Gov. Otter Ignores the Facts Wednesday, September 10, 2014 By A.J. Balukoff Gov. Otter has been saying lately that we should look at the facts. Hes trying to make a case for why voters should give him another four years to deliver on the promises he hasnt kept for the past eight years. I agree, lets take a hard look at the facts. Under his leadership, Idaho is in a race to the bottom and has earned the dubious distinction of competing with Mississippi for last place in per-capita personal income. In 2012, 48 percent of Idaho’s schoolchildren were eligible for a free or reduced-price lunch. That figure is 10 percent higher than when Butch Otter entered the governors office. We have the second-highest percentage of workers making minimum wage nationally, and half of all working Idahoans make less than $11.15 per hour. That means parents working two jobs to put food on the table. Gov. Otters new TV ad suggests that everything is coming up roses in Idaho. He should look around more, because for many Idahoans, making a living has gotten harder and harder under his tenure. In 2013, nearly half of Idaho’s counties decreased in population because jobs and opportunity are elsewhere. Our state constitution requires a “uniform and thorough system of public, free common schools” and we have anything but that. More than one-third of our school districts have moved to a four-day school week, most of those being small, rural districts that have been shortchanged by the deep cuts Gov. Otter and the Legislature have made in education. Idaho ranks 47th in the rate at which high-school graduates go on to college. State leaders are creating a generation of lost children, young people with little economic opportunity and hope. Tax gimmicks and giveaways to corporations have only worsened the problem by forcing more of the burden on those who can least afford to pay that bill. This year, 94 of Idahos 115 school districts have supplemental levies just to keep the lights on and teachers in classrooms. While our leaders have decimated education spending, they have also increased spending on prisons by 53 percent. I want to prepare our children for successful careers and lives, not for prison. Rob Waite, superintendent in the Shoshone School District, was quoted in a recent news story saying: In order to solve the problem, you first have to recognize theres a problem. I dont think Otter recognizes theres a problem. Leadership means not only getting out in front and sometimes taking risks, but also accepting accountability for your failures and correcting your course. Gov. Otter has done none of those things. Idaho faces critical challenges right now--issues that cannot be ignored just because theyre difficult. Its going to take new leadership at the top to get us back on the right course again. I intend to work hard, tell the truth, and put people first. I vow to give Idaho the kind of leadership that will provide our children with a promising future right here in Idaho, rather than forcing them to leave our state for better opportunities elsewhere.
Posted on: Wed, 10 Sep 2014 23:13:29 +0000