Northern Idaho News

Capitol Commentary

Otter: The Cost/Benefit/Broncos Governor

By Jill Kuraitis, 1-08-07

Gov. Otter takes reporters' questions

Idaho Governor Butch Otter’s State of the State speech today outlined plans to unravel a state agency, reduce the grocery tax, deny illegal immigrants government benefits, increase pay for state workers, provide more prison beds, grant needs-based college scholarships for Idaho students and modernize the communications systems for law enforcement.

More issues unfolded in a short speech delivered calmly by an experienced pol who is clearly comfortable in his own skin. A feeling of goodwill contrasted sharply with last year’s speech by former governor Dirk Kempthorne, who managed to tick off practically everybody with some wacky and impractical budget proposals and a seeming inability to give away credit for jobs done. But Otter showed a politician’s skill with the inevitable “How about those Broncos?” by singling out individual legislators for their service and by paying tribute to award-winning and much-loved Idaho Commission on the Arts’ director Dan Harpole, who died of cancer in December. Later, the governor honored the service of State Trooper Chris Glenn downed by a suspect’s bullet and now paralyzed. Glenn’s family were in the gallery for the profound ovation and applause from every hand under the rotunda.

Those and other human and humane references in the governor’s speech made him, at times, sound like a closet Democrat. Otter proposes a grocery tax credit which applies to Idahoans of very low income, saying there “clearly is a need to reduce the tax burden on lower-income individuals and families who must spend a disproportionate amount of their income on food.” (His proposal would increase the credit from $20 to $90 per person for the lowest income levels, which decreases until it hits zero for people who earn over 240% above the poverty line. About 20% of Idahoans would qualify for the $90.) He wants to establish a $38 million endowed college scholarship program for Idaho students to attend Idaho universities – a proposal which lawmakers applauded even before the official pause line in the speech. He says state employees need a raise and that the Treasure Valley needs a detox center.

But the new governor’s conservatism did prevail. He said, “Idaho will not harbor those who shoplift citizenship” which some might say was a nasty inference about immigrants and ....hmmn. He supports a requirement of proof of U.S. residency to receive government benefits under a proposal from Senator John McGee, R-Caldwell, which, he said, “provides reasonable humanitarian exceptions.” Will that include exceptions to care for hungry or hurt children? Abandoned elderly? Will law enforcement spend government cash to chase down those who commit crimes against nonresidents?

And, in a move that is sure to infuriate Labor, Otter wants to eliminate 60 state jobs and replace them with independent contractors, which removes the requirement that the state pay benefits and assume liability for those jobs.

Very Republican, that sort of thing.

Brad Foltman of the Division of Financial Management, who gave reporters a budget briefing, said that the goal of Otter’s budget is to come up with more efficient and productive ways to deliver government services to the people. “Customer service and accountability are major emphases in this budget. This governor is astute in addressing cost-benefit issues; he knows this principle well.”

Democrats have their own principles, and will surely ask their age-old question, “At whose expense are these cost savings made?”

Tomorrow, Democrats respond to the State of the State message with one of their own. Come back to NewWest.net/Boise for the rest of the story.

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