OPINION: You deserve better

With Primary Election results in the rearview mirror, we’ve now seen what a Republican-only race looks like. While they pull the knives out of each other’s backs and work through division, Democrats are united and ready to lead the way toward November. 

Starting today, you get to see for the first time in over three decades what a Democrat vs. Republican race looks like in every legislative district in Idaho. Statewide, every race for the Idaho Legislature has a knowledgeable, talented public servant running as a Democrat. 

It’s time to give voters a real choice for the future of good government. 

Why vote for a Democrat to represent you in Boise? The answer boils down to what really matters to your day-to-day life. 

What is a higher priority: providing nationally competitive educations for your kids, or criminalizing what teachers can or can’t say in the classroom; prompt access to America’s best doctors, or harsher criminal penalties for OB/GYNs; preserving exceptional library programming, or legislating unfunded mandates that close rural libraries; discussing cost of living, or talking about cannibalism?

Each of these are real choices that Idahoans face for their future. Each choice was one that your Republican North Idaho legislators made on your behalf in recent legislation. 

As Democrats, we know that good government protects a great quality of life. And that great quality of life deserves to be central to our representatives' work on our behalf. It’s time to stop being distracted by culture war leadership and refocus on the things that impact our daily quality of life. 

Many things throughout Kootenai County offer us all a great quality of life: breathtaking outdoor recreation, community events, library programs, higher education and job training, kind neighbors, and the list goes on. 

What happens to these things we love when good government is replaced by culture war crusaders? We are seeing the ugly answer to that question play out right now. 

We see community members fight for the title of “Republican Enough.” While people fight over party purity, our schools crumble and our cost of living skyrockets. 

Our library programs grind to a standstill while librarians suffer paralysis by analysis. Every book and program, no matter how seemingly benign, has to be considered as potential fuel for a catastrophic lawsuit. A new law going into effect this summer requires libraries to have a physical barrier between adult books and childrens books. The 1,024-square-foot library in Donnelly, Idaho, can’t physically comply without costly renovation and expansion. As of July 1, children are not allowed in that library anymore. 

Meanwhile, our higher education and job training programs hemorrhage talented teachers amid uncertainty about long-term accreditation. North Idaho College trustees are consumed more by lawsuits and retribution than educational excellence. 

Teachers tiptoe around what pronouns they legally can and can’t use, after House Bill 538 changed the rules. They walk on eggshells when race comes up as a topic, knowing that vague legislation prohibits making any student “feel” a certain way about racial history. 

And what happens to the kindness in our communities when politics takes priority over people? Neighbors stop talking, or avoid each other altogether, if they are in different political camps. The things that divide us become the centerpiece of our lives, and if other people don’t agree with us then they can “just get out of Idaho.”

Does that sound like kindness in our communities?

When the culture war becomes more important than the things we love, the things we love slowly die. 

This is why Democrats are running such a determined race for the Idaho Statehouse. Together, we can fix the root problems that threaten the things we love. 

Paula Marano, a retired teacher and respected leader in community collaboration, would protect our education funding and be a balanced voice for parents, teachers and children.

Loree Peery, a sixth-generation North Idahoan and longtime nurse, would bring practical, real-world understanding to health care policy.  

Tom Hearn has a lifetime of experience helping Idaho’s most vulnerable youth as a counselor, and his vast professional experience led to appointments on several state-appointed task forces. 

All of these people, and more, are ready to refocus Idaho leadership on preserving a great quality of life. 

Idaho deserves better than Republican culture war crusades. We all deserve a government that protects our quality of life, prioritizes people over politics, and considers the president of the United States as a public servant — not a deity that is above the law.  

Together we can achieve a More Perfect Union where our government's highest priority is your quality of life — not the culture war.

• • •

Evan Koch is chairman of Kootenai County Democrats.