Josh Bransford, Idaho’s best-known wolf trapper, has violated no state laws, according to the Department of Fish and Game. But if that’s all Fish and Game will say for the record, it’s time someone filled in the blanks. Bransford is the kind of trapper who gives his activity — and his state — a black eye. His behavior isn’t sporting. It’s sickening. Idahoans will forever disagree about the wolf and its place in the state’s natural order, but all Idahoans should at least be able to speak with one voice against boneheaded barbarism. Especially when it appears before our eyes. When Bransford happened on a wolf in a leghold trap, standing in a circle of blood-tinged snow, he did not put his prey out of its misery. At least not before he posed for a photo — while he smiled in the foreground, the wounded wolf standing in the background/Idaho Statesman. More here.

Question: Do you have a favorable/unfavorable view of Idaho hunters?

After two years and $540,479 in taxpayer cost, the case of fired state transportation director Pam Lowe seems to be just getting started. And the start is sufficiently bad that, perhaps, the state ought to have second thoughts about its legal strategy. On Saturday, U.S. District Judge Ron Bush sided with Lowe and against the state on the first phase of her case. Lowe was not an “at-will” employee who could be fired without cause, said Bush. And so, 33 months after her July 2009 firing, round one goes decisively to Lowe. Bush hasn’t yet delved into Lowe’s two more explosive allegations: her claim that she was shown the door because she tried to scale back a contract for two politically connected vendors; and her claim that she was fired because she’s a woman/Idaho Statesman Editorial Board. More here.

Question: Is it time for the state to pursue a settlement in this seemingly no-win case?

Idaho legislators can certainly come up with more than their share of home-grown and ill-conceived ideas. The last thing they need to do is import ideas from — egads! — California. Nevertheless, a group of lawmakers wants to bring a little bit of California into Idaho tax law. They are pushing a constitutional amendment that would require any future tax and fee increases to receive two-thirds support from the Legislature. The co-sponsors include a list of Treasure Valley Republicans: House Majority Leader Mike Moyle of Star (pictured); Rep. Marv Hagedorn of Meridian; Rep. Steven Thayn of Emmett; and Rep. Robert Schaefer of Nampa. (Resident House non-taxpayer Phil Hart of Hayden is on board, but what else would you expect?) The Two-Thirds Gang argues that these amendments, on the books in California and 15 other states, “help keep spending down and protect taxpayers from additional financial burdens”/Kevin Richert, Idaho Statesman. More here.

Question: Should tax increases in Idaho require a two-thirds vote of the Legislature for passage?

On Tuesday morning, we’re unveiling a new design for IdahoStatesman.com — one we think makes our website better, easier to use, faster and less cluttered. We know change is hard, but we think this change is well worth doing and is overdue. Our users here in Idaho — as well as users at McClatchy websites across the country — have made the same complaints for years. Our sites are busy. Our navigation systems are complex. Often, it takes our users longer than it should to find the specific content they want. The problem has always been the wealth of information we have in our newspapers and our efforts to reproduce that online — along with all sorts of online-only content, from databases to photo galleries, from comments to blogs/Vicki Gowler, Idaho Statesman. More here.

• New online design here

Question: What do you think of the new Idaho Statesman online design?

Idaho Statesman editorial for Saturday: Micron Technology Inc. was unquestionably Steve Appleton’s company. “It was ruled by one guy,” former Micron employees and Boise semiconductor analyst Mike Howard said. For the years that have coincided closely with Appleton’s time and corporate climb at Micron, this has also been Boise’s company. The Treasure Valley’s connection to the global and fiercely competitive computer chip sector, Micron has been one of the Valley’s largest private employers. On Friday, Appleton left a void at Micron, and in a Valley he supported with his generosity and philanthropy. He died suddenly and too soon while pursuing one of his off-hours passions: flying. Appleton died at age 51 — too young for someone who, as Gov. Butch Otter said Friday, “lived life to the fullest”/Kevin Richert, Idaho Statesman. More here. (2005 AP file photo of Steve Appleton)

Reaction?

