Idaho high school students remind you not to buy alcohol for minors | Opinion
Sticker Shock
I am proud to announce that the annual event partnering the Meridian Anti-Drug Coalition and the Renaissance High School National Honor Society was completed on Oct. 23. The Sticker Shock sources high school volunteers to label liquor store bags with stickers reminding customers to not provide alcohol to minors. In my position as the youth sector representative, I have the unique opportunity to connect the high school community with prevention efforts. This event in its entirety has demonstrated the group initiative and drive for a better community.
Prevention work maintains informed community members. The work done at Sticker Shock will benefit the health of our local community. In the past 30 days, 87% of youth age 12-18 chose not to ride with a driver using alcohol or marijuana (Idaho Office of Drug Policy). With continuous prevention efforts, statistics and education can be better.
Enforcing drinking age keeps youth safe and smart, reinforcing brighter futures. I urge the community to get involved in volunteer and educational opportunities and share experiences with community members. Access to newsletters and involvement opportunities can be found on the MADC website.
Sydney Nate, Boise
Grain reserve
Tell me how this ends with no food reserves. What if the U.S. experiences prolonged droughts, crops suffer pest and pathogens, or America’s dependence on imported fertilizers falters.
To combat climate change, the USDA Conservation Reserve Program is promoting locking up another nine million acres reaching almost 30 million acres, paying landowners not to produce. Browse the USDA site and discover the USDA has sustainable farming goals. Why not sustainably utilize, where appropriate, this ground? Good for business, universities and creating public trust.
China has a strategic grain reserve. The U.S. has none. Russia is the world’s top exporter of wheat and fertilizer. Ukraine’s grain exports have fallen.
The U.S. and the Soviets developed offensive biowarfare research programs focused on agriculture. Open borders make covert biowarfare and the torching of vast acreages likely. What about 911 hybrid nonstate actors?
Read “Weaponizing Wheat,” winner of the 2023 Secretary of Defense National Security Essay Competition. A Palouse Wheat Country native authored the winning essay.
Please contact our politicians regarding food security promptly. Tell them to promptly institute a substantial federal food reserve, starting with the easiest part — grain.
Gerald E. Weitz, Viola
Taxes
Our national debt has been growing in part due to war, the Great Recession and the pandemic. Republicans think cutting back on health care, Social Security and defense will put things right. It is important that the government keep a close eye on these expenditures to make sure they are reasonable. No one needs the $1,000 toilet, a prescription should not cost $3,000 a pill. However, the overwhelming reason for the deficit is that less taxes are being collected. The Bush tax cuts, their bi-partisan extensions, and the Trump tax cuts have cost $10 trillion since their creation and are responsible for 57% of the increase in the debt ratio since then. Take away the one-time costs for responding to Covid-19 and the Great Recession, and those tax cuts are responsible for 90% of the increase in the debt ratio. The wealthiest are not paying taxes. Donald Trump paid $0 in income tax in 2020. The biggest and most profitable U.S. corporations have found ways to shelter their profits. Let’s let the tax breaks for the wealthy expire. Let’s close the loopholes. Give the IRS the additional funds it needs to crack down on these cheaters.
Lori Poublon Ramirez, Meridian
Wildlife
Please be aware of our elk and deer migration during mating season crossing highways. We have seen larger numbers of animals killed on Idaho roads this year than ever before. Watch for them on the edge of roadways or moving along in numbers. They can become panicked and jump right out in front of a car in a split second when blinded by the headlights of approaching vehicles. These beautiful creatures are part of Idaho’s lovely scenery, and we need to take care of them. We would like to preserve the wildlife that we do have here in our lovely state for many years to come. Please look carefully and slow your vehicle when approaching them. Thank you.
Teresa Schmitt, Payette Idaho
Family caregivers
As National Family Caregiver Month is reaching a close, it seems appropriate in the month of November to share my gratitude to all of my fellow family caregivers wherever you may be. The support and resilience that you show toward your loved one, during the long hours and hard work you put in is recognized. Whether you care for a parent, a child, a sibling, a spouse or a friend, I know it isn’t easy and not always rewarding. I want to remind all family caregivers to care for themselves, as well, especially during this holiday season. A depleted cup cannot nourish. Add to your cup daily, even for just 10 minutes. Ask for help when you need it. To the medical profession and those in social services, please remember the caregivers when developing treatment plans and determining what needs to be done at home. Are your plans in line with what caregivers can provide? Lastly, with the passing of Rosalyn Carter, let’s be mindful of her words: “There are only four kinds of people in the world: those who have been caregivers, those who are caregivers, those who will be caregivers and those who will need caregivers.”
Stephanie Hoffman, Boise
Guns
Do guns kill people or is it just a matter of the heart as Mike Johnson, the new Speaker of the House, suggests in an interview with Sean Hannity?
“At the end of the day, the problem is the human heart, it’s not guns, it’s not the weapons. . .”
How many innocent children and adults will be gunned down just by a matter of the heart?
Mary Feeny, Boise
