OPINION: Leaders have lost the plot
While America careens toward another endless Middle East war and the cost of living skyrockets, Idaho’s Republican supermajority remains laser-focused on what it believes matters most: making sure everyone uses the “right” bathroom.
I wish that were a joke.
At times it feels like the world is burning around them, but these legislators won’t rest until Medicaid coverage is stripped from the “undeserving” and laws targeting minorities are written into state code.
Sure — your healthcare may disappear. Your groceries cost more every week. Even with local efforts to reduce barriers for first-time homebuyers, housing still feels out of reach. Our nation is marching off to war. But at least our kids never had to see a trans kid on their track team?
Too many of Idaho’s representatives have lost touch with the people they were elected to serve.
If you live in Coeur d’Alene, when was the last time Rep. Elaine Price knocked on your door?
If you live in Shoshone County, when was the last time you saw Sen. Phil Hart?
This disconnect shows up clearly in the legislation that was presented this session.
Representative Price worked to eliminate the Idaho Digital Learning Academy — a lifeline for students who don’t thrive in traditional classrooms, live in rural areas, or face chronic health challenges.
Rep. Jordan Redman again pushed to repeal Medicaid expansion, which provides health coverage for thousands of Idahoans who work hard but still can’t afford insurance on the private market.
House Bill 752 would criminalize “knowingly and willfully” entering a restroom or changing room designated for the opposite sex. If you look too much like a male, but were born female, where should you go? There’s no right answer, and police associations are agreeing that this is unworkable legislation.
House Bill 693 attempted to make it a crime to “conceal, harbor, or shield” an undocumented person. Churches and law-enforcement officials warned the language could expose them to criminal liability for simply providing humanitarian aid. That bill ultimately failed.
Minors were being hung up on when calling 988 in crisis because of flawed legislation; your lawmakers needed to spend time this session fixing that mistake.
And Sen. Hart introduced a bill that would allow local party leaders to remove elected precinct captains if they don’t meet “qualifications” set by the party chair. Those qualifications are not clearly defined, purposely providing a party chair with cover for removing PCs who were elected by the people to represent them.
Step back and look at the pattern.
Do any of these bills help you afford a home? Put gas in your car? Put food on the table? Make it easier to see a doctor when you or your child gets sick?
On a federal level, have any of your elected representatives shown the courage to challenge a war of convenience overseas?
Across Kootenai County, we simply want the chance to live healthy, productive lives rooted in freedom and liberty. We want to serve our neighbors. We want our children to have access to good schools and meaningful opportunities. We believe education is a pathway to a fuller, freer life.
Those are the Idaho values many of us grew up with.
If we want to return to an Idaho guided by those values, it will take new leadership — leaders who understand what people here actually care about and are willing to fight for it.
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Sarah Martin is chairman of the Kootenai County Democrats.