• Opening -- Jeremy Boggess: We need to work beyond party politics and not special interests.
• 1. Opening -- John Goedde: I'm seeking my 5th turn. I chair Senate Education. I'm focused on 3 things economy, jobs, and education. If the economy improves and jobs expand, state revenue will grow as a natural result.
• Opening -- Ray Writz: We're facing an economic crisis of major proportions that will land in the laps of the legislators.
• 2. John (priorities for session): Important to stimulate economy, thus creating jobs, and help bottom line of raising more state revenue. I see education as the essential part of whole thing. I've been working with deans throughout state to better prepare teachers to do their roles well.
• Ray: My goal is to reduce taxes in any which way we can. In next 2 years, we need to scale back tremendously. We may need to support school vouchers & home-schooling to save money. We have to have courage to say no to unfunded mandate. We need to get rid of income tax and property tax and turn it over to some sort of sales tax system.
• Jeremy: We need to promote natural resource industry and expedite energy products.
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• 3. Ray (re: stance on efforts on Idaho to repeal 17th amendment, direct election of U.S. senators): We'd have to change state legislators to change back to legislative election of U.S. senators. People will have to think this through thoroughly.
• Jeremy: Anything that takes away voter authority is dangerous.
• John: I don't favor repeal of the 17th amendment. The public ought to elect our U.S. senators.
• 4. Jeremy (ideas for public school revenue): Opportunities to lease hill tops for wind turbines. We can increase private investment into schools. Again, he mentions need for renewable energy products which, if successful, would raise tax revenue.
• John: No easy answers to making up budget shortfalls. Two years ago passed a bill that allowed exploration of renewable energy sources on state endowment lands. Long run, we need to stay in economic position that we can attract businesses to increase revenue. We can't raise taxes right now. Idaho Education Nation allows teacher in one part of the state to teach a handful of students in another part. That increases efficiency. We can look at consolidation of central services and buses.
• Ray: We are in an economic downturn that's similar to Great Depression. We're going to have to let the situation play out. Federal government needs to pay taxes on 65% of land in Idaho. Timber companies need to start logging forests again. We may have to cut teacher salaries by up to 50%
• 5. John (outline position on maintaining water quality in Coeur d'Alene Basin): Our water resource will determine when and where growth will occur in this community and Spokane. I'd hope state of Washington would slow down on what they're trying to do, basing water quality on their gold standard which is more stringent than the EPA's.
• Ray: We need to learn how to train each one of us re: waste stream to maintain better environmental quality overall.
• Jeremy: Coeur d'Alene is being disproportionately burdened by feds. We should keep the federal government out of our area. We need to give them a reason not to come in. 
• 6. Closing -- Ray: I will defend the constitution. We even have the United Nations coming into Idaho and telling us what to do with our water.
• Jeremy: I will create nonpartisan advisory groups to address various issues.
• John: I have focused on education issues. Education leads to jobs. Without industry here, those jobs go elsewhere. My son graduated from UIdaho with engineering degree and then moved to Idaho because there were no engineering jobs here.
  

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