If you’re going to get your facts wrong, it’s a bad idea to botch things up on a complicated and controversial issue. Or to misspeak in front of a room full of reporters. Gov. Butch Otter violated both tenets last week. And this week, he had to do a 180, to the tune of $300 million. Here’s the recap: On Jan. 5, at a legislative preview sponsored by The Associated Press, Otter made his case for a state-run (but federally funded) health exchange, which would allow small businesses or individuals to shop for the most affordable insurance coverage. Otter upped the ante with a new argument: He said the state risked losing $300 million in Medicaid money, should it fail to establish an exchange. Sounds like a compelling argument. Indeed, we wrote at length about it in a Jan. 6 editorial restating our support for a state-run exchange. Trouble is, Otter had his facts wrong, and admitted as much to the AP late Wednesday. Good luck unringing that bell, governor/Idaho Statesman Editorial Board. More here. (AP file photo of Butch Otter at State of the State address)

Question: Do you think Gov. Butch Otter has a good grasp on the issues involved in the complicated health exchange issue?

Since the “supercommittee” superfailed to live up to its name, what should we call them now? How about the Do-Nothing Dozen? The sum of their work certainly adds up to zero. Twelve members of Congress — six House members and six senators, six Republicans and six Democrats — were appointed in August to try to find at least $1.2 trillion in deficit reductions. The group gave up Monday, agreeing only to do, well, nothing. Technically, the group’s three-month assignment ends today, the day before Turkey Day. Never let it be said that Congress lacks for a wicked sense of humor. But since it actually does take a couple days to write legislation, Monday was effectively the group’s deadline. To call the effort pitiful and disappointing borders on understatement. By playing to their bases, committee members reinforced the same partisan divide that they needed to transcend/Kevin Richert, Statesman. More here.

• Crapo touts collaboration in face of super-failure/Statesman

Question: Are hopes of a solution to our debt crisis gone now that the supercommittee has superfailed?

On Friday morning, the state of Idaho is scheduled to take a life in the name of its people — but largely beyond the view of its people. By restricting the news media’s access to a crucial step in the execution of Paul Ezra Rhoades, the state Correction Department will restrict what Idahoans know about this most sobering service of justice. Idahoans will have to accept, on faith, the notion that the state’s first execution in 17 years was carried out without complications. That establishes a bad precedent for future executions — and there’s a good chance other Idaho inmates will be put to death in the next few years. Four reporters will be allowed to watch the execution, but the Correction Department has decided that they will not be able to watch as the execution team straps Rhoades into a gurney and inserts IVs into his veins/Kevin Richert, Idaho Statesman. More here.

Question: Would you want to witness this execution?

Taxpayer-funded stretch limousines? Good luck explaining those away easily. But that’s the predicament facing state Treasurer Ron Crane, who holds the lowest-profile elected position in Idaho government. During his annual meetings with Wall Street ratings agencies — his most visible job obligation — Crane routinely hires limos to squire Idaho delegations around New York City. The cost, from 2009 through 2011, approached $10,000, the Associated Press reported last week. It’s hard to tell which is worse: the timing, or the appearance. That’s an academic question, because the two are virtually interchangeable. During three of the most trying budget years in the state’s history — when legislators had to take a cleaver to public education, Medicaid, universities and nearly every other state agency — Idaho was doing its small part to support New York City’s limo services. And some of the same legislators who cut state budgets were riding alongside Crane/Idaho Statesman. More here.

Question: Are the limos that state Treasurer Ron Crane & Idaho legislators rode in during trips to New York a stretch, a scandal, or a black eye?

When it comes to safety on college campuses, whom do you believe?University officials and local law enforcement agencies — the people entrusted to keep the peace? Or the National Rifle Association, a special-interest group seeking to put Idaho into its win column? Earlier this year, 41 House members — 40 Republicans and one Democrat — took the NRA’s side and passed a bill allowing concealed weapons on Idaho college campuses. The House-passed bill died in a Senate committee. Considering the NRA’s success in one legislative chamber, it’s only inevitable that the group is coming back to take another run at a weapons-on-campus bill. On Thursday, an NRA lobbyist took the group’s case to Idaho State University’s student union building/Idaho Statesman Editorial Board. More here.

