GOP: Chaos ends up hurting everyone

In a recent My Turn, Art Macomber argues that Republicans in North Idaho should stop doing the splits. This is one of the few things that Macomber and I will agree upon. Chaos in the Republican Party harms Democrats (like me), too.

Macomber suggests that North Idaho should free itself of federal funding.  This would be a spectacular blunder for Idaho (*), because it presently receives about 70 percent more in federal funding than it pays in federal income tax.  In contrast, Washington state gets 88 cents on the dollar for its federal taxes. Comparing the size of WA’s and ID’s economies, Idaho’s extra federal funding is paid for by those godless commies in Seattle.

In the recent pandemic, Idaho exported many COVID patients to WA because ID was weak on public health measures (e.g. masks, vaccination), and had a shortage of hospital beds.  

Idaho’s harsh anti-abortion laws have quietly filled women’s health clinics in WA and OR. That is also why Idaho is losing its ObGyn docs even as its population is growing. Idaho has no medical school; its doctors are trained in Seattle, at the UW.

Several years ago, the large fires near Priest Lake were controlled by federal funds and fire-fighting resources. Bonner County could not possibly have fought that fire on its own.

Idaho is certainly entitled to have a “conservative” political inclination. However it is completely unreasonable for Idahoans to pine for independence from federal taxes, as Idaho is a huge beneficiary of “small s” socialism.

JOHN D. SAHR

Otis Orchards, Wash.