Red State Rebels

Trauner bucks blind party allegiance

Of all the Democratic near-misses in the 2006 midterm elections, Gary Trauner's was among the most heartbreaking. Trauner was one of the season's hardest-working candidates, knocking on nearly 20,000 doors across vast Wyoming. He lost his bid for the state's lone congressional seat by a mere 1,012 votes out of nearly 200,000 cast, statistically tying incumbent Barbara Cubin with 48% each. (A Libertarian candidate netted 4% of the vote.) Yet instead of being bitter over his razor-thin defeat, Trauner is calling for increased bipartisanship:

Personal attacks and blind party allegiance are poisoning our discourse and closing the door on real solutions to difficult issues. This has real consequences for those of us in the West who are looking to government to act as a true partner in dealing with difficult, emotional and seemingly intractable issues: health care, energy development, or balancing growth with our natural wonders. Regionally, we are moving to pragmatic leaders who value substance over slogan, people over party.  Leaders like Dave Freudenthal in Wyoming, Brian Schweitzer in Montana and, yes, even Arnold Schwarzenegger in California (okay, at least in his second term). These leaders are not about personal attacks or cheap slogans like “Cut and run,” “stay the course,” or “socialized medicine.” They are more interested in looking for serious solutions to complex issues.

Read more here. 

Transit funding takes baby step

Well, it just became ever-so-slightly more likely that the Treasure Valley may someday have a decent public transit system. The tax-averse House Revenue & Taxation Committee approved the printing of a bill that would allow Ada and Canyon counties to seek a small sales tax increase to fund a much-expanded bus system and rail corridor preservation.

Interestingly, three GOP legislators from the Treasure Valley joined the panel's five Democrats in agreeing to print the bill. Robert Schaefer, Gary Collins, and Mike Moyle all voted to print (though Moyle also voted earlier for a failed motion to return the proposed bill to its sponsor). The bill still faces a full hearing and vote from the committee, probably next week. And even if it gets the legislature's OK, any local option tax for transit would face the daunting two-thirds supermajority threshold.

I'll be following the legislation's progress at the Boise Bus Blog, where you can read a longer account of today's hearing.

Update: The bill will be heard at 9 a.m. Tuesday, March 6, in the Gold Room.

'Those men live in a time warp ...'

Indeed. Betsy Russell reports at Eye on Boise:

Saying mothers should stay home with their children, members of a House committee have killed legislation to require minimum safety standards and criminal history checks for Idaho day-cares.
... A stunned Cathy Kowalski, a Coeur d’Alene early childhood consultant who has worked on the bill for three years, said, “I think it is a committee whose members are definitely out of touch with the needs of their constituents, and I think the working families in their districts need to let them know.” Sylvia Chariton, who testified in favor of the bill on behalf of the American Association of University Women of Idaho, said, “It’s ridiculous – those men live in a time warp, when 60 percent of all mothers of children under 6 years of age take them someplace to be cared for.”

The  bill, sponsored by Rep. George Sayler (D-Coeur d'Alene), failed on a 6-5 vote in which two Republicans (Sharon Block of Twin Falls and Lynn Luker of Boise) aligned with the committee's three Democrats.

One of the men voting in the majority is none other than Rep. Steve Thayn (R-Emmett), whose name will not be new to RSR readers. Thayn's reign of pain on mainstream Idaho families continues today, as he pushes a resolution that "emphasizes that early childhood education can be, and should be,
delivered by parents in a home environment," or in other words, no pre-Kindergarten or Head Start for you, Idaho kiddies. Contrast that with the early childhood learning standards legislation proposed by Democrats Donna Pence and Branden Durst, which would help parents find the best-quality day care for their children.

Parental choice means making the best decisions for your family. For most families today, both partners work both for financial reasons and because they have skills the community needs. Thayn and the five other Republicans who killed Sayler's bill are denying reality and denying the fact that women play an essential role in the economy. They also fail to recognize that excellent child care providers and preschool opportunities are meant to supplement, not replace, parents' attention. But what do we expect from the likes of someone who calls public education "institutionalized child abuse"?

Janet Miller: a class act

A page 1 story in today's Idaho Statesman tells about former state Rep. Janet Miller, who is now terminally ill with cancer. Shawna Gamache wrote:

Miller worked tirelessly for the Republican Party, but friends and colleagues say she was independent and unafraid of taking an unpopular stand. Miller said her philosophy is to align yourself with the party that fits you closest and work hard, but fight for what you believe in.

