Rep. James Ruchti

That money would have helped communities build and fund preschool programs in accordance with local needs and values. But Republicans were bullied by the Idaho Freedom Foundation into voting against the grant, which had been secured by our U.S. senators under the Trump administration. Because of this, Idaho remains one of four states that doesn’t offer public pre-K.

Now the IFF’s Idaho Freedom Action group has launched a smear campaign against us for voting in support of early childhood education, saying we were pushing “critical race theory” on Idaho children. What dangerous nonsense.

Investigation after investigation proves CRT isn’t being taught in our schools at any level. And yet, that false narrative continues to be pushed by the IFF and its legislative puppets in order to defund and undermine public education in Idaho, causing serious damage to our local communities, educators, and children.

This malicious lie also just distracts us from addressing the real issues impacting Idahoans, like underfunded schools and a lack of accessible child care options.

Sen. David Nelson

For many, pre-K serves as a form of day care for children while parents are at work. It also helps children develop a number of critical skills, like literacy, that better prepare them for success in kindergarten. Had we accepted the $6 million grant, it would have greatly benefitted young working families, as well as our economy by allowing parents to enter or stay in the workforce. 

But one lawmaker made it clear in his debate he had no interest in voting for a bill that made “it easier or more convenient for mothers to come out of the home.” 

Voting to accept that grant was a no-brainer, and it would have been a major investment in our most precious resource: our children. That money would have actually been the second distribution from the federal Preschool Development Grants Program. We accepted the first $6 million in 2020, and saw great success in our local communities. Both of our districts have early learning collaboratives — the Kendrick-Julietta and Pocatello-Chubbuck preschools  — that directly benefited.

If given the opportunity, we’d continue to vote in favor of it, and won’t stop fighting for quality public education at every level, particularly for our youngest learners. As elected officials, we represent the people of Idaho, not the interests of extremist groups trying to destroy our state, like the IFF. No amount of bullying or intimidation will ever change that.

Sen. David Nelson

The Idaho Legislature’s Office of Performance Evaluations recently found 20% of schools should be retired in the next 10 years, and 53% need significant maintenance or else they will soon fall in that category as well. The estimated cost to bring just the buildings in the 77 districts surveyed up to a “good” condition is at least $847 million. It will take between $1-2 billion for all school districts.

And we still don’t have enough information to really know the extent of the problem. The last statewide facility condition assessment of K-12 public school buildings was in 1993. At the time, districts had a total of almost $700 million in building repairs, additional facilities, or upgrades. When adjusted for inflation to 2020 dollars, that amount is $1.3 billion.

Currently, Idaho is almost last in the U.S. for funding school maintenance. We may be underfunding maintenance and capital investment by as much as $767 million per year due to the antiquated system we use to determine how much to spend.

A 2005 Idaho Supreme Court ruling found the legislature failed to meet its constitutional obligation to sufficiently fund school buildings. That still hasn’t changed. Of all 50 states, Idaho spent the least per student on school buildings at an average of $1,080. The national average was $2,306. The legislature has a yearly responsibility to revisit the formula used to calculate replacement value and revise, if necessary, but hasn’t done so since 2008.

Schools are forced to rely heavily on supplemental levies and bonds to address district needs — mechanisms designed as fallback systems that are now responsible for keeping the lights on. Since 2006, the year school funding shifted to the sales tax, 111 of 120, or 92%, school districts willing to run a bond had an active supplemental levy in place.

Only 40% of bonds — which require two-thirds voter approval — passed in that same time as well. If the voting requirement was lowered to 60%, most would have passed.

Idaho’s negligence isn’t just damaging our schools and communities but our children’s futures, and it presents a serious public safety issue. The legislature needs to address this issue immediately, and I want to see two things happen.

We should create a state bond matching fund that aims to match half of the funding for new construction and remodeling. All of Idaho’s neighboring states, except Nevada, have grant programs that help districts with the building plans and provide capital funding for projects. If we appropriated $100 million yearly to start, we could make a real difference.

