For the week of April 16 - 22, 2003

Legislature is failing

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Remember Idaho’s 57^th Legislature.

In the longest session in the history of the state, it still hasn’t done its budget homework.

After 100 days, it’s in danger of getting a failing grade and becoming a no-show on a court-ordered fix for the state’s crumbling school buildings.

The session is still hostage to the uncompromising wing of the Republican Party that holds that the state should not raise taxes—even though it previously cut taxes—to raise the $160- to $200-million it needs to balance the budget.

The session is bogged down in discourteous contentiousness and refusal to compromise.

The Legislature has refused to consider balancing the budget with an income tax increase or by closing loopholes in state sales taxes.

Instead, lawmakers are bogged down in debates over the virtues of taxing alcohol and tobacco vs. taxing soda pop.

The biggest budgets—public schools, colleges and universities, Health and Welfare, and Department of Corrections—have not yet been considered.

On unsafe public school facilities—the Legislature is in danger of truancy.

Instead of finding the money to fix the state’s crumbling schools as ordered by a district judge, House Majority Leader Lawerence Denney of Midvale would have the state duck the court order with an underhanded political move.

Denney is pushing a bill that would make school districts part of state government, thus removing their ability to sue the state—and ending the lawsuit.

The bill is much too cute—POOF! there goes the lawsuit. It’s devious and destructive. It would have the same effect on Idaho schools as pipe bombs flushed into the plumbing.

The bill would leave parents, who could ill afford it, to sue the state to force it to meet its constitutional obligation to provide a uniform and thorough system of public education.

It would make the portion of Idaho’s Constitution on public education worth less than the paper upon which it is written.

This is the kind of work legislators are doing in a state where polls show that residents value education and are willing to pay for it.

Idaho voters should not forget the "work" of those who are holding the 57^th Legislature hostage. They should not forget their lack of diligence and laggardly ways. They should not forget the damage they have threatened to wreak on the state. They should not forget a majority party leadership that didn’t lead.

Idaho voters should offer up the final failing grade at the polls.

 

The Idaho Mountain Express is distributed free to residents and guests throughout the Sun Valley, Idaho resort area community. Subscribers to the Idaho Mountain Express will read these stories and others in this week's issue.