Huckleberries: Do-not-call list popular but has political hangups

Seems one lobbyist with past ties to the Idaho Legislature has more clout than a million Idahoans. How else can you explain the unanimous vote by the House State Affairs Committee in favor of compromising Idaho’s popular do-not-call list?

More than 1 million Idahoans have signed up for the list, which blocks pesky telemarketers. But panel members, like Rep. Vito Barbieri, R-Dalton Gardens, brushed off that wide and deep resentment when lawmaker-turned-lobbyist Jim Clark, of Hayden, came calling last week with a sob story.

The restrictions (sniff!) prevent phone, cable and cellular companies (sniff!) from cold-calling their customers to sell them new products (honk!).

Clark represents Frontier Communications. Said Barbieri, who received a $150 donation from Clark for his 2012 GOPrimary race: “I think, given the inequities here, we should eliminate the restriction for telephone companies.”

Ninety-six percent of voters in a Huckleberries online poll disagree. P’haps Barbieri’s constituents should call him at suppertime to explain to him the error of his ways?

Goedde shrugged

You may know that John Goedde’s bill to require “Atlas Shrugged” to be read in Idaho schools has gone viral.

But did you know that Keith Wagstaff of Yahoo News found two fatal flaws in the legislation – atheism and violent sex. Neither of which, Wagstaff notes, would be a hit with the “God-fearing conservative folk in Coeur d’Alene.”

Author Ayn Rand’s message of self-sufficiency and limited government might be a hit with the tea party. But Rand’s atheism as shown in this “Atlas Shrugged” sound bite wouldn’t be: “Faith is a short-circuit destroying the mind.”

That, writes Wagstaff, “is probably not a motto Goedde’s going to put on his bumper stickers next time he runs for re-election.” Bingo.

Huckleberries

Seems like only yesterday (actually it was summer 2011) when business columnist Nils Rosdahl used this definition of the word “copa” to spotlight Hayden restaurant The Copa, owned by former state Sen. Mike Jorgenson: “full,” such as a plate or a glass or “fulfilled,” such as a life. Now Jorgenson is facing a battery charge for allegedly attacking an employee who complained about a pay cut. Mebbe The Copa hasn’t been full enough? … Speaking of “Atlas Shrugged,” Facebook Friend Sharon Fisher posts: “The ironic part about requiring high school kids to read ‘Atlas Shrugged’ is there’s no better way to turn them off of it” … You might not know that last Tuesday was National Weatherperson Day, but KXLY meteorologist Kris Crocker did. Facebooks Kris: “I’m in bed with the flu! Nuts! I guess I’m going to miss the ticker tape parade, the ceremony at city hall, and all the adoration at work.”

Parting shot

Trustee Brent Regan completed his apology tour at the Coeur d’Alene School Board meeting last week. Briefly, Regan apologized to the board, administrators, teachers, parents and students for his insensitive anti-Obama joke at a legislative forum last month. Reagan said he’d made “a regrettable comment and some people found it offensive, and I’m deeply sorry for that.” The Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations had called upon Regan to apologize. However, the other four trustees ignored a request from the task force to state their positions on the controversy ignited when Regan compared Obama to an assault weapon (“black and scary”). Seems Regan understands the issue better than his fellow trustees now.