Idaho’s Sen. Mike Crapo holds the power to expand child tax credit. He should do it | Opinion

Child tax credit

U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo holds a unique power. He holds the standing and seniority in Congress to halt the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act. A bill set to benefit the families of 16 million children in the U.S. through the expansion of the Child Tax Credit.

Idaho is well acquainted with the complexities of child care. From the lack of availability of providers, to the ever-soaring and -fluctuating costs, a post-pandemic world has not improved the accessibility of child care for low-income Idaho families. With child care being a critical service to the health of Idaho’s economy, the continued support and expansion of the credit is vital.

This policy, which contributed to the reduction of child poverty by 46% in 2021, and that Crapo voted to expand in 2017, is coming to the end of its opportunity to become even more impactful for low-income families next year. Let Sen. Crapo know that Idaho appreciates his dedication to the U.S. tax system and is in strong support of the good a child tax credit expansion will do for Idahoans.

Savannah Slater, Boise

Police response

April 10 marked one year since Jared Decker was shot and killed by the Ada County Sheriff’s Office while walking on I-84. Nothing I say will bring him back. Jared was mentally ill. Schizophrenia afflicted him in his 20s. He was deep into a psychotic episode. Not enough room here to describe what his family tried to do to help.

My concern is this: Why did the sheriff’s office not have training in confronting the mentally ill? Have they made any changes to train their officers in interaction with mentally ill? The news media is yet again totally silent on this terrible crisis. Jared was not the first to be killed and sadly he won’t be the last.

Come on, Idaho. You can do better.

Stacy King-Powers, Boise

Immigrants

This is a response to Ruth Merrill’s letter. I, too, have had the privilege of knowing and working with people who arrived in Boise as refugees and immigrants. I know them to be hardworking and dedicated people, who often worked in jobs that others would not. I appreciate Ruth’s acknowledgment that two of the workers who died in the recent collapse of the Baltimore bridge were immigrants. I also want to acknowledge that two of the workers killed in the hangar collapse at the Boise Airport were immigrants from Guatemala. These men worked under hazardous conditions to support their families. They represent the majority of immigrants and refugees living in this country, papers or no papers. Contrary to the fear mongering perpetuated mostly by the Republican Party, these people are trying to get by just like the rest of us. These men died trying to do just that. May their families be comforted in their losses. And may the rest of us not be persuaded to embrace the rhetoric of the fear mongers.

Linda Lester, Boise

Realtors

As an experienced Arizona Realtor, I read with interest Nick Rosenberger’s article about Max Coursey, who generously offers to “cut the buyer’s agent out” of a sale to “save money” for the seller, and ostensibly, the buyer, who now has more “choice.” Who needs buyer’s agents anyway?

I’ll tell you who needs buyer’s agents: buyers. Often the largest purchase of our lives, buying a home is fraught with negotiating hurdles about price, closing costs, etc., and myriad things that can, and often do, go wrong, not the least of which is with the home itself and its condition. Relying on the seller’s representative to guide the buyer is foolish, and sellers and their agent may be sued by a buyer who discovers after the fact that they were manipulated, lied to, or even inadvertently misled and had no one on their side to advocate for them. There is a reason that I have to disclose that I am an agent when I buy real estate in Arizona. I know things. Each party in a real estate transaction deserves personal representation. And trust me, it’s worth paying for.

Pamela Beitzel, Prescott, Arizona