Sitting Mossbacks Gather No Progress

Republican lawmakers in the do-nothing 1999 Idaho Legislature are more concerned about their political careers and potatoes than crumbling school buildings.

So far this session, they’ve schemed to overthrow voter-supported term limits, to extend their terms from two to four years and to hamstring campaign finance reform. And when the Idaho Potato Commission’s control of the trademark “Idaho” potatoes was challenged? The Idaho House reacted at warp speed Monday to protect the Potato Commission.

Meanwhile, the overwhelmingly GOP Legislature won’t even consider Gov. Dirk Kempthorne’s request to reduce the two-thirds supermajority requirement to pass school bonds.

Generation of the Child, indeed.

Politicians who refuse to provide school districts with basic tools to ensure the safety of school children are beneath contempt. Of course, their inaction on a variety of fronts involving children has made Idaho a laughingstock around this country. The Idaho Republican Party should be ashamed of itself - and its self-serving legislators.

Do you think we’re overreacting? Consider: Idaho is the only state that provides no matching money for school construction and requires a Draconian two-thirds vote to pass school bonds. Either Idaho’s Republican politicians know something the rest of the country doesn’t or they’re horribly out of step. You be the judge.

The farmer-legislators from southern Idaho who’ve blocked efforts to address the huge backlog in school construction needs aren’t the only ones to blame here. Kempthorne is, too. For all the high-minded ideas he proposed to help Idaho’s children in his State of the State and budget speeches last month, Kempthorne has been missing in action on the supermajority issue. After asking for unanimous approval of a 60 percent supermajority requirement, Kempthorne hasn’t lobbied for it. Nor has he taken the issue to the public, as he promised to do.

Fortunately, school districts in Kootenai County have been able to meet the tough supermajority demands to address school building needs. In Post Falls last spring, a bond for a new high school passed on a fourth try - by one vote. However, other districts, such as those in Bonner and Boundary counties, have such small tax bases that it’s hard to overcome the formidable supermajority obstacle. The superintendent of the Whitepine School District, which has been unable to replace its aged Troy High School, recently resigned, saying he couldn’t be part of sending children to that school any longer.

A courageous gesture like that probably is lost on arrogant Republican legislators.