Dig a deep hole for Prop 2 lawsuit

Idahoans seemed both savvy and mature when faced with important initiatives.

At least it felt that way.

There were serious pro and con arguments, advertisements and discussions over the two propositions on last month’s ballot.

We took it all in and became, I thought, very adult about the various claims and rebuttals.

I’m skeptical of voters at times, but really …

This time around, we were doggone invested and it showed — with a huge mid-term turnout, as well.

Not sure what that said about the Legislature, exactly, but direct citizen government looked fine by me.

Whichever way those proposition votes went, the public had plenty of information on their actual meaning, and the potential results of “aye” and “nay.”

And then, as pointed out already, we went to the polls in big, big numbers.

When the smoke finally had cleared, we knew — without any doubt — what the people wanted.

Again, fine by me.

And by the governor-elect, in fact.

BUT THE will of the electorate was not, apparently, fine by the Idaho Freedom Foundation.

The uber-conservative group which conducts oversight from a partisan perspective and “grades” the state’s elected officials according to its own views has decided to take the matter of Medicaid expansion (approved by roughly 60 percent of voters) directly to the Idaho Supreme Court.

I have no beef with a partisan organization of any kind, as long as it doesn’t advocate overthrowing the government or violating the Constitution in some other manner.

Fair enough.

But now we’re in different territory.

No matter what your view happened to be on Prop 2, the idea of governance is that the people can have their say, when it’s done legally and by appropriate means.

And the people’s decision must stand.

Maybe some of the tiny wording in the Medicaid initiative needs to be changed to proper legalese, with a phrase here or a comma there.

Of course it might.

We’re talking about putting something into law.

But the overall decision of expanding Medicaid in this state must stand, and I certainly hope that the Idaho Supreme Court will agree.

A FIGURE like 60 percent in favor of Medicaid expansion is an eye-opener, especially in a state where the party registration would seem to be ideologically opposed.

So the result must be called a nonpartisan landslide.

Red states across the country are now accepting Medicaid expansion — mostly because, like Idaho, they can’t think of any other way to help those working citizens, folks in the so-called “Medicaid gap,” find appropriate health care.

The expansion initiative made sense, if only because all other legislative options apparently haven’t been made workable.

Or affordable.

Even now, Idaho lawmakers — plenty of them, in fact — admit that nothing has been done for the working poor, and they’re not even close to solving the puzzle.

Proposition 2 was on the ballot because people tired of waiting for their elected representatives to find an answer.

SO WHY should an organization like the Freedom Foundation step up, throw a wrench into the workings of government, and basically insult the public by claiming they’re wrong?

That’s the opposite of democracy, among other things.

Freedom Foundation boss Wayne Hoffman and his backer, Brent Regan, presumably have filed this lawsuit that would toss out the result of the Medicaid expansion initiative for one of only two reasons …

First option: They have an answer on how to provide these many thousands of working Idahoans with health insurance — in which case they should have guided legislators (the ones they “grade”) to the correct answer years ago.

Second option: They don’t give a damn whether people have access to health care.

I want to give Hoffman, who has seemed a reasonable and studious observer of state government, the benefit of the doubt on item No. 2.

So, Wayne …

If you DO have an answer to this seemingly intractable issue, let the lawmakers know.

And most important, dump this insulting lawsuit that defies the very foundation of citizen government.

This isn’t about Republicans or Democrats.

It’s about a whopping 60 percent of Idaho voters, people of various political stripes and colors.

Get the hint.

Please.

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Steve Cameron is a columnist for The Press.

A Brand New Day appears from Wednesday through Saturday each week.

Steve’s column on Gonzaga basketball runs on Tuesday.

Email: scameron@cdapress.com

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