We also need to change the bond approval rate from the current two-thirds standard. No neighboring state has that supermajority threshold. We should set it at 60% and consider having a voter turnout threshold added. The Idaho Constitution would need to be amended to do this, which allows all Idahoans to weigh in. This process should start now.

We can’t continue to kick the problem down the road and shirk our constitutional obligation. It is our job to ensure public schools receive adequate and uniform support, so we can best foster the next generation. But if safe facilities don’t exist, that can’t happen. Our educators and children deserve better. It’s beyond time to invest in Idaho schools.

Rep. Steve Berch

A politician tends to only represent the people who vote for them. A statesman strives to represent everyone in their constituency whether they voted for them or not. This doesn’t mean you agree with everyone on every issue all the time. It does mean you respect those good ideas – no matter where they come from – by incorporating them into the work you do.

It’s much easier to be a politician than a statesman:

• It’s much easier to inflame emotions with false and misleading messages to win votes.
• It’s much easier to make decisions based on what you want to believe is true, instead of doing the due diligence to know what is true.
• It’s much easier to tell voters what they want to hear instead of what they need to hear.

A statesman, however, works to bring people together and listens for points of agreement, instead of arguing about where they disagree. With agreement, you can establish trust and respect, which is the first step toward working together to solve problems.

A statesman builds a consensus among colleagues to tackle difficult issues. It takes patience and good listening skills to resolve major issues that require the agreement of at least 36 representatives, 18 senators, and 1 governor.

A statesman has the courage to make decisions that may not be popular in the short term, but necessary to secure a beneficial long-term outcome.

A statesman is more concerned about achieving results than getting the credit.

The road toward becoming a statesman starts by knocking on doors and talking one-on-one with a broad spectrum of one’s constituency. You learn the issues that really affect people’s daily lives. You learn to respect people of all political affiliations and treat them with civility in both word and deed. You become a better public servant and a better person.

This is why I choose the road that leads to being a statesman.

Unfortunately, this road is less traveled by too many incumbents and candidates these days. To be clear, several of my legislative colleagues on both sides of the aisle are statesmen. We listen and learn from each other to our mutual benefit, even if we disagree at times.

However, too many choose to be politicians. It is discouraging to see bills promoting ideological purity that divide communities and punish those who disagree. It is dangerous when legislators give credibility to false and misleading information in an effort to curry favor with voters.

If we continue traveling down this increasingly rancorous road, we wind up with a government that rejects accountability after being elected; that doesn’t care about those that disagree with them; that believes the ends justify the means – which leads to operating without a moral or ethical compass.

We wind up with a state without statesmen.

There is a path forward. Voters need to know who the people on their ballot really are. Ask yourself: Is the candidate taking your vote for granted? Do they make it easy to contact them? Have they knocked on your door? Do they want to talk with you or at you?

If you want more statesmen and fewer politicians in the legislature, vote for the person – not a letter or a color.

Roads, bridges, and railway systems are aging out and incapable of safely handling the heavier, longer, faster loads pressuring their antiquated structures. This is particularly true within our underfunded counties, where an unsafe bridge forces detours to school buses and commercial trucks, seriously impacting local economies. Two thousand county and state bridges have timed out, and some are deemed unfit to travel on. Water and sewer systems are either inadequate for the increased demand, or so old that they need to be replaced. Growth is exacerbating the need for safe water and waste treatment facilities.

Sen. Michelle Stennett

Coming out of one of the driest years on record, water management is critical. The United States Geological Survey rates Idaho the first in beneficial water consumption per capita in the nation and second in agricultural water consumption. This is unsustainable. Infrastructure efficiencies and water saving policies are critical to manage this diminishing resource.

Public schools remain underfunded, leading to insufficient teacher pay, no ability to find housing, increased staff turnover, and crumbling facilities in both rural and urban areas. Adding more students and curtailing educational services in an already beleaguered education system, harms teachers and students, and does not adequately provide a skilled workforce for commerce. 

The health care industry continues to struggle amid the pandemic, with too few workers and too little housing. Idaho has the least amount of health care workers per capita in the nation. A transition to telehealth has given some relief for patients, but many areas in Idaho — particularly medically underserved areas — have poor broadband. This is also true for remote learning in our schools. With our population growth and these added loads, our broadband demand is beyond capacity.

