DISPUTE: Stick to issues, senator

At first I read the article about Sen. Jorgenson’s complaint with mild amusement, but then with growing irritation. Based on the facts presented in the article, it took me 5 minutes looking at the Idaho Constitution and the relevant Idaho statutes to determine that Steve Vick is eligible to run for the State Senate in District 3. All of the relevant facts are public record and are easily verified by a casual search. One would think that an incumbent Senator would be able read what the constitution and the law actually states before filing a mindless complaint with the Secretary of State’s office.

Senator Jorgenson’s ill-disguised attempt to use his office to intimidate Mr. Vick is a clear example of why this incumbent needs to be removed from office by the voters of District 3. I had a debate coach in college who taught us that if you destroy your opponent’s credibility (whether justified or not), you don’t have to deal with the substance of the debate.  The Senator’s behavior is certainly an effort to destroy credibility in order to avoid a debate on relevant issues.  This is precisely the incumbent behavior of which voters are sick and tired.

The incumbent Senator worries about the potential expense to the Senator’s campaign that could be avoided if Mr. Vick would just resign. Of course, Jorgenson fails to consider the expense to taxpayers that will now be incurred by his political stunt. So let’s get this right, Jorgenson wants to save his PAC supporters’ money by sticking it to the taxpayers. If his expressed concern is real, he could save his PAC money by just resigning, and this would have the added effect of saving taxpayers’ money!

Senator Jorgenson, just resign!

STEVE MASTERSON

Coeur d’Alene