Tag: Idaho

The Story: The lower house in the Idaho state legislature has passed a bill that would make it illegal for Idahoans to deliver other people's...

Last September, a study done by the finance website WalletHub listed Idaho as 41st in the nation for “political empowerment” for women, based on the number of Idaho women elected to Congress, the state Legislature and statewide executive positions. In fact, the Idaho Statesman reported that during Idaho's 2018 primaries the only male candidates who won from either major party were in races where there was not a female candidate running a serious campaign. The number of women in the Idaho Legislature is increasing every year and currently stands at 32. Things are even looking up for women in politics in many cities and counties around the state. They took more time with family. “I’ve always been a person that believed that it’s important to be involved,” she said. I hope (my children) grow up valuing opportunities to contribute and public service and what it means to be an American.” Packer said she believes another big factor in the rising number of female politicians in Idaho is an increase in encouragement from men and women alike. “We’re seeing more support, which I think is helping women to feel more comfortable in putting their name in the running,” Packer said. “They give different scenarios of whether it’s a lobbyist or an intern or a colleague and what is considered appropriate and what is not and how to respond to it. I think people in Idaho take it very seriously and are doing what we need to do to prevent any kind of abuse or wrong behavior.” Packer said she is hopeful that in time, Idaho will see an equal number of male and female politicians.

It is sad that every vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court sets off a political feeding frenzy in Washington and throughout the country. In 1967, the State of Idaho enacted legislation to insulate judicial appointments from politics and cronyism. Article 2, section 2 of the Constitution gives the president the power “by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate” to appoint judges of the Supreme Court. Almost any system for appointment of Justices to the Supreme Court would be preferable to the usual slugfest that the current process has become. And speaking of dotage, there ought to be some limit on the length of service of Supreme Court and other federal judges. Article 3, section 2 of the Constitution says that federal judges “shall hold their Offices during good Behavior,” which is assumed to be for life. I have never been a big fan of age limitations on public office, but I am starting to think they may have some merit. I served 12 years on the Idaho Supreme Court and figured it was time to hang it up and let someone else have a crack at it. The longest-serving justice on the court would automatically go on senior status and sit on cases only where there were less than nine justices participating. Jones is a former Idaho Supreme Court justice and attorney general.

She fights for family values. Raul Labrador — Salmon recovery projects lead by Russ and Sharon Kiefer. Sharon leads Idaho’s efforts and Russ leads federal efforts. Labrador has told Russ and Sharon that he will not support salmon recovery efforts. I work with at least 15 dairy farmers and row croppers a month. Labrador does not attend dairy association meetings when he is committed to attend. Therefore, anti-salmon and anti-agriculture, clearly makes Raul Labrador Idaho’s enemy. All other sitting representatives and senators, House Bill 658 written by Judy Boyle of Midvale was found to violate the Constitution by both the Idaho Attorney General and the Idaho Sheriffs Coalition. All incumbents in the House and the Senate passed the unconstitutioanal bill HB 658 to pass. If you read and enjoy our journalism, please consider subscribing today.

With that wave of urbanization and economic development has come a new political chemistry in this conservative rural state. He described himself as an enthusiastic but uncommitted Democrat who planned to vote on Tuesday in a primary where the open seat for governor is the headline attraction. Image “People keep thinking, ‘Oh, you’ve got all these people moving in, it’s going to kind of moderate and you’re going to get a two-party system,’” said Gary Moncrief, a retired professor at Boise State University who has studied the state for 40 years. “People have been talking about that now for 30 years and it just hasn’t happened, and part of that is because of the nature of the people that are moving here.” In the primary, almost all the candidates for governor are reaching out in various ways to the altered electorate, either to suggest that greater change is possible now in a boom economy, or that the line against further change will be defended. Tommy Ahlquist, a physician and businessman who has had a hand in the boom as a developer, is pledging more economic growth. The Boise Co-op, for example, a beloved 45-year-old symbol of the North End — generally considered the city’s most liberal neighborhood — spent $3.5 million to open a grocery store in Meridian, 10 miles to the west, where conservative politics run deep and California license plates are common. Whether voters in the midst of a boom move left or right, many residents say the strains of change are deep, as farms and ranches on the city’s edge get chewed up into housing, and high-wage tech workers outcompete the locals. Gentle is a Democrat who said she has found herself moving to the left and will vote for Ms. Jordan. Ms. Oliver, 29, the tech recruiter, said it feels like a bubble. Her employer, Paylocity, an Illinois-based company that expanded in Idaho in 2015, will continue its growth curve outside Boise.