The housing market has exploded, with little remaining inventory and inflated prices. Wages in Idaho are low and are not keeping up with this boom. This unaffordability shuts out our hard-working families, our first responders, our workers, our seniors, and our young adults who are the fabric of our communities.  

We have a rare opportunity to be creative and strategic with these resources at all levels of government and the private sector. Partnerships and pooling resources can successfully tackle larger projects. More funding options and autonomy to local governments are imperative for local services and programs.  Our ailing infrastructure needs cannot continue to be ignored or they will collapse. Idahoans deserve long-term benefits from their tax investment.

Here’s mine. It reveals what I believe to be an essential element of leadership, be it in the public or private sector, or in one’s personal life. 

Bill and Dave’s last visit to the Boise site was in the early 1990s.  A “coffee talk” for all site employees was hosted by the two and held in the interior courtyard at HP’s campus on Chinden Boulevard. 

An entourage of executives accompanying Bill and Dave entered the courtyard through a single door. Dave was physically impaired by this time, so it took a while for the party to make its way through the entrance. Many employees (mostly factory line workers) were backed up behind them as Dave slowly advanced into the courtyard. Bill was the last of the executives to enter and politely held the door for those behind him, which turned into an endless sea of employees clamoring to get through.

Bill continued to hold the door and then subtly changed his stance to that of a doorman — with a pleasant smile — so he could face the people as they walked by. Some people recognized him but couldn’t stop due to the employees pressing from behind. Others just continued through, oblivious of the founder holding the door.

This lasted for more than a few minutes with Bill silently standing there, holding the door for his employees. The executives were being so attentive to Dave they forgot about Bill. Eventually someone realized Bill was separated from the group and retrieved him to prepare for the talk.

I was watching all of this unfold from a distance and realized that through his silent action, Bill was displaying an important attribute of a successful leader: humility. Here was one of the wealthiest people in America gladly playing doorman to his employees — and genuinely enjoying the moment.

How many politicians or captains of industry would do that today?

This ability to be humble — to be polite, considerate, appreciative and respectful of others — grounds a leader with those they lead and serve. It makes and keeps us human. Bill and Dave understood that, and infused these values into the culture of their company.

I don’t put myself on the same pedestal as Bill and Dave, but knocking on over 28,000 doors helps ground me in my role as a legislator and a public servant to my constituency. If every Idaho legislator did that, our state government would be far more responsive to the needs of all its citizens, and Idaho would be a more pleasant place to live, even when we disagree.

We could use more humility from people in leadership positions — and from each other. Here’s hoping there are more ‘Bill and Dave’s out there to lead and serve us in 2022 and beyond.

Words matter…

Your recent divisive words mattered, but in a way you may not have expected — they actually united the very group of “medicated, meddlesome, and quarrelsome” women you hoped to segregate and diminish. People across Idaho are raising their voices on social media to celebrate women for the very achievements you condemn, from being a first-generation college student to a medical doctor or civil engineer.

These successes were championed, not criticized as you would’ve liked. You yearn to return to the dark ages, but it’s clear the clock will not be turned back. Thankfully, that dystopian worldview is fading, and thousands of people will ensure we keep moving forward; I’m one of them.

Higher education changed my life, and allowed me to look beyond my once-limited perspective. I’ve seen it do the same for so many students while working at different universities, including Boise State, where I was hired as the first full-time Women’s Center director and taught gender studies classes. And I know you have also seen the liberating effect of education, especially for women, which is why you’re so fearful.

As women become the majority of college graduates, pursue fields previously dominated by men, like medicine or engineering, and fight for equal pay, the patriarchal ideals you hold dear are being challenged, resulting in a loss of power and control.

This is why you’ve aligned yourself with radical conservative activists — like extremist special interest groups, the lieutenant governor’s task force, and choice GOP legislators — trying to dismantle public education and deny women and other marginalized groups opportunities to succeed. These attitudes materialized in a vote to block funding for childcare and pre-K because it would enable women to “come out of the home,” a prime example of institutionalized sexism based on fear of what you perceive you will lose.

