Congress may actually pass an economic stimulus bill this week, which is good news for the short-term needs of the country. There is no question the economy is tottering, and could easily tip over from recession to depression, so a bill that focuses on saving jobs and creating jobs is desperately needed. The good news is that the bill will definitely help achieve some of those aims. The bad news is that it will lay a crushing debt burden on taxpayers for the future, which can only be addressed if government becomes far more efficient in the use of tax dollars than it has in the past. That could very well force, down the road, what many of us have wanted for years, a smaller, more efficient government. But somehow, that doesn't seem likely. Because Congress hasn't figured out that the model for government is, and should be, changing. And the best example is the stimulus package. Despite billions of dollars in cuts, it still contains way too much pork. And some of the cuts (to make way for that pork) seem to make no sense, such as dropping $40 billion to help keep schools from having to fire teachers. That's counter-productive. The bill is supposed to save or create jobs, not leave them threatened. Both sides of the aisle bear the blame. The Democratic leadership rolled over on way too many pet projects among its members, losing sight of the long-term goal of the bill. And Republicans kept insisting on sticking to the same failed policies of the past, and playing the same old games where personal and party political power carried more weight than the needs of the nation. One GOP leader actually admitted his goal for the bill, and the amendments he introduced, were designed to divide the Democrats and make them look bad. So much for caring about the people of this country. Both parties should be ashamed. It is time for Congress to look up from its myopic and petty party power games, and its proclivity for pork, and look at the desperate state of the nation, focusing solely on programs that stand a good chance of meeting the goal of keeping people working. Making things work should be a bipartisan issue. This bill should be about America, not the Republican or Democratic parties. -- Kelly Everitt

Does GOP need every seat?

Posted Wednesday, January 25, 2012, at 9:04 AM

It is unfortunate that the state Supreme Court rejected the state's redistricting commission plan. We're not criticizing the decision itself -- since the court is the final arbiter of the law -- but rather the timing.

There's only about five weeks until the filing deadline for the May primaries, and since, in Idaho, whoever wins the Republican primary is usually the person who wins in November, there's a very narrow window for the commission to come up with a new map that doesn't split as many counties as the current version does.

The pressure is squarely on the commission to come up with a map quickly enough to let potential candidates make up their mind whether or not to run -- and it begs the question of what happens when that map is challenged in the courts (which is almost a given).

But there was one aspect of the fallout from the court's decision that was unconscionable.

The two top Republican leaders in the state wanted to "fire" the people they'd appointed to the commission because the boundaries weren't set up in a way so as to make Idaho's Republican majority even stronger.

Clearly, they wanted the districts gerrymandered to give Democrats even less of a chance to win a state seat than they already have -- which are slim to begin with.

That's a naked power play that flies in the face of any effort to give at least lip service to maintaining a two-party system in Idaho. They should be ashamed.

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I'm sure if the Dems where the ones doing it it would be ok then.

-- Posted by Trouble2011 on Wed, Jan 25, 2012, at 9:34 AM
As you said Kelly...They should be ashamed. But they won't be.

-- Posted by bondyweb on Wed, Jan 25, 2012, at 10:10 AM
Kelly:

it might work out for Republicans in this state, but in other states, it looks like the Democrats are just as desparate to keep their empires too.

They are all in need of a good shaking up regardless of party.

How can you possibly make it fair for everyone?

All of them should be ashamed.

-- Posted by KH Gal on Wed, Jan 25, 2012, at 10:32 AM
The game of politics as usual IS CHANGING

Little folks like us in little forums like this ARE FORGING a loosely knit alliance that may shake BULLIES in every race

-- Posted by wh67 on Wed, Jan 25, 2012, at 10:43 AM
Interesting article that shows why these guys should be ashamed but will press on trying to fire/dismiss 2 redistricting officials.

http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/hbo/2012/jan/26/idaho-gop-lords-waste-your-tax/

-- Posted by bondyweb on Sat, Jan 28, 2012, at 9:16 PM

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Does GOP need *every* seat?

Does GOP need every seat?