Take road less traveled

Gov. Butch Otter’s state of the state address offers to grow government with an attempt to wrap it in a conservative blanket that does not go far enough left for the Democrats, and leads the Republican Party away from our roots of less government and more self-reliance.

It is time our elected officials offered an alternative to the road we have taken, a road less traveled: one of less government and more opportunity for our fellow Idahoans. A road that puts our values of rugged individualism first. A road that relies on personal sacrifice and allows us to reap the rewards of our individual efforts. A road that recognizes we each have unique gifts to offer to our fellow citizens. A road that challenges us to provide for ourselves. A road that allows us to be rewarded for our hard work and allows us to redistribute our wealth as we see fit, not some government bureaucracy that redefines this as compassion and justice.

There is no fairness in taking the governor’s road. If we want real change, let us take the road less traveled, a road mapped out in our Declaration of Independence and protected within our Constitution.

Jim Chmelik

Idaho County commissioner

Cottonwood, Idaho