and living in the past, but you need to wake up and turn off network TV. This isn’t 1975. The D party has been your enemy for decades.
Apr 21, 2021, 9:21 am
Just go away, When the Senate ENABLES TRUMP, FOX has their heads up TRUMPS — Call Risch’s office. Please let us know his response. And for the record it’s not like Trump changed?!
Apr 22, 2021, 12:23 pm
Couldn’t agree more about the Governor and his lack of a backbone to stand up to the legislative loons and Wayne Hoffman’s cronies. He knows that he would not survive an election against McGeachin. These loons who continue to prolong the session with selfish power struggles are of course made possible by the folks who love to complain about their voting records yet continue to re-elect them year after year. I live in the only district in Boise (15) that is not ruled by the Democrats.
Apr 23, 2021, 3:49 pm
Points to Ponder:
For the 2018 Primary/General
Little got 72,548
Labrador got 63,478
Ahlqist got 51,008
194,536 total R votes
Lt Gov
McGeachin got 51,098
Yates got 48,269
Hagedorn got 26,653
Nonini got 26,556
Packer got 24,513
177,089 R votes case for LtGov
with ample choice, only 29% opted for McG.
I don’t see anything in those numbers to conclude McGeachin could so easily win opposing Little. And if so, Little won the General (60%) by 130,000 votes.
For 2022, that could possible be 65,000 people changing their team to oppose extremism. [insert photo of McGeachin ISIS inspired picture of her bible, flag, and .45]
https://www.idahopress.com/eyeonboise/praise-criticism-of-little-over-covid-19-action-lt-gov-mcgeachin-displays-gun-bible-in/article_b0d01773-dd95-5b08-994e-d81fb4a175ca.html
Apr 26, 2021, 9:11 am
Easterner,
Small wager on Little and McGeachin? Remember, primary votes tend to be more motivated than general election voters. Couple that with the closed primary, which keeps people like me from having a real voice in elections (don’t even get me started about this one–my tax dollars pay to hold the primary, but the Republican party, which is a private entity, gets to exclude me), I don’t see anything happening in Idaho politics other than an even stronger move to the right. Note I would gladly lose this wager!
Apr 30, 2021, 10:17 am
I like your style Jo Jo.
But the Little/McG contest would depend on the LDS(R) voters, IMO.
For example, divide the R voters by universities.
1) Moderates – the U of I crowd
2) LDS – the BYU/Ricks crowd
3) Extreme right – ‘I have God, I don’t need college’ crowd
1 and 3 are easy to assign to L & M. But #2 fades into each of the others, especially if their political preference is an old, white, male.
Perhaps the LDS elders will put up their own R candidate again and that person could be the wild-card.
Maybe Raul AGAIN- since he has FAILED to help out in Congress on the immigration issue, he could decide to swing for Gov again- if he runs as the only LDS candidate he has better odds. But it’s tough for some to overcome ‘that’ missing element.
Between Little and McG though, I hope enough reasonable voters would prevail – with the extreme photos of McG being her downfall for moderate people. A picture can say a lot. In the end, I doubt the LDS leadership would pass-up on the opportunity, so I predict a 3 significant primary. In which case, no bet JoJo.
Otherwise, a two person race of Little & McG would be disappointing regardless. A Lib is not a Republican. Anyone who uses the the RINO is likely the hypocrite and ought to me registered other than Republican. Use your own party Teabaggers!
Little might be ready to retire to the pasture with his sheep. Then what?
About Idaho’s “move to the extreme right’- here is a good read from years ago highlighting the shift https://www.hcn.org/issues/45.8/how-right-wing-emigrants-conquered-north-idaho
May 5, 2021, 9:04 am
Easterner,
You may be right, but I don’t see the LDS voters as monolithic or powerful as the past. Keep in mind that I grew up for the most part in Nampa, and I’ve been watching Idaho politics for a long, long time…
When Raul couldn’t win a statewide election, that sealed for me that the days of LDS candidates getting waved through. Coupled with the influx of highly conservative non-LDS voters who don’t have ties to the traditional Idaho power structures (the Little family has been major players in Idaho for 70+ years, maybe more), and things have changed. I still think McGeachin crushes the field if she runs, but I would very much like to be wrong.
Thanks for sharing the HCN link (I’d seen it before)–wonderful news outlet. I’m a long-time subscriber, from the 90s. My dad moved to North Idaho a few years back (not for political reasons, but because the area they chose reminded his wife of the part of the Midwest she’s from). He lived in Canyon County for a long time, and he can’t believe how much more intense the crazy is up north.
Appreciate the conversation–it’s nice to be able to actually engage in dialogue that doesn’t include attacks, and which makes me think.
May 7, 2021, 9:52 am
Jo Jo, you say that as our legislative House is controlled by Bedke & Moyle. With AG Wadsden, Treasurer Ellsworth…. need I go on to Congressional delegation?
Little is the odd sheep in the flock.
Not monolithic? Okay how about poly-lithic. ha! That’s a great joke.
Seriously though, two words:
sexism
racism
And they rhyme with tribalism.
1978 was not that long ago.
Only in 2018 was a Latina posted in a high position (1 of 12 anyway) despite significant representation in worldwide membership.