There is no reason to fear an equitable society when there is so much to gain, allowing everyone to fulfill their god-given right to pursue happiness and live the life they have chosen. People who experience social advantages are being asked right now to recognize the benefits society affords them based solely on their race and sex. Although success isn’t guaranteed, these immutable traits — like being white and male — don’t work against them. Women and people from historically marginalized groups have not always been valued by society in that way, and must work harder to gain access to those same rights and opportunities. This can be uncomfortable to reconcile, but this pales in comparison to discrimination.

Your words are insidious and dangerous, but there are enough educated, community-minded, and caring Idahoans who see through your misaligned tactics. The next step is to elect them.

In the meantime, Mr. Yenor, I invite you to take off your blinders and join us as we create a world in which everyone is free to pursue their dreams, care for themselves and their families, and live a fulfilling life without fear of being locked into a one-size-fits-all role predetermined by whomever is in power.

A world where transgender people can express their true selves without fear of harm and exclusion from sports or public spaces; where Black parents don’t have to experience the pain of teaching their kids how to respond to authorities or combat racism; where women can walk freely at night without using their keys as makeshift brass knuckles; and where universities don’t lose funding for trying to create a safe and inclusive environment.

Words matter. I hope you listen to mine, and the many Idahoans condemning yours.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Exhibit A for political malpractice. A majority party that controls 80% of the Senate and over 82% of the House has been working for nearly four months writing bills behind closed doors — four months to draft legislation, consider long term consequences, finalize a few well-crafted bills, and build a consensus to pass them.

Instead, we got a hodgepodge of 29 bills introduced in the House, which were withheld from the public until the first day of the reconvened session and voted on the next day. Some read as if they were written on the back of a napkin. Most of them where so poorly written you could drive a truck through the gaps in logic, legality, and fiscal impact.

The outcome: Not a single bill passed. The majority party spent $100,000 of your tax dollars to reconvene the legislature with nothing to show for it.

Actually, that’s not entirely true. One legislator confided in private it really didn’t matter if any of the bills actually passed. What mattered was creating talking points for reelection campaigns next year just by introducing them (e.g. “I tried to do . . .”).

In fact, the political malpractice put on display makes a convincing argument for not allowing the legislature to call itself into special session. This can happen if voters pass a proposed constitutional amendment that will appear on next November’s ballot. The events of this week took place a year before the 2022 election. Imagine if the legislature could pull this political stunt a month before Election Day! The opportunities to pervert the legislative process for purely political campaign purposes are endless — which would be endlessly paid for by you.

A question of balance

Many of the bills, either singularly or in combination, gave the unvaccinated the right to work anywhere, anytime, in any environment and without disclosure. The rights of those who want to avoid being exposed by those who are unvaccinated were never considered. One scenario would not allow you to ask or confirm if a caregiver employed by a business or government entity was unvaccinated, thus preventing you from denying them employment and entry into your home to take care of your kids or elderly parents.

The honest, mature, professional debate we should have had this week was how to balance the rights of the individual with the rights of others and the public at large. Allowing anyone to do anything they want, anywhere, at any time, without any responsibility or consequence for their actions is anarchy.  Conversely, government control of everything at the cost of individual liberty is oppression.

The best path forward is somewhere in the middle, rather than either extreme. It’s what discerning and disciplined legislators do in the face of highly emotional and inflammatory circumstances. In the words of J. K. Rowling, “We must face the choice between what is easy and what is right.” It’s easy to play into the emotions of the moment. It’s a lot harder to step back and discern the right course of action that may not fully satisfy those emotions.

This is why we need to elect critical thinkers who understand they represent the interests of all constituents, not just those who voted for them.

This is why we need to vote for the person, not a letter or a color.

Sen. David Nelson

Instead, we met several times in recent weeks to determine how to circumvent the federal government and its proposed vaccine requirements. Remember: U.S. taxpayers are spending about $3.7B monthly to treat unvaccinated Americans, a number of which are the cause of Idaho’s current health care crisis.