Question: Are you a member of the National Rifle Association?

The voter initiative law allows Idahoans to bypass a stubborn or unresponsive Legislature. When it comes to local-option sales taxes, those adjectives apply perfectly. Lawmakers have spent years finding new reasons and new justifications for saying no — because, evidently, they don’t trust local elected officials and voters to make informed decisions. So it should be no surprise that some business leaders are considering an initiative to put the local-option question on the 2012 ballot. The only surprise, really, is that it took this long to reach this point. After all, three years have passed since the Legislature’s last heavy-handed attempt at micromanagement/Kevin Richert, Idaho Statesman Editorial Board. More here.

Question: Do you support the concept of local-option tax?

The $94,633 in bonuses to legislative staffers isn’t enough to break the state budget. But these ill-timed, one-time payments are big enough to look bad. They leave the perception — accurate or not — that the policymakers are taking care of their own, while stiffing other hard-working and deserving state employees. They send a message — intended or not — that there are winners and losers in a public workforce that extends from the Statehouse to public schools and college campuses. To say nothing of the message to the private sector. Any goodwill and employee loyalty these bonuses purchase will come at a steep collateral cost/Idaho Statesman Editorial Board. More here.

Question: Should Idaho legislators be giving bonuses to staffers at a time when they're slashing education, Medicaid, Health & Welfare, and other important budgets?

For a lawmaker who has long championed restrictions on texting while driving, citing the risk to public safety, McGee’s arrest seemed all the more out of character with his political persona. The 38-year-old McGee lands on the short list of top recent Idaho political scandals. The results have been a mixed bag. Boise Mayor Brent Coles resigned in 2003 and served jail time over a City Hall spending scandal. U.S. Sen. Larry Craig reneged on his 2007 “intent” to resign when he pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct after a Minneapolis airport restroom arrest; Craig completed his term, then retired. Lt. Gov. Butch Otter rebounded from a 1993 drunken-driving conviction to climb the career ladder to Congress and the governor’s office. McGee’s political future is ripe for speculation, at a later date. McGee is, for now, a criminal suspect facing serious charges. No more — but also no less. He deserves his chance to answer to his charges/Kevin Richert, Statesman. More here.

Question: Obviously, McGee deserves a chance to explain his side of this bizarre story in court. But does that mean the public should be quiet re: speculation about this case and his political future?

The Idaho Statesman in Boise and the paper’s readers said so long this weekend to long-time columnist/reporter Tim Woodward. As I get a little older, I tend to reflect more and more on such transitions and, as a result, I have a much greater appreciation of the value of guys like Tim to an institution, whether it be a newspaper or any other outfit. Woodward, a talented writer and a very good guy, is one of the very few links to Boise and Idaho journalism that dates to the same era when I started in the business. In 35 or 40 years in any business, you accumulate a big Rolodex and, if you’re smart and engaged, as Tim was and is, you rack up the kind of perspective and knowledge that only comes with time and experience/Marc Johnson, The Johnson Report. More here.

• 5 ways not to choose a presidential candidate/Adam's Blog
• James Arness introduced by John Wayne: 'Gunsmoke'/Dennis Mansfield
• Idaho State University vs. faculty: Tempest in a teapot?/Fort Boise
• Do students really come first?/MeandG, 43rd State Blues
• Turning water into energy … carefully/Laura Rozzell, ICL
• Project 55.4? Idaho's gross state product increases in 2010/Kevin Richert
• Clearwater Collaborative gets $3.5M for projects/Rocky Barker, Statesman

Question: Who is your favorite columnist of bygone days?

On Wednesday, the critics of the Students Come First education overhaul got what they wanted. And the plan’s stealth architect, State Superintendent Tom Luna, got what he deserved. Opponents said they have collected the 47,432 voter signatures necessary to put the three laws on the November 2012 ballot. The apparent success of the referendum drive — nearly two weeks before the deadline — illustrates that the Students Come First furor didn’t subside when the Legislature left town in April. Both the content and the process remain controversial/Kevin Richert, Idaho Statesman. More here.

