Letters: Statesman wrong on House’s proposed personal bill rule in Idaho Legislature | Opinion

As former House minority leader, I think the move to do away with personal bills is wrong-headed and disagree with your recent editorial.

Personal bills were a way to present for public and legislative view alternatives to the lock-step process of the Idaho House majority. Because of the control majority leadership exercises over committee chairmen, many good bills sponsored by minority members never enter the public arena. Unless a chairman agrees to hear a bill for an “RS” or print hearing, it never even shows up on an agenda let alone in the public domain as a potential bill.

Some recent examples include the years trying to get the “Add the Words” bill heard, Medicaid expansion and revisions in the Legislative process.

I freely admit that the majority of legislators voting should have their way, but only after consideration and debate of proposals. The proposal to remove personal bills and furthering the stranglehold that House majority leadership exerts is not supportive of a representative democracy. More of a GOP autocracy.

John Rusche, Clarkston, Washington

Rule of law

Joe Biden was traveling all over the world his last days in office as VP in 2016 just before he left office. He was busy feeding his ego and enjoying the trappings of power. In 2021 Donald Trump was busy feeding his ego and staging a coup before he left Washington at the very last minute. They both should have been supervising the transition of their truckloads of documents to the appropriate agencies and insuring a smooth transfer of power. They left that important but mundane work to their underlings. But the packers should not have had to concern themselves with handling classified documents. Classified documents by law are always in a secure location. So how did classified documents end up in cardboard boxes in private homes and offices? If I did what Joe Biden and Donald Trump did I would be in jail. Do our government elite have a get-out-of-jail-free card? How can we be a nation of laws when the law does not apply to the president and vice president? Does political power and money trump our laws? The answer is a resounding

Kurt Smith, Boise

Passport help

Just when I thought my government isn’t working for me, something happens that makes you realize, that some of them care. After, almost eight months of trying to get passports, and thinking we had exhausted all avenues. We contacted Sen. Risch’s office and they came to our rescue. We contacted them on a Monday and by Friday we had our passports. We are so thankful to everyone involved for assisting us in this extremely difficult endeavor. We are now able to pursue a few lifetime dreams.

Fred McDonald, Gooding

Pro-choice to pro-life

In response to your opinion piece on Rep. Jack Nelson’s comment: Well, at least he saw cows as being worthy of life. I noticed you used the word decency in your article which is a word that applies nowhere in the current atmosphere of “women’s health” and “right to choose.” It should be called right to choose to kill, as a living entity means nothing more than trash to throw out. A death cult is what it has become with no mercy or soul. I was once pro choice. I was born and lived in San Francisco for 26 years and another 20 in New York City. I have had a front-row seat to the destruction left-wing policies always bring. But the vile level this has reached has surprised even me. I am now pro-life. You lost me and so many others. I am proud to be on the correct side now where life is not cheap and not just an inconvenience.

Laura Lener, Hayden