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This year, lawmakers met their constitutional requirement to balance
the books, but utterly failed to show leadership on the state’s
transportation problems. They have ducked all the tough 
decisions on
road repairs and how to pay for them — leaving them to task forces, and
perhaps to some future session. (Click here for today’s editorial.) Which, of course, they could. Lawmakers weren’t obligated to do
anything on the road-repair issue — and for some, leaving town without
a gas tax increase represents a victory. But it also represents ongoing
delay, pushing back road repairs and driving up the cost to all
taxpayers. This issue didn’t sneak up on anyone. It has topped Gov. Butch
Otter’s agenda for two years. To talk around the fringes of the issue
for 17 weeks, and leave town no closer to consensus or a long-term
plan, isn’t acceptable/Kevin Richert, Idaho Statesman. More here.
Question: What grade would you give the 2009 Legislature?
D.F. Oliveria is a columnist and blogger for The Spokesman-Review. Huckleberries Online was judged the best 2008 Idaho newspaper blog by the Idaho Press Club. And the best 2007 news blog in the Pacific Northwest by the Society for Professional Journalist. Print Huckleberries is a past winner of the Herb Caen Memorial Column contest by the National Association of Newspaper Columnists. The Readership Institute of Northwestern University cited this blog as a good example of online community journalism.
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redman on May 09 at 8:00 p.m.
they get a D for not getting along, egos are too big, the Senate and the House are at odds and the Gov wants a legacy. Come on folks when Senators and Reps from the same party and the same District do not speak we have a problem.