Letters for July 17, 2023

Anti-library legislation unconstitutional

“Think of the children!” Since an anti-library bill (HB 314) failed, people across the state are attempting to control not only public libraries but the Idaho people as well. While ranting about safety, they ignore the unlimited benefits of public libraries that cannot be replaced. Nowhere else can you go to borrow any book ever published, completely free, through interlibrary loan. Nowhere else can you borrow a computer if yours can’t do the job. Nowhere else can you have such endless information in one building.

While a minority of Idahoans attack libraries, the majority of our legislators do. HB 314 passed both chambers of the Idaho Congress and barely withstood a veto from Gov. Brad Little. Without the actions of our level-headed governor, the ability to sue for $2,500 guaranteed by this law could have destroyed any library. When the bill arises again, it will pass, causing libraries to crumble in its wake.

It is important to be aware of your elected officials and what they are really doing for you. Are they silencing your voice by disguising undemocratic laws as “protection”? The Constitution states that “no state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges and immunities of citizens …” Your knowledge as a voter decides whether the Idaho people maintain their constitutional rights or lose them.

Local legislators that voted to take away your rights: Hart, Scott, Hawkins, Okuniewicz, Barbieri, Redman, Toews, Alfieri, Price, Bjerke, Mendive, and Wisniewski.

Mason Dubois

Coeur d’Alene