Op-Ed: Cd'A needs rescuing

Ah, local politics; our shared community's controversies that are an intimate part of our daily routine, deliberated with the warm goodwill expected between neighbors.

Even as politics at the global and national level degenerate into toxic travesties of human interaction, we take pride in how our city and county conducts business. Here in North Idaho, we are civil, tolerant and democratic in the best sense of the word.

That is why so many of our well-heeled neighbors say that decisions about local matters are best determined by non-partisan elections. They say that local issues have nothing to do with ideology, political philosophy or morality; local matters are about making practical choices rooted in common sense.

Nope!

When local issues are determined without reference to broader ideas about the proper role of government, they inevitably devolve into personality contests and displays of status by our local elite.

Coeur d'Alene's recent City Council decision to accept Federal "Rescue" (ARPA) funds is a perfect illustration of why all elections are partisan, whether they are advertised as such or not.

With the laudable exception of Dan Gookin, our City Councilors voted as only those who believe in the saving powers of government could have voted. This reflects a distinct political philosophy.

In the face of overwhelming public opposition to taking Federal money, which always comes with an expansion of Federal intrusion leading to expanded Federal control, our beloved and wise non-partisan elites voted to accept Biden's "rescue."

The council seems to minimize the presence of public opposition to this. They take comfort from the fact that filling a room with passionate, active citizens does not necessarily mean that these speak for our region's majority. Moreover, the passion of involved citizens can be repeatedly mischaracterized as the incivility of an unruly mob. The citizens who tried to tell their elected leaders what they believed to be best policy were certainly put in their place.

We who do not reflexively look to government to make our lives easier must remember this vote. We who believe that government is, at best, a necessary evil should consider joining with the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee in making every election about political philosophy. The alternative is the perpetual marginalization of this region's conservative majority by Progressives-by-any-other-name who are elected under a non-partisan banner.

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In Maine and then Idaho, Ralph K. Ginorio has taught the history of Western Civilization to high school students for nearly a quarter century. He is an “out-of-the-closet” Conservative educator with experience in special education, public schools and charter schools, grades 6-12. He has lived in Coeur d’Alene since 2014. Email: rginorio@cdapress.com