Opposing dam breaching in Idaho is silly. We gain nothing from the Snake River dams | Opinion

Idaho losing out on Snake River dams

Any effort by any Idahoans to prevent restoration of the lower Snake River (via dam removal) is misguided, misinformed and visionless. Those four dams provide two things for some Idahoans: electricity and shipping from the Port of Lewiston, both of which can be replaced.

No Idahoans get irrigation water out of the lower Snake and the dams provide no flood control. Meanwhile, for most Idahoans, Americans at large, and especially Native Americans, the losses caused by those dams far outweigh the gains: gone are the social, cultural, economic and biological gifts of what was once among the most productive salmon, steelhead and lamprey runs on the planet. The system, including the POL, is funded, including subsidies, by us.

In essence, we have funded our own impoverishment, moreover, with no good reason. Because we’re picking up the tab, we should put our money to good use. Why not fund replacement of the services the dams provide so that we can have it both ways. Idahoans, please ask yourselves; “What is my vision of Idaho for future generations?” Does it include the health, wealth, beauty, resilience, sustainability, productivity and richness of a restored Columbia-Snake River/ocean ecosystem, or is it something much, much less?

David Cannamela, Boise

Liberty is at risk every day in Idaho

It is unfortunate that legislators have forgotten they are “employees” of the citizens who elected them and also pay their salaries and expenses. Instead, they have totally disregarded the will of the majority of the citizenship. As a result, we have one party that puts forth bills that restrict our voting rights, diminish the rights of women and discriminate against all non-white people. S

Some proposed bills are quite ridiculous and many turn out to be unconstitutional, which costs the taxpayers millions of dollars to defend and then lose. These supposed God-fearing Christians are hypocrites as they certainly do not follow the teachings of the Bible and work tirelessly to direct our way of life according to their personal/party agendas. In this State, we already feel the pain of one party’s dictatorship.

The final insult comes in seeing Putin’s Puppet legislators and party leadership at the national level refusing to acknowledge his barbaric behavior and indirectly support/condone his war fanaticism by not providing needed support to Ukraine and other allies. It is disgraceful and one must remember living under a dictatorship results in loss of many freedoms for everyone except some chosen few.

Stephen Brown, Meridian

Not-so-good old days

Ah, the good old days. When men were men and women were completely dependent on them. It is not coincidental that so many institutions economically supporting women are being attacked: Libraries, schools, health care and child care for example. Good old days when women couldn’t even get an education, credit card, get a loan or buy a home without the “permission” of a father, husband, brother or other male controller. When we could not leave an abusive home, get a divorce, make financial decisions or have any power. No wonder the GOP wants to control us again. Those were their good old days.

Sheila Robbins, Boise

Crapo should defend child tax credit

The House recently passed the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act by an overwhelming bipartisan vote that will expand the Child Tax Credit for low-income families, and now it must pass the Senate. Some senators, like Crapo, want to scale