The 2007 Legislative Session: A Broken GOP Promise

Monday, April 2, 2007

Contact: Chuck Oxley (208) 871-4976 (office)

By Richard Stallings

Idaho Democratic Party Chairman

The people of Idaho should be outraged that the Republican-dominated Legislature did not live up to its promise to reduce or remove the sales tax from groceries. You’ve been had.

Although Democrats are a distinct minority, our caucus came to Boise prepared to work hard on legislation that the people of Idaho care deeply about. We had a long list and we were prepared to lose a few battles along the way, but to ignore these issues brought forth by Democrats is to ignore the needs and desires of nearly every Idahoan.

The most egregious failure this year, however, started last August. That’s when the Legislature went to Boise for a special session and voted to shift property taxes, giving big corporations and out-of-state homeowners most of the tax break.

To pay for it, then-Republican Gov. Jim Risch and his GOP Legislature raised the sales tax by 20 percent. At the time, the governor promised he and the Legislature would address the tax inequity when the Legislature returned in January. April Fool’s Day has just passed … who do you supposed has been fooled?

Considering this failure, I do not know how Gov. Butch Otter can give the “do-nothing” session a “A” grade, as he did on television last Friday evening. Otter and the GOP leaders in the House and Senate presided over the 10^th longest session in legislative history, yet what do we have to show for it? How was Idaho made better this year, at the cost of $30,000 per day?

n Early Childhood Education: Making sure that young children are better prepared to start school. Status: Dead.

n Community Colleges: This bill that would have helped create more community colleges. Status: Dead.

n Protecting clean air and water: Republican leadership decided not to stand up for their constituents against out-of-state coal, natural gas or other energy plants that might want build new operations in your backyard. Status: Dead.

n Public Transit local options: Would have allowed local governments to respond to the needs of the people by easing traffic and commutes. Status: Dead.

n Ethical Hunting Practices: Would have prohibited the unethical practice of allowing people to shoot domestic elk in a fenced enclosure, also known as a so-called “shooter bull” operation. Status: Dead.

n Child Daycare: Would have set minimal safety standards for child care providers. According to a study released this past year, Idaho has the lowest daycare standards in the nation. Status: Dead.

Instead of passing important legislation that has broad public support, legislative leaders instead focused on consolidating and projecting their personal power. Even former Gov. Phil Batt, the chief architect of the current Republican Party, publicly chastised House Speaker Lawerence Denney for using his position to punish his enemies.

Perhaps the Republican leaders believe they can get away with ignoring the public and pursuing personal vendettas because this is not an election year. Perhaps -- But the Democratic Party will be standing up next year to remind the voters what happened during the “Do-nothing” session of 2007.

In fact, you might say, we’re going to “Set them straight in 2008!”