Otter's got a spine; Romney doesn'tCheers & Jeers
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J. Robb Brady and Marty Trillhaase
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Steve Fischbach / Post Register |
Post Register editorial board members are Roger Plothow, publisher; J. Robb Brady, publisher emeritus; Marty Trillhaase, Opinions Page editor; and Monte LaOrange, executive editor CHEERS to Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter. It's become a trite campaign slogan to say character matters. But the governor's character mattered Saturday in Boise. Sen. Larry Craig was forced to resign his office after it had been disclosed that he'd been caught up in a sex sting operation in Minnesota in June. Not only has he lost his career, it seemed Craig has lost all his friends as well. The Republican leadership in the Senate not only abandoned him, but called for his ouster. Virtually no one spoke up in his defense. Otter was the most prominent official to appear with Craig as he announced his plans. Such loyalty did not come without a price. Craig's problems drew national media attention to Idaho and it didn't take The New York Times any time at all to zero in on the most painful chapter of the governor's career -- a drunken driving conviction and his involvement in a "tight jeans" contest back in the 1990s. Under the circumstances, it took personal and political courage for Otter to publicly stand by his friend and colleague in Craig's hour of need. Which brings us to ...
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Romney |
JEERS to former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. The GOP presidential hopeful had no choice but to jettison Craig from his campaign once the scandal broke. Craig had been co-chairman of the Romney presidential campaign in Idaho. He went a little overboard in condemning Craig as someone who had "not lived up to the level of respect and dignity that we would expect from somebody that gets elected to a position of high influence." But that's politics. Nobody expects a presidential candidate to sacrifice himself or his prospects. But airbrushing history? As reported earlier, Romney's campaign re-edited its own news releases, omitting all references to Craig. In doing so, Romney crossed the line from expedience to the very kind of deception he deplored in Craig. How gutless can Romney get? JEERS to the Idaho State Board of Education. The harsh view is that this agency is out of control -- spending money it doesn't have and then demanding the Legislature and the governor bail it out with your tax dollars. The charitable view is that the State Board has gotten sloppy.
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Otter |
Either way, there's a mess in Boise. The State Board is about $1 million in debt because, Otter's budget office says, it obligated state dollars it didn't have as a match toward federal funds. Now the State Board is scrambling to cut costs. It's eliminating standardized testing in the second and ninth grades. Both are optional under the No Child Left Behind law. But presumably the State Board thought those tests would be useful -- especially at the ninth grade, just one year before students take the Idaho Standards Achievement Test they must pass in order to graduate high school. Just as alarming to Otter's office was an $18 million, six-year federal grant to help steer 7,000 low- and moderate-income students toward college. The problem? State Board officials underestimated how much cash the state would have to put up -- leaving Idaho owing the feds a lot of money. State Board staffers say they've lined up the cash from their four-year institutions of higher learning. But this is beginning to sound like a pattern. When it comes to spending your tax dollars, the State Board's mantra appears to be: Better to ask forgiveness than to ask for permission. JEERS to the Eastern Idaho State Fair Board. After 25 years, it stopped the practice of offering free admission -- and complimentary amusement rides -- to the physically and mentally disabled one day a week. Fair Board officials say it's a liability issue. All right. But why present people who work with the disabled a fait accompli? Fair Manager Doris Roberts notified them in an Aug. 20 letter -- about a week before the fair opened. That gave organizations such as Development Workshop no time to negotiate. Perhaps they could have arranged more supervision or smaller groups to accommodate the fair's concerns. People who work with the disabled say the Eastern Idaho State Fair is one major diversion from the routine. Even with discounted admission tickets, some won't be able to attend. CHEERS to Oneida County sheriff's deputies who took the extra step during a drug bust at a home near Malad to uncover what appears to be the beginning of a repugnant dogfighting ring. While searching the home, deputies discovered 26 pit bulls and four puppies, along with blood evidence. Two men will be charged with a felony -- manufacturing a controlled substance. But dogfighting under Idaho law is only a misdemeanor. And Idaho law allows police to impound dogs only if they have been abandoned or neglected. However, Sheriff Jeffery Semrad is working with federal authorities to determine if the case crosses state jurisdictions -- possibly nipping the dogfighting gambling network in the bud. The case illustrates the need for changing Idaho law. The Legislature last year rejected tougher dogfighting penalties. Idaho is one of only two states that treats dogfighting as a misdemeanor. JEERS to the U.S. Forest Service. It's trying to dilute a 1976 law that was designed to protect wildlife and recreation opportunities in the national forests. In 2005, the Forest Service changed the way each national forest developed management plans. In March, a federal judge ruled the Forest Service's strategy was illegal. But the Forest Service seems determined to stick to that discredited idea. The Greater Yellowstone Coalition contends that the Forest Service is now writing an Environmental Impact Statement along those lines. Compromising these values at a time when habitat is steadily being invaded and demand for recreational opportunities is constantly expanding is obviously the wrong direction.
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