The committee ultimately decided to recommend a bill forbidding state and local governments from enforcing a federal requirement, penalizing those who do with a personal fine of up to $5,000, six months maximum in jail, or both. We were the only two who opposed it.

The bill might be altered slightly, but it now goes to the full legislature, potentially causing us to reconvene for a special session in the next two weeks for a vote. This only opens the door for even stricter legislation and the continued spread of misinformation, doing nothing to stop Idahoans’ from needlessly dying each day.

At multiple points in this process, we had to correct false information to ensure the legislative record was accurate. Here’s a sampling of the public testimony we heard:

Rep. Chris Mathias

“Reported COVID deaths in the United States because of taking the vaccine is 13,751, and this was reported as an underestimate.” A careful review of health and autopsy records makes clear no deaths have been linked to any of the vaccines, of which more than 390 million doses have been administered. They are incredibly safe and effective in keeping you out of the hospital.

“Don’t get the unproven vaccine, you can treat COVID with Ivermectin, hydroxychloroquine, and monoclonal antibodies. This stuff works.” A sitting legislator said this. Ivermectin is an antiparasitic. A dewormer! It has dangerous side effects, with no proven effectiveness against COVID-19 — as does hydroxychloroquine. Monoclonal antibodies provide some help in keeping you from being hospitalized, but are more experimental and not FDA approved, like the fully-approved Pfizer vaccine. The vaccines are also less expensive, costing about $20 versus several thousand for monoclonal antibodies. While the government covers most of that, we are worried about the residual cost for taxpayers.

In Idaho, almost every COVID-19 patient hospitalized right now is unvaccinated, and they are 11 times more likely to die from it. Bodily autonomy is a right we can assert, but that right comes with responsibilities. Unless you have a legitimate medical reason, you should get vaccinated. The pandemic persists because many unvaccinated people are ignoring public health guidelines.

And misinformation is to blame for a lot of that — we saw that firsthand during committee meetings. People are dying and suffering because they trusted the word of a Facebook post, a chiropractor, or a far-right politician over an epidemiologist and ER doctor.

We recognize some people are strongly opposed to anything the federal government asks us to do, but continuing down this path isn’t how we end the pandemic. We have to make policy decisions based on fact, a careful review of current law, and in Idahoans’ best interests. What we shouldn’t do is give into the fearmongers, who demonize the vaccine and our health care providers, often resorting to threats of violence against those with whom they disagree.

Idahoans need real leadership, not another unproductive special session, unconstitutional bill, or eventual lawsuit costing hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars.

I’ve been asked that question often since leaving the Capitol in May.

Prior to arriving in Boise in January, I was told to expect a vastly different environment than what I had experienced during my previous two terms in the legislature from 2006-2010. They were right.

Now, 11 years later, Idaho’s majority party is almost unrecognizable. It’s influenced by extreme-right organizations bullying their way into Idaho politics: anti-government, Oath Keepers, Three Percenters, Bundyites, and sympathizers to all of these groups.

One organization is particularly dangerous. It has more sheer influence over the majority party, vote after vote, than any grassroots organization, special interest group, lobbying effort, or think tank: the Idaho Freedom Foundation (“IFF”).

IFF and its Freedom Caucus — made up of nearly a quarter to a third of the House — work in tandem to pressure Republicans who would otherwise vote according to their values, life experiences, and constituents’ needs. IFF rates bills throughout the session and ranks legislators accordingly. Those with top rankings receive IFF’s high praise.

Those who fail to show loyalty are attacked viciously through social media, newsletters, and in the press by IFF and its disciples — some of the state’s angriest and most aggressive residents — during the session and primary elections. IFF is often the only voice filling the space on important bills, and there are increasingly fewer Republican legislators willing to buck this unofficial system.

We surrendered a $6 million federal grant for our struggling child care providers at a critical juncture when working parents are trying to earn a living and raise their kids. They needed the help being offered, and the legislature took it away because IFF told them to do it.

And because IFF spread false and pernicious lies about the existence of critical race theory, we struggled to pass even basic budgets for our universities, all while Idaho is experiencing unprecedented budget surpluses.

IFF’s system means the most extreme bills get hearings, traction, and passed. Some die in the Senate. But the reality is as the volume of crazy bills the House passes increases, the number of those signed into law also increases.

My experience and observations tell me this: Idaho is in trouble unless we chart a different path.

The utopia IFF seeks to create guarantees Idaho’s largest employers will choose to relocate to other states. Our children and grandchildren — our best and brightest — will become our biggest export. What will be left? People who are intolerant of anyone different. People who ignore data, facts, and science. People who are extremists, and yes, even racists. That is an Idaho we cannot accept.

Until recently, at least, Idaho had been a destination for young professionals seeking fair wages and challenging careers, young families who enjoy the lifestyle provided by our access to public lands, and retirees wanting a sense of community and belonging. When I think of that progress, I see hope for the future. But we’re at a turning point.

If we ignore this crossroads, our democratic institutions will be damaged beyond repair. Imagine if an IFF loyalist gets elected governor, or if the next speaker shows IFF fealty. He or she will appoint committee chairs loyal to IFF, and IFF legislation will be given priority.

We all must remain vigilant, get involved, and support candidates — Republican, Democrat, Independent — who reflect real Idaho values.

This will end, but when? Will it collapse under its own weight in 10-15 years after Idaho is unrecognizable, or do we end it in the next two years, while the state we love still exists?

It’s up to us.

First, GOP legislators ended the annual adjustment to the homeowner’s exemption that used to keep pace with housing prices, causing a dramatic shift of the property tax load away from commercial property and onto homeowners. So, even if county budgets didn’t increase by a penny, the legislature caused property tax on your home to increase every year. Meanwhile, many corporations have watched their property tax bill decrease while yours goes up. GOP legislators slightly increased the exemption this year, but not nearly enough to remedy the harm they inflicted on homeowners by ending the indexed exemption.

Second, they severely underfunded schools, with the lowest per-student education investment in the nation. This forced voters who want adequate schools to pass bonds and levies, further spiking property taxes. Want to fix the school roof before it collapses? Better pass a bond — the legislature won’t help. Want full-day kindergarten? Or enough operating funds to stay open five days a week? Better pass a levy — the legislature won’t help.

Third, for 14 years GOP legislators stopped every effort to increase property tax assistance for low-income seniors and veterans. This year they allowed a miniscule increase in the aid amount for some, but financed it by kicking 4,000 people out of the program.

Reps. Ilana Rubel, Lauren Necochea, and Sally Toone

Fourth, they denied local government their share of internet sales tax. You buy a shirt at Target, 11% of the sales tax collected funds local government. But if you buy that same shirt on Amazon, GOP legislators have blocked local government from receiving any of the tax collected. As sales have shifted online, this has hit local governments’ revenue stream and forced them to rely more on property taxes.

Finally, the GOP bill shamefully touted as “property tax relief” limits taxes that can be collected based on new development, blocking growth from paying for growth. Thus existing homeowners must either pay more in property taxes to make up for the deficiency (as happened in Meridian, which was forced to raise property taxes by this legislation), or suffer cuts to vital local government services like police, fire, and paramedics. Cities like Caldwell and Ketchum, already operating on tight budgets, were forced to halt new construction, exacerbating the state’s housing crisis.

For years, GOP legislators have blocked every bill providing meaningful relief, like capping assessment increases, restoring the indexed exemption, treating internet sales tax the same as regular sales tax, and increasing property tax assistance for low-income seniors and veterans. The result has been rising property taxes driving people from their homes.

A recent study from the Idaho Office of Performance Evaluations showed it isn’t “spendthrift counties” causing the problem. County populations went up 39% over the last 20 years, but their budgets only increased 27%. Counties are running extremely lean budgets that underspend compared to population growth.

Rather than admit to having caused the problem or try to fix it, GOP legislators are pointing fingers at innocent local government officials. You deserve the truth, and we hope you will respond by electing legislators who will work to reduce your property taxes while preserving vital local services. Idahoans need leaders that deliver real solutions, not scapegoats.