"I think she was very meticulous about serving her constituents and she didn't always vote with the right wing of her party because she was representing her district," said former Speaker of the House Bruce Newcomb, R-Burley. "She is an extremely nice person.  A real lady."

Miller is pro-choice, unlike many Idaho Republicans. And last year, she was one of a handful of Republicans to vote against the constitutional amendment banning gay marriages and civil unions.

"I miss her willingness to say, ‘They're not going to like that, but this is how I'm going to vote,'" said Boise Rep. Nicole LeFavour, a Democrat and the only openly gay member of the Legislature. "She was just a very clear, quiet force."

Read more here. Being relatively new to Boise, I didn't know Janet well. But the statement about her representing her district is very true. As a District 17 resident since 2004, I emailed her regarding many issues during her final term in office, and she always replied. I appreciated her moderate politics, and I am glad to see her decades of civic and political work recognized while she's still with us.

Monday morning water cooler 2.26.07

How did you enjoy the Oscars? It was great to see Marty Scorsese finally get his Oscar. The Departed was the only one of the five Best Pic nominees I'd avoided seeing, due to the heavy violence quotient.  (I skipped Braveheart for the same reason.) But having seen Pan's Labyrinth, The Last King of Scotland, and Clint Eastwood's Flags-Iwo Jima duo (albeit with my eyes closed for several stretches in each), I suppose I could sit through Marty's latest, too.

Here are some events on tap this week, including a few repeats from last week:

Monday, February 26 - The District 14 Democrats will meet at 5:30 p.m. at Rembrandt's in Eagle.

Monday, February 26 - The District 19 legislators (Sen. Mike Burkett and Reps. Nicole LeFavour and Anne Pasley-Stuart) will hold a public forum starting at 6:40 p.m. at the Hyde Park Mennonite Fellowship, 12th and Sherman in Boise's North End.

Tuesday, February 27 - Speak out against the genocide in Darfur and Idaho's continued investments in the Sudan. A protest is set for 7:30 a.m. at the headquarters of PERSI (Public Employee Retirement System of Idaho), 607 N. 8th St., downtown Boise. Call PERSI at (208) 287-9237 and your state legislators at (208) 332-1000 on Monday and demand that PERSI divest from foreign corporations funding the genocide. For more info on how you can help, contact Idaho coordinator for divestment John Sullivan.

Tuesday, February 27 - The Ada County Democrats will hold a legislative luncheon focused on health and welfare issues at 11:45 a.m. at the Owyhee Plaza Hotel in Boise. Call 331-2128 to reserve your seat.

Tuesday, February 27 - Help plan the April 14 "Step it Up" day of action for climate change at a meeting set for 7 p.m. at Boise Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 6200 N. Garrett St., Garden City.

Thursday, March 1 - District 16 legislators will hold a forum at 7 p.m. at Koelsch Elementary School, 2015 N. Curtis Road., Boise.

Friday-Sunday, March 2-4 - The Idaho Democrats celebrate Frank Church Weekend with a Friday night party in Nampa; workshops and the Frank Church Banquet with Rep. Jay Inslee on Saturday; and the Idaho Democratic Women's Caucus breakfast on Sunday.

Did I miss anything? Please post it in the comments.This is your weekly open thread.

Pizza & Politics this weekend

Idaho Democrats plan several midwinter Pizza & Politics events in North and North Central Idaho this weekend (Feb. 23-25). This is your opportunity to hear our intrepid Democratic state legislators review what's been happening in the Statehouse. Here are the times and locations:

Friday, 7 p.m. - Slate's Restaurant, Ponderay
Saturday, 9 a.m. - Iron Horse Restaurant, Coeur d'Alene
Saturday, noon - Pizza Factory, Wallace
Saturday, 3 p.m. - Grub Box, St. Maries
Saturday, 7 p.m. - American Legion Hall, Moscow
Sunday, noon - Antonio's, Lewiston

I'm guessing they'll have pancakes and politics at the CdA event! For more information and directions to each location, click here.

Also, closer to home, I just got word that the District 19 legislators (Sen. Mike Burkett and Reps. Nicole LeFavour and Anne Pasley-Stuart) will hold a forum Monday night, Feb. 26, at the Hyde Park Mennonite Fellowship, 12th and Sherman in Boise's North End. It starts at 6:40 p.m.

Beware the Frankentrucks

Gov. Butch Otter signed a bill this week allowing tractor-trailer combos of up to 97 feet in length to travel Idaho roads in the National Highway System. The bill drew almost no opposition from anyone in the Idaho Legislature. Interestingly, it passed the Senate just a day after state Sen. Tim Corder (R-Mountain Home)  - owner of a trucking company - showcased some big rigs in front of the Statehouse.

Now read this story from TomPaine.com:

The motive of the trucking companies is clear enough: Longer truck combinations mean fewer trips and fewer drivers, which cuts their costs and allows them to add to their profits. For this reason, the National Automobile Dealers Association, the American Trucking Association and other industry trade associations and their members have all pushed hard to have this new regulation passed while no one was paying attention.

But opposition has emerged. Truckers like J.J. Bishop, a longtime Teamster driver based in Auburn, WA, testified about seeing a horrible accident caused by one of these saddlemounts, saying: "The general public doesn't realize what a risk these trucks are. These combinations have a tendency to sway, making them extremely hard to control and extremely dangerous."

Besides the first-hand observations of the people who ought to know best—the drivers—the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials has said in its comments to the FHA that the new size limitation "has raised serious concerns among some state enforcement officials concerning possible safety and infrastructure issues."

Most Idaho legislators (Rs and Ds alike) had absolutely no problem with the idea of 97-foot-trucks lumbering down our highways, but apparently, this is not yet a done deal on the federal level. If you think these behemoths are a bad idea, email Richard Capka, head of the Federal Highway Administration. Then watch out, since it's unlikely this Bush admin appointee is going to give a hoot what we say. At least the Frankentrucks won't be allowed to go 70 mph.

Hat tip to Colorado's Bright and Shiny Neon Blog.

Divine Strake bites the dust

Awesome news, from the Salt Lake Tribune:

    Breaking under a flood of public opposition to Divine Strake, the Pentagon announced Thursday that it would scrap plans to conduct the massive blast at the Nevada Test Site.
    Some 10,000 Utahns and Nevadans expressed fears that the detonation of 700 tons of explosives could spew debris into the air, carrying radiation left over from Cold War nuclear weapons tests at the test site.
    "I have become convinced that it's time to look at alternative methods that obviate the need for this type of large-scale test," Defense Threat Reduction Agency Director Dr. James A. Tegnelia said in a statement announcing the cancellation of the test.
    The agency said the decision was not a result of any information that indicated the test might harm workers or the public.

Read more here. The DTRA news release is here.

Idaho's shame

Boise Weekly writer Nathaniel Hoffman has a good piece this week on how Idaho state government chose not to do its part to stop the genocide in Darfur. A snip:

Imagine you are the governor of a state, elected by the people, or a legislator elected by some of those people, and you get the same information: Idaho has at least $41.4 million invested in a genocidal regime.

What do you do with that information?

If you are New Jersey, you drop $2.16 billion in such investments. Five other states have agreed to approach the offending companies with threats of divestment, and more than 20 state legislatures are considering action right now. Venture capitalists in the Sudan now face a sea of bad PR, downward market trends and actual economic pressure.

But in Idaho, the answer is less dramatic.

You pass the buck. To the fund administrator. To the investment technician with the weight of the world on her shoulders.

Read it all here. And kudos to Sens. Diane Bilyeu, Mike Burkett, Joe Stegner, and Elliot Werk, who at least tried to introduce Idaho to the concept of socially responsible investing.

UPDATE February 23: An action is set for 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 27, at the PERSI building, 8th and Washington streets in Boise, to protest Idaho's continued investments in Darfur. The PERSI (Public Employee Retirement System of Idaho) board meets at 8 a.m. that day. Protest organizers will hold a press conference later in the day.

Say no to war with Iran

The United States now has two aircraft carrier battle groups stationed in the Persian Gulf. Plans are in place to take military action against Iran. Is there any way to stop a widening of war in the Middle East?

Wes Clark and the VoteVets organization say diplomatic, economic, and political pressures are the way to deal with Iran. "All Americans want to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons and interfering on the ground inside Iraq," Clark writes. "Yet President Bush’s saber rattling gives the U.S. little additional leverage to engage and dissuade Iran, and, more than likely, simply accelerates a dangerous slide into war. The United States can do better than this."

Meanwhile, Sen. Hillary Clinton had this to say in a floor speech last week: "It would be a mistake of historical proportion if the Administration thought that the 2002 resolution authorizing force against Iraq was a blank check for the use of force against Iran without further Congressional authorization. Nor should the President think that the 2001 resolution authorizing force after the terrorist attacks of 9/11, in any way, authorizes force against Iran."

Click here to sign the StopIranWar.com petition, and here to sign a MoveOn.org petition requiring Bush to get authorization from Congress before making war on Iran.