The most extreme legislator?

With Bill Sali and his pal Gerry Sweet now wreaking havoc on the federal level, it's worth pondering: Who's the biggest threat to truth, justice, and the American way now sitting in the Idaho Legislature?

To me, the likeliest suspect seems to be Steve Thayn of Emmett, representing District 11 in the House. A short item in the Idaho Statesman this morning reports how Thayn proposed a failed bill that would've have mandated that students memorize multiplication tables. Now, don't get me wrong - we need more math education! But check this out: "Thayn, a freshman lawmaker, is a former teacher at Vallivue High School in Caldwell who has suggested reducing school to four hours per day to save money."

Yeah, as a step toward dismantling public schools altogether. Thayn also is a member - perhaps the only member, since his is the only name I see in its materials - of a group called the Committees of Correspondence. Here are a few choice nuggets from its website, Reclaim Idaho:

Public education is "institutionalized child abuse."   

"In the future the grandchildren of the public school students of today, if families still exist, will tell stories about the state sending out yellow buses 5 days per week to collect the children to take them to detention centers for 7 hours every day to indoctrinate them in the state mandated way of thinking. The grandchildren of the future will listen in horror and ask, “Didn’t the parents love their children?” (Link here; I first heard this line of thought on a talk radio show a few years ago, and it literally almost made me puke)

Social Security, welfare payments, and (again) public education are charity, and if they continue, "the populace will become dependent, weak, and immoral leading to America’s eventual decline and fall."
(Link here.)

"We have become state slaves, going to work everyday to pay the tax liability we incurred during the night while we slept. We will know that we have free nation when the government at all levels requires 10% or less of our income. This is our goal. If the state did not traffic in mercy (helping the poor) or in education, the taxes would fall to this level." (link here)

You may remember that Thayn beat moderate Republican Kathy Skippen in the GOP primary last year because Skippen chose not to campaign much because her father was dying. Thayn then had a free pass in the general election since no Democrat ran. Thus, Thayn is the classic stealth candidate who sees an opening, muscles his way in, and yet holds the views of only a tiny sliver of his constituency.

Emmett is a fast-growing community that deserves a real legislator, not a free-market fundamentalist whose views are totally out of step with the reality of 21st century America. Here's hoping that either Kathy Skippen will run again next year, or a moderate Democrat will rise up to send Thayn back to the farm. Meanwhile, we need to keep an eye on him.

Comments

[Julie in Boise]

Another fun fact: Thayn actually DID have an opponent in last November's election. She was Kristen Faith Richardson, the wife of none other than Marvin Richardson, who legally changed his name to Pro-Life and ran for governor last year.

Emmett! Surely you must have some would-be public servants who are somewhere within rowing distance of the mainstream!

Anyway, click my name and scroll to the bottom to read what both Thayn and Mrs Pro Life had to say about the all-important question of who was better: the Beatles or Elvis. Then weep for District 11.

[Tara Rowe]

Julie, I feel the way you do about Thayn and the people of Emmett everytime I am in Cassia County! Really, is Denton Darrington helping anything and Bedke would like to bulldoze public education into the ground.

[Julie in Boise]

Agreed. The only difference is that Gem and north Canyon conties are rapidly becoming bedroom communities for the Boise metro area. The Emmett area is arguably a more dynamic place than Cassia County, where Denton D from Declo is apparently a legislator for life (and Scott Bedke gets more reactionary each year).

Kathy Skippen was a strong legislator who was a very good fit for her district. If she chooses not to run in '08 (I personally hope she does), this ought to be a possible pick-up opportunity for the Dems, as long as we find a viable, quality candidate. I'm just saying that shouldn't be hard to do, given District 11's growth.

Better yet, maybe Skippen will switch parties, taking out Thayn and adding a D seat as a bonus!

[Zach]

thayn is the uncle of a former co-worker of mine (who is a democrat)--he's has been described to me as a psycho john birch republican.

[Jessica]

The only way going to public school is child abuse is if Thayn is your teacher!

[Julie in Boise]

I'd really like to know how (and when) Thayn ended his public school career. Did he resign to make a point (since he'd have been a shameless hypocrite if he continued in the public schools with his views)?

Or was he politely asked to leave?

Inquiring minds want to know.

[IdahoRocks]

Thayn's actions and many of his ideas certainly indicate he's a bit, say, off balance. It is unfortunate, however, that he uses quotes by John Taylor Gatto to support his own idiosyncratic-libertarian-fundamentalist ideology because Gatto is a very well respected teacher, educator, and historian of education who describes and documents the problems of the American educational system in order to point out the kinds of changes that would emphasize the pursuit of knowledge, and not the pursuit of unyielding authority that in turn institutes laws for the memorization of multiplication tables.

[Julie in Boise]

Very good point. Thayn seems to be yet another "conservative" who (like Bill Sali) is dead set against government interference in our lives ... except for when he's for it, a la the multiplication tables mandate.

[Bubblehead]

In the "Links" section of his website you can find "oranization", "phamplets", and "concervative".

[Julie Fanselow]

Bubblehead,

I noticed the abundance of typos, too.

Maybe he was a math teacher. Heh.

[sharon fisher]

It really was a tragedy that Kathy Skippen is not in the Legislature this year. I had the opportunity to watch her work in JFAC, as well as her bipartisan work with Margaret Henbest on the Medicaid reforms, and she worked her butt off. She was talking about running as an independent last year but apparently decided not to.

I too am curious as to how Thayn stopped being a teacher.

[BoiseNick]

"...Drown the baby ,,, drink the bathwater... ". (slightly twisted) quote of Grover Norquist .