My Page: Contributing Writer

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When do we shake hands?

Neighbors need each other, just as agriculture and urban areas need each other. “When they don’t get along, it threatens the security of everyone,” says Susan Duncan. In this column, she discusses our imminent dependence on local resources where rural and urban areas will be looking to each other for products and needs. Where does this leave cooperation?

So far, the efforts to control "growth" have been based on competition. Why didn't those measures work? One side wants to control the behavior of the other, and only dollar values count. The result is conflict between "good guys" and "bad guys." The rancor produces lots of heat, little enlightenment and not nearly enough progress.

Let’s look at it another way. Think of urban and rural land uses as indispensable, complementary halves of one — a whole community structure. Agriculture thrives on urban markets and expertise: Urban areas thrive on the amenities offered by agriculture. Through integration, urban and rural land uses build a strong foundation of interdependence and a stable community.
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Avalanche Danger "High"

FROM OUR PARTNER SUNVALLEYONLINE

Ketchum Police are evacuating the Huffman Drive area of Warm Springs following 'a number of slides' from Storm 10's new snow hitting several structures below the north valley wall of Warm Springs.

KPD closed off all traffic into Warm Springs just before noon Monday, to make evacuations as simple and efficient as possible.

No estimates of damage done to homes in the area has yet been released, nor have the number of people involved. KPD spokeswoman Kim Rogers has stated no injuries have been reported, though we understand homes have been hit by the slides. [more]

Idaho Politics: Guest Opinion

Two weeks ago, state Rep. Curtis Bowers of Caldwell wrote an opinion published in the Idaho Press-Tribune in which he claimed that feminism, environmentalism and the gay movement were part of a communist plot to “take America down.” According to his account, he learned this at a communist strategy meeting at the University of California, Berkeley in 1992, which he attended in disguise out of curiosity.

Rep. Bowers’ goal, it seems, was to pit neighbor against neighbor by targeting three groups of people: feminists, environmentalists and gay rights advocates. According to him, these groups share blame for the destruction of families, business and culture. In fact, his enemies list may include you.

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Tragedy near Polson

POLSON -- The bodies of Missoula couple Hank and Nancy Harrington were pulled from the icy waters of Flathead Lake on Wednesday afternoon, near the south shore of Wildhorse Island. Hank Harrington was the former chair of the English Department at the University of Montana. His wife Nancy was the partner in the Boyle, Deveny & Meyer accounting firm. Lake County authorities have not yet released the names of the deceased, but friends and family of the Harringtons in Missoula said they were aware of what happened.

Lake County Sheriff Lucky Larson says the bodies were found after Polson authorities were called on to conduct a welfare check. Both were wearing life jackets. He wouldn't say what prompted the check or who called it in.

The sheriff says a canoe was found near the bodies. [more]

Guest Opinion by David R. Frazier

Despite the nationwide decline in housing sales--and the subsequent value of homes--it is likely 2008 will bring a property tax increase.

Here’s why. Ada CountyAssessor Bob McQuade tracks local sale prices and has appraisers in the field on a daily basis. He predicts the valuations will be pretty much flat. Some of the “McMansions” may decline in value, but generally speaking the values are static.

McQuade’s office provides only a basis for local governments (city, county, schools etc.) to LEVY AGAINST. Idaho property taxes are based on a PERCENTAGE of value. This means that if a taxing authority needs more cash to pay for salary obligations, new libraries, police cars or operating expenses, the levy will INCREASE. But they are limited to a 3% increase in local spending. [more]

Guest opinion by walt minnick

Boise businessman Walt Minnick is running for the Democratic nomination for the 1st Congressional District seat in Congress. His primary opponents are Rand Lewis and Larry Grant. The winner will face Congressman Bill Sali in November 2008.

Congressman Bill Sali has a very strange view of the world. His inability to work with even his fellow Republicans makes him an ineffective advocate for Idaho.

Now he claims Thomas Jefferson’s endorsement for his being one of the two deciding votes that killed an important appropriations bill. Sali hails his own “courage” for doing so.

No one can be sure how Thomas Jefferson would have voted on that bill. But most Idahoans can know there’s nothing courageous about Congressman Sali’s vote.

If only he had introduced a bill to require that the federal government balance its budget annually like you and I and the state of Idaho have to do every year. [more]

Guest Opinion by Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho

Al Gore's latest effort to protect the planet from mankind just goes to show that, as in the movies, sequels rarely live up to the hype. The newest stage for the world's most popular former vice-president will be the tiny resort island of Bali, where next week he will assemble a cast of thousands. As it has done for the past dozen years, the United Nations' Conference of the Parties ("COP") will feature a plot line that could be titled "The UN Knows Best".

Meanwhile, after a year of posturing over energy and climate legislation, Democrats in Congress have decided it is finally time to get serious about passing something - at this point anything would do. [more]

Guest Opinion by John Weber

The nuclear industry is pushing for a so-called “Nuclear Renaissance,” which they hope will assure a future when nuclear power dominates energy production.

Why are these businesses spending millions of dollars on advertising now? Quite simple: the nuclear power industry is desperate to get the nuclear fuel cycle and new plant construction started before people get informed, and the booming renewable energies make them obsolete. [more]

Guest Opinion by Larry Grant

On November 13, NewWest.Net/Boise ran an article repeating the criticisms of some anonymous Boise Democrats who say I did not do enough in the last election to beat Bill Sali. They say I ran a lackluster campaign and didn’t listen to my advisers. They’re wrong, of course.

Let’s look at the facts. I got more votes and raised more money than any Democratic candidate for Congress in the last decade. I put 40,000 miles on my car, not counting the number of times I flew north, traveling up and down the district going to events, picnics, potlucks, parades, fairs, coffees, debates and forums. I knocked on doors with local candidates and organizers. [more]

Guest Opinion: Sen. Larry Craig

Everyone has heard about the age-old swindle called the “bait and switch,” in which an unsuspecting person makes a commitment or agrees to a transaction, only to find that what he or she got in the end was not what was expected. Now, Democrats in Congress are attempting to pull such a stunt with the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT).

In 1969, it became clear that some very wealthy individuals were able to avoid paying income taxes altogether, exploiting exemptions and loopholes until their tax liability was practically nothing. A law was passed that year, putting in place the AMT. The new law required any individual or family making more than $75,000 a year – a very healthy sum at the time – to pay the AMT instead of filing under the traditional income tax laws. [more]

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