STRANSKY: The far better choice

It is election time in Idaho. In November, we go to the polls to determine which candidates best exemplify our world view. Unfortunately, that “view” has been getting consistently smaller, and in some instances, downright bizarre.

For example, Vito Barbieri is ostensibly “my” representative in Boise. He is against raising the minimum wage for workers who struggle on a daily basis to make a living. He is against the building of a Veteran’s Home in North Idaho, a project that would bring honor and revenue to our community. He voted against building a mental institution in Coeur d’Alene — a project that will be built in southern Idaho and represents another loss of revenue coupled with a failure to meet the screaming need for such services here.

Mr. Barbieri did vote for the “guns on campus” legislation, opposed by law enforcement and local colleges. He also wants to repeal the 17th Amendment, eliminating the right for Idahoans to vote for their U.S. senators. More incredibly, Barbieri has touted paying for our Idaho state taxes in “silver medallions” — REALLY? Nothing better to do in Boise?

We in Idaho District 2A have a really good election choice in Cheryl Stransky. I really don’t care if she is (dare I say it?) a Democrat. She is smart, sensible, balanced and conscientious. She supports fair play, fair wages, economic growth and education. She realizes that good jobs follow good education, and that public schools are not “godless” institutions as expressed by Barbieri, but ladders upward for every citizen — indeed the foundation of the middle class.

Please vote for Cheryl Stransky — not because she is an “R” or a “D,” but because Cheryl Stransky is a vastly better choice than Vito Barbieri.

KATHY KOLTS

Hayden