Idaho Politics Weekly Newsletter

Thursday, December 5, 2019

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This Week In Idaho Politics

Senators seek path to better jobs, higher wages
By Chuck Malloy, Idaho Politics Weekly Contributor
WHEW 1965 was a long time ago. Lyndon Johnson was president, the Great Society was alive and well, and I was in junior high school with aspirations of becoming a Major League baseball player. I ended up playing in a few beer-drinking slo-pitch softball leagues in my adult life, but unfortunately, big-league scouts were looking elsewhere for talent.

Restraining China's bad behavior should have priority over a trade deal
By Steve Taggart, Idaho Politics Weekly Contributor
Idaho Sen. Jim Risch has shown considerable gumption the past couple of weeks.

If we just open our eyes, we can see the beauty of the American quilt
By Jim Jones
As Thanksgiving 2019 becomes a pleasant memory, it is a good time to reflect upon the significance of this important holiday. Families and friends gather to break bread, eat turkey and give thanks for the blessings bestowed on us by our remarkable form of government.

Local option tax is still a flawed idea, still DOA in Boise
By Stephen Hartgen
The Nov. 5 elections have come and gone, yet we're now hearing the post-mortems that, hey, if you won't agree to raise your own property taxes, how about raising other taxes instead, such as taxes on most everything you buy? Government would get more of your money either way.

Guest opinion: We need to support small businesses
By Sen. Mike Crapo
Somewhere in a community across our country, a fellow American is thinking through the steps of turning their idea into a small business. 

Guest opinion: BYU-Idaho is truly thankful this week
By Samuel Ruiz and Esther Spencer Rivas, students at BYU-Idaho
Students throughout the BYU-Idaho community have something extra to be grateful for this Thanksgiving season. BYU-Idaho recently reinstated Medicaid as an acceptable form of insurance for students, allowing thousands of us to breathe a sigh of relief.  This decision came just two weeks after BYU-Idaho's initial policy change that left the student body reeling.

Guest opinion: Thanks to Medicaid expansion volunteers
By Luke Mayville, Reclaim Idaho
This Thanksgiving season, thousands of Idahoans are thankful for the gift of healthcare.

Political news notes: IMD waiver . . . governor's schedule
By Idaho Politics Weekly Staff
News Release: Reclaim Idaho Backs IMD Waiver. Following months of Idaho lawmakers trying to restrict healthcare access to thousands of Idahoans under Medicaid expansion, residents now have a chance to comment publicly about a proposal that will enhance healthcare options for hundreds, if not thousands, of Idahoans.

Big changes, with more to come, sweep Idaho's newspapers
By Stephen Hartgen
Newspaper upheaval isn't a topic you'll read about in most newspapers, for at least several reasons: One, despite their constant crowing about "transparency," newspapers are notorious for the privacy of their own internal issues, particularly when it comes to declining circulation, falling revenue and slashed staffing. Nothing to see here, folks; we'll give you scoops on government, but on ourselves, not so much.

IEA checklist goes beyond dollars spent
By Chuck Malloy, Idaho Politics Weekly Contributor
When the Idaho Legislature convenes in a couple of months, we'll be hearing plenty about the budget for public schools, the largest line item on the books. Along the way, we'll hear the usual cries that quality education does not depend on the amount of money spent.

Guest opinion: BYU-Idaho's Medicaid rejection hurts families
By Samuel Ruiz & Esther Spencer Rivas, BYU-Idaho students
The BYU-Idaho administration recently dropped a bombshell on thousands of students and families. In just a few sentences, they turned the lives of countless families upside down by rejecting Medicaid and Medicaid expansion as healthcare options for students. As you are reading this, students are living on borrowed time until next semester, wondering how to provide healthcare for ourselves and our families.

Guest opinion: Medicaid expansion is throwing thousands off their insurance
By Speaker Scott Bedke, Majority Caucus Chair Megan Blanksma, Majority Leader Mike Moyle & Assistant Majority Leader Jason Monks
Nearly 15,000 Idahoans will be losing their insurance because of the passage of Medicaid expansion. While this may come as a surprise to some, the House Republican Caucus worked hard to warn Idahoans.