Guest Op-Eds
From time to time the Coeur d'Alene Press publishes guest opinions as op-eds (opposite the editorial page) in the print edition. These guest op-eds are accepted for consideration from business, government or community organization leaders, current or former elected officials, and Idaho syndicated and Kootenai County local opinion writers we have agreements with. For consideration, submit to mdolan@cdapress.com.
OPINION: KCRCC’s 'vetting' scam
Yes, I’m back at it after a wonderful summer of family celebrations and travel. It has been great to ignore the ...
OPINION: Be wary of confrontational politics
Discussing politics with friends often elicits a common refrain: "It's so ugly! I hate politics! It doesn't even matter if I vote. Yuck." Unfortunately, ...
OPINION: Welcome, but don't try to change us
This is an open letter to those of you who have arrived in Idaho since 2019. Welcome. You have arrived in a sanctuary state, not like the sanctuary cities from which you escaped that were sanctuaries for illegal ...
OPINION: Leave no voter behind
According to the VA, there are nearly 128,000 military veterans in Idaho. We represent 9% of Idaho’s adult population, which is one of the highest rates in the US. Some Idaho vets come from families that have bee...
OPINION: Navigating Idaho Medicaid
Most Republican lawmakers in the Idaho Legislature are concerned and frustrated that Medicaid costs will only continue to escalate and are unsustainable. Thi...
OPINION: KCRCC has white nationalist ties
The Kootenai County Republican Central Committee, led by Brent Regan, surrounds itself with white nationalist America First movement followers. This radical ...
OPINION: 'A republic, madam …'
On the last day of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, Benjamin Franklin was asked whether the government being proposed for the new nation was to...
OPINION: Legislature atmosphere
In the 1980s, I had the honor of serving as an Idaho State Representative. It was truly an honor. I gained some lifelong friends and learned much about our diverse state and issues most important to its regions. ...
OPINION: Students call for attention to environmental issues
Since 1881, the Coeur d’Alene Public School District has been providing high quality education to members of the larger Kootenai County area. The district ha...
OPINION: Mission field politics
A few years ago, I did an experiment. I had 10 people review different policies about key issues facing our state. There was one condition — they couldn’t se...
OPINION: Be smart, like a chimpanzee
A study involving language trained chimpanzees conducted by Michael Beran, David Smith and Bonnie Perdue, titled: "Language-Trained Chimpanzees Name What The...
OPINION: Main Street Idaho, a breath of fresh air
Last night I sat down to dinner with state Sen. Treg Bernt from District 21. Treg is a fourth-generation Idahoan and a graduate of Idaho State University. He is a lifelong Republican and a small business owner. Y...
OPINION: Pride wrap-up: Gratitude, growth and anticipation
As Pride season draws to a close, we, at the North Idaho Pride Alliance take a moment to reflect on what the last year has meant for us. Established in 2016,...
OPINION: Prescribed burns on federal lands would mitigate extreme fire seasons
As a former wildland firefighter for four years (2008-11), peak fire season would migrate north in late summer, to our district in Eastern Oregon, but the cr...
OPINION: Left-wing propaganda divisive and destructive
It is no secret that we are experiencing serious right-wing extremism statewide and particularly in Kootenai County and the other Panhandle counties. The political success of the right-wing ideologues is quite ev...