Letters to the Editor

TRUMP: Words do matter

I agree with Mister Scheets that words certainly do matter. I too saw the speech that you refer to. I believe that the reference you refer to was in the context of what could happen if Iran had a nuclear delivery weapon which could result in both cities, San Diego being in danger. 

FLOYD SHAVER

Post Falls

DALTON: Safe streets 'for all'

While I somewhat sympathize with the Dalton Gardens residents, I have some issues with their constant whining about traffic. At least the speed limit there is 25. I live just below Dalton Gardens on 15th Street where for some unknown reason the speed limit is 35 right by the junior high and my backyard. Cars come flying up 15th before getting to Dalton Ave. As we all know, people treat speed limits as a suggestion and so most of these vehicles (many of which are work vehicles and noisy motorcycles are going faster than the posted speed. Thirty-five is what vehicles are allowed on major streets like Government Way and Northwest Boulevard. 

Perhaps some of the traffic and speeding problems in Dalton Gardens could be alleviated if the speed limit between Shadduck and Dalton Ave is slowed down to 25. Just a thought. I don’t expect anything to change. Maybe Dalton Garden residents can make it a gated community so only residents can drive on their streets.

P. HANNON

Coeur d’Alene

DATA CENTERS: Not on public land

Not only do Sen. Crapo and Risch and Rep. Fulcher refuse to take action against the development of extractive industries on our public lands, now, under Trump’s executive order and against the welfare or approval of the people, instead of passing legislation to curtail the unregulated spread of data centers, they are planning to use OUR public lands to build these data centers on, without consideration for the wishes of the people and without proper studies of the detrimental effects these data centers will have on our environment. Idaho is one of the states whose public lands will be used to build these data centers — without the consent or wishes of the people — unless we the people vote these irresponsible, unresponsive leaders out of office. They no longer represent the people, they represent the wishes of wealthy industries who don’t care about what’s good for us or the environment, they only care about the profits they will make today, and to hell with the future.

GAIL MATTHEWS

Kellogg

LITTLE & RISCH: No friends to public lands

Floods of advertising are upon us with claims from Gov. Little and Sen. Risch that they’ve been “protecting our public lands.” Their records show differently.

Gov. Little accepted Trump’s directive for one-third the nation’s nuclear waste to be stored above the Snake River Aquifer. He’s also supporting a gigantic data center to be built on public lands near Boise. Both projects will need massive amounts of public water.

Sen. Risch voted to give a foreign mining conglomerate access into Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Wilderness to extract toxic sulfide-ore. It’s a dangerous risk to our nation’s most visited public lands for canoeing, fishing, camping. His “national security” excuse falls-apart because all the ore will be processed in Chile.

Don’t be fooled by their videos strolling across wide-open vistas. Please vote for Terri Pickens for Governor and Todd Achilles for Senate.

Additionally, I wish to endorse Lori Hickman for Attorney General, Becky Sundin Mitchell for Superintendent of Education, Kaylee Peterson for U.S. Congress to care of our environment and its future for our children and grandchildren.

REBECCA McGEE HOLLAND

Sandpoint

LEVY: Northern Lakes Fire Protection is necessary

When I first moved to Kootenai County back in the 1970s, Hayden was a tiny little town with a couple of restaurants, a night club, a bar, and it must have had a gas station, I don’t remember. I do remember the grocery store. North of the fairgrounds, there wasn’t much. Driving to Hayden, you passed a horse ranch just south of town.

Now Hayden has grown to a city. The prairie is being covered with subdivisions, and more subdivisions have been approved. Northern Lakes Fire Protection now has a huge area to cover.

Northern Lakes Fire Protection has a levy on the November ballot. This is badly needed. I live in the county and there was a serious accident out here. The very first responder was Northern Lakes. Quite a lot of time passed before the other agencies appeared on the scene.

People work hard to pay for their homes. We need the protection of Northern Lakes Fire Protection to keep those homes. We also need Northern Lakes to provide EMT services when needed. We have had two dry years. Fire protection is more important than ever. I would hope that the voters can see how important a yes vote is on this levy. 

H. HARVEY

Hayden

LEVY: Vote yes for CDA schools.

As a kid in Coeur d’Alene, I graduated from Lake City High School before attending college and law school. My wife, Jamie, is also a Coeur d’Alene public schools graduate. Our children have attended Bryan Elementary, Canfield, and CHS. Jamie and I now own Kootenai Law Group in Coeur d’Alene, and we’ve seen what our schools give this community. That’s why I’m asking my neighbors to vote yes on the replacement school levy on November 3.

This isn’t a new tax. It replaces the levy voters approved in 2024, which expires next June, and Coeur d’Alene has relied on voter-approved levies since 1986. State funding doesn’t cover the full cost of our schools. The levy funds about a quarter of the district’s operating budget, including teachers, support staff, nurses, safety officers, AP classes, electives, athletics, and music. It’s also crucial to keeping K-Tech open.

As a business owner, I know strong schools produce the skilled, dependable workers every local business needs. They’re also why families move here and stay, and those families shop, dine, and build their lives in our town.

The cost is real. The new rate is estimated at $110 per $100,000 of taxable value per year, about $19 more per $100,000 than today. For a typical home with the homeowner’s exemption, that’s roughly $80 more per year. Budgets are tight, and I understand that. But this is a sound investment in our future employees, health care workers, entrepreneurs, and neighbors.

Jamie, our children, and I got a great start in these schools. Today’s students deserve the same. Please vote YES on November 3.

Robert J. Green

Coeur d'Alene

HJR 4: Just the facts, please

On Nov. 3, one of the items you will be voting on is House Joint Resolution 4 (HJR 4). On the ballot it reads: “This proposed constitutional amendment would give the Legislature exclusive authority to legalize marijuana, narcotics, or other psychoactive substances in the State of Idaho.”

This wording is confusing because it sounds like voters would be giving the Legislature new power. The Legislature already has the authority to legalize marijuana, narcotics, or other psychoactive substances. Idaho voters currently also have this power through the initiative process, in which citizens can enact laws by majority vote.

If HJR 4 passes, the initiative process could no longer be used to legalize marijuana, narcotics, or other psychoactive substances. This would leave the Legislature with exclusive power on those subjects.

Laws passed by initiative can be amended or repealed by the Legislature. In 1994, an initiative established term limits. That law was repealed by the Legislature in 2002, and the Idaho Supreme Court unanimously upheld the repeal, holding that an initiative, once enacted, stands on equal footing with ordinary statutes and can be repealed by the Legislature.

Idaho has had 31 citizen-initiated state statutes, with 15 of those passing. Lately the initiative process has become a vehicle for out-of-state interests to change Idaho laws.

Voting Yes on HJR 4 would block the initiative process from being used to legalize marijuana, narcotics, or other psychoactive substances, while the Legislature would retain that ability if needed.

Brent Regan

Coeur d'Alene