Column: Public policies out of whack with reality

By WAYNE HOFFMAN

Special to The Press

 The pundits and punditry these days are focused obsessively on the country's so-called "anti-incumbent mood." That's a misdiagnosis of the aliment, however. In truth, "anti-incumbent" attitude is the symptom of the disease. The disease doesn't require a microscope or special medical imagery to see. It is all around us: Bad, and in some cases, purely absurd, thoughtless or nonsensical public policies. And it's not just Congress to blame. Congress is just an obvious and obscenely big target. Local governments abound with ridiculous recent and horrible decisions and thought processes. Good examples follow:

Last week, according to the Twin Falls Times-News newspaper, the Heyburn City Council approved a budget that includes a minimum of a 3-percent pay increase for all city employees. Some lower-paid employees will get an even higher pay increase, said the newspaper.

In Rathdrum, the city council voted last month to give its employees 2 percent pay raises, according to the Coeur d'Alene Press. Of course, the city had to raise taxes to accomplish this, but, said city officials, they managed to avoid raising taxes by as much as they were legally allowed to do so.

All of this is taking place in an economic environment in which the official unemployment count is about 10 percent and most people in the private sector can't remember their last raises.

In Nampa, city officials voted last month to pass a property tax increase of 5 percent. The claims that the city did all it could to cut spending ring hollow when a taxpayer asks what percentage of city employees' insurance premiums are the responsibility of the employee and what percentage is the responsibility of the taxpayer. The answer: City employees pay 5 percent of their insurance premium. Taxpayers pick up the tab for the rest. For a family, the employee will pay about $70, while taxpayers get to pay the remaining $1,330 to provide insurance to the city employee.

In Boise, the school district is moving ahead with an election to be held Tuesday, the day after Labor Day when turnout is likely to be abysmal. Why? Because the school district predates the state constitution, and the charter says when school elections are to be held, in this case, right after a three-day weekend. Rather than promote the idea that the Legislature should amend the charter so that people more likely to vote in the election, board veteran Rory Jones told the Idaho Statesman he's comfortable taking the perennial criticism from the media regarding the ill-advised election.

It's no wonder people are fed up. Anti-incumbent? Not necessarily. Upset that incumbents have pushed taxpayers to the bottom of the list in consideration of public policies, most definitely. If incumbents want to get back on the good side of the people paying the bills, perhaps they should consider policies that result in lower taxes, reflect the economic realities being experienced by the private sector and give voters the optimal chance to express their opinions at the ballot box.  As long as public policies continue to be out of whack with reality, voters will have every right to be angry.

 Wayne Hoffman is Executive Director of the Idaho Freedom Foundation.