Higher wages, not gun reform

HAYDEN - No, Idaho's Democratic legislators don't plan to help take guns away.

But they are hoping to boost wages, preserve Idaho's personal property tax and pursue a long-term strategy for economic growth.

Those were among the many forecasts at a legislative meet-and-greet on Saturday with Democratic lawmakers, including Sen. Dan Schmidt of Moscow, Rep. Mat Erpelding of Boise, and House Minority Leader John Rusche of Lewiston.

Unfortunately, it's tricky pursuing some of their goals with only 13 Democrats in the House and seven in the Senate, they noted.

"Time was when there were lots of Democratic representatives up here, and farther north, as well," Rusche said to the roughly 30 gathered in the Sun Air Estates meeting room. "There aren't now."

Members of the crowd naturally lobbed out questions about gun regulation.

But not questions heard here lately.

"What are you doing to support President Obama's push for gun control in a state that is rural and cowboy-ish?" asked Hayden Lake resident Peter Optekar, who said a criminal relative of his was arrested and found possessing 30 guns, many AR-15 rifles. "We've got a damn epidemic in this country."

Optekar, who served in the Marine Corps, asked to see support of universal background checks.

Rusche said the Democratic lawmakers can't prevent that most of Idaho's gun-related bills are going to focus on blocking federal regulation.

"I suspect you'll be disappointed with what the Idaho Legislature does," Rusche said.

He and Schmidt pointed out that roughly 90 percent of gun deaths in Idaho are suicides.

"If you were killed by a gun in Idaho, it's seven times more likely you shot yourself than somebody shot you," Schmidt said. "We've got mental health problems, and we've got guns."

Some complained about what other legislators are up to.

Coeur d'Alene resident Ben Theard said he was upset with Sen. John Goedde's recent proposal to require every high school student read "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand.

"It's a waste of taxpayer money," Theard said.

Rusche said he didn't agree with the idea, but lawmakers can propose any legislation they want.

"Should the Legislature be dictating curriculum?" Rusche said, alluding to another bill about teaching cursive. "Next time it might be creationism. The Legislature should not be dictating curriculum."

The legislators touched on the progression of significant bills.

Schmidt, a family physician, said the proposed state health exchange will eventually go to the senate floor, but "there's an arcane legislative dance developing around this, and people can only think so fast."

Schmidt worries how soon the Legislature will tackle issues related to the federal Affordable Care Act, he said. Especially the optional Medicaid expansion.

"We'll see if we get to that," Schmidt said. "January 2014 is when the maximum benefit (under the health reform) starts. If we don't get to it this session, we could be missing out on some stuff."

Erpelding, a small business owner, said he opposes the push to repeal Idaho's personal property tax, which taxes tangible items businesses use to make a profit.

Repealing the tax would mean "we bankrupt very specific parts of the state," Erpelding said.

Some counties and school districts depend on the tax as a revenue source, he said.

"The repeal of the personal property tax would kick out $140 million of Idaho's coffers," he said. "Right now, there's no money to replace that. Not all $140 million."

He supports exempting businesses from the tax if they pay under $100,000 in property taxes, he added.

The legislators want to see higher wages in Idaho, they said.

Schmidt pointed out that Idaho ranks at an abysmal 51st place in the nation for wages.

That's prompting people to leave, Erpelding said.

"Kids who graduate high school and go to college, they can't come back to Idaho," he said. "Families should be able to stay together, and our economy forces people to move away."

Processing more of the produce the state grows could create more manufacturing jobs here, he said. He also lauded another attempt at a state tax on Internet sales.

Above all, Erpelding said he wants to create a legislative strategy committee to craft a long-term economic plan.

Speaking of legislators in the 1990s, Erpelding said, "I bet nobody said, 'I want Idaho to be the lowest in wages in 20 years."