The Idaho Way: Put politics aside, Idaho, when it comes to the COVID-19 vaccine

Scott McIntosh
·4 min read

By Scott McIntosh, Opinion Editor

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Our editorial board was having a tough time this week trying to find a new way to talk about the COVID-19 vaccine. Our vaccination rate is paltry, cases are climbing and the delta variant of the novel coronavirus is in Idaho.

Scott McIntosh is the Idaho Statesman’s opinion editor.
Scott McIntosh is the Idaho Statesman’s opinion editor.

Most of us have gotten back to life as normal — going out to eat, going to the movies, going into public places without a mask.

But we fear that if too many people stay unvaccinated, then COVID-19 will continue to circulate unabated in the community, potentially overwhelming our health care system again and setting us back in our quest to return to normal life. For those of us who are vaccinated, when will the effects of the vaccine wear off, leaving us vulnerable to the coronavirus once again?

We understand that there are many reasons for not getting the vaccine. Some are just outright outlandish, fear of a microchip or just a general all-encompassing anti-vax sentiment. Others fear what they term the “experimental” nature of the vaccines, even though they’re not experimental. They’re new, for sure, and a different way of doing vaccines from what we’re most familiar with.

But then we recognize that much of this is political. Why it became political, we’re not sure. We suppose it’s a symptom of the times we live in. But when I put two maps together — one showing the percentage of Idahoans vaccinated by county and one showing the percentage of Idahoans who voted for Joe Biden for president by county — the results were stark. They compared very closely.

Still, how do we address the issue in a different way, again calling for action, urging people to get the vaccine? We already editorialized in support of the decision by Saint Alphonsus to require the vaccine of its employees and associates.

Idaho Statesman news editor and editorial board member Jim Keyser put down some thoughts about the overpoliticization of the issue, and I added to them and put it all together for an editorial about the subject, coupled with those maps about vaccine rates and Biden votes. Click here to see the maps and see where your county lines up.

In the end, we ask if you put aside your politics, Idaho, would you do what’s right and get the vaccine?

McGowan or McGown?

This wooden sign, photographed July 11, 2021, on the road into the Stanley Lake campground carries the spelling of “McGown” Peak. But is it really supposed to be McGowan Peak? My column this week looks at the history and hopefully answers the question once and for all.
This wooden sign, photographed July 11, 2021, on the road into the Stanley Lake campground carries the spelling of “McGown” Peak. But is it really supposed to be McGowan Peak? My column this week looks at the history and hopefully answers the question once and for all.

A mystery over the spelling of one of Idaho’s most iconic peaks in the Sawtooth Mountains should be solved once and for all. I had a great time learning about the history and the man after whom the peak is named.

Giddings faces ethics hearing

An education task force formed by Idaho Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin, left, and chaired by Rep. Priscilla Giddings, R-White Bird, convened for the second time Thursday, June 24, 2021 at the Lincoln Auditorium of the Idaho Statehouse in Boise.
An education task force formed by Idaho Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin, left, and chaired by Rep. Priscilla Giddings, R-White Bird, convened for the second time Thursday, June 24, 2021 at the Lincoln Auditorium of the Idaho Statehouse in Boise.

Idaho Rep. Priscilla Giddings, R-White Bird, will face a House ethics committee hearing on Aug. 2 over her conduct when a 19-year-old legislative intern alleged sexual assault by a Republican lawmaker. Our editorial board weighed in on why this is welcome news.

Humans are the No. 1 cause of wildfires

We have enough to contend with when it comes to naturally occurring wildfires. Fires started by campfires, fireworks, exploding targets, dragging chains and other human-caused factors make it worse. Let’s at least try to reduce those wildfires to make this fire season just a little bit better.

Murgoitio Park update

The city of Boise planned for decades to develop a regional park at left, north of the New York Canal between Maple Grove and Cole roads. The park would have included baseball diamonds and soccer fields. The Murgoitio family still farms the land it sold to the city in the 1990s. Homeowners in nearby Southwest Boise neighborhoods were patiently waiting for the promised park but learned late this spring that a land swap might bring houses there instead.

On Sunday, the editorial board argued in favor of preserving the Murgoitio Park land site, for a number of reasons, including the fact that we’ll be sorry 50 years from now if we lose this open space.

And then, on Monday, Boise Mayor Lauren McLean announced the city is holding off on any plans to allow a developer to build housing on the land.

Critical race theory

This week, I received a guest opinion from four former Idaho school superintendents, decrying the incendiary and over-the-top rhetoric being used by right-wing groups to attack public education through a witch hunt for critical race theory.

Freedom — from COVID-19

Bob Kustra
Bob Kustra

Bob Kustra writes this week that Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin’s opposition to health care systems’ requirement to get the COVID-19 vaccine is an attack on freedom — from COVID-19.

What you’re saying

Letters To Editor
Letters To Editor

This week, we’ve received letters on the Idaho health care systems’ requirement to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

You can read those letters and more by clicking here.

You can submit a letter to the editor or guest opinion by clicking here.

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