Question: On Thursday, GOP Chairman Norm Semanko issued a press release that basically said he wasn't surprised that opponents of Superintendent Tom Luna's reforms were able to collect enough signatures to get three referendums on the 2012 ballot. Do you believe the Idaho GOP is unconcerned about the referendums?

Cheers … to Tim Woodward. It's hard to imagine, but after nearly 40 years as a columnist for the Idaho Statesman, Woodward is retiring June 1. If you want to sample one of Woodward's best pieces, read the column he wrote in March describing the devastation mental illness had caused his family and how Medicaid programs have helped. It was a gutsy thing to do, but Woodward wanted Idahoans to recognize who gets hurt when the Legislature batters health care programs for the poor. Medicaid, he wrote, is “what an enlightened society does for those who weren't born as lucky as the rest of us. It doesn't just apply to 'other people.' It helps us all”/Marty Trillhaase, Lewiston Tribune. More here.

Question: Did you follow Tim Woodward's columns in the Idaho Statesman?

Many years, it is easy to criticize the Idaho Legislature for doing nothing. On the 88th and final day of the 2011 legislative session, Senate President Pro Tem Brent Hill, R-Rexburg, addressed this perennial putdown head-on. “Anyone who claims we haven’t accomplished much wasn’t paying attention.” We’d have to agree. But this was a Legislature that did a lot — yet may have done far more harm than good. A Legislature long on ambition and short on compassion. A Legislature with a wide reach but a narrow ideology. A session to be proud of? Not even close/Idaho Statesman. More here.

Question: Do you realize that the Legislature's decision to cut education spending for a third straight year merely pushes tax increases onto local school districts?

Barbieri, R-Dalton Gardens, knew what is expected of freshmen when they arrive at the Statehouse. “I was supposed to sit down, be quiet, listen,” said Barbieri, a retired lawyer in his first term. But he also knew what the voters of his North Idaho district expected from him. “It wasn’t enough to limit government, I was to shrink government, reduce the government. It wasn’t enough to hold the line on taxes, it was to find a way to stop the taxation in areas,” Barbieri said. He didn’t wait long to begin pushing that agenda. Having read Thomas Woods’ book “Nullification,” Barbieri — with the help of Sen. Monty Pearce, R-New Plymouth, who became a mentor — set about to try to use the theory to dismantle the federal health care act in Idaho/Brian Murphy, Idaho Statesman. More here.

Question: Barbieri and Sen. John Goedde are two of the six legislators listed in an Idaho Statesman story re: “voices that made a difference” during the 2011 session. Will Barbieri become a fixture in the Legislature from House District 3? Or will he be viewed as radical and lose a 2012 GOP primary bid?

Virgil Moore has the professional chops for his new job as Idaho Department of Fish and Game director. Moore, 59, has worked for the agency for 34 years. He has put his academic background to work in fisheries science, among other agency jobs. He knows the state, having worked in five of Fish and Game’s seven regional offices. As such, Moore surely knows something about the Idaho Legislature — and the Statehouse scientific charlatans who would be happy to help him do his job. On Friday, a day after Moore was promoted to director, Biology for Beginners was in session at the House Ways and Means Committee. Rep. Judy Boyle (pictured), the Midvale Republican and resident Statehouse Little Red Riding Hood, touted a bill to allow Idaho to declare a wolf disaster emergency/Idaho Statesman. More here.

Question: Are you more afraid of wolves in Idaho's wilderness or politicians in Idaho's Statehouse?

Three Canyon County senators made the tough vote Friday. But the three Republicans — Curt McKenzie of Nampa, Patti Anne Lodge of Huston and John McGee of Caldwell — also cast the right vote. By opposing Idaho’s foolhardy and constitutionally dubious flirtation with health care reform “nullification,” they spared the state a costly and, most likely, ill-fated legal battle. More significantly, from a budget standpoint, they refused to jeopardize Idaho’s share of federal funding for Medicaid — a whopping $1.2 billion for 2011-12. Perhaps most importantly, they put good government ahead of good politics/Idaho Statesman. More here.

• Hoffman: Nullification vote was a mistake/Idaho Freedom Foundation

Question: Do you think these three legislators ended their political careers by angering the Idaho Tea Partiers lobbying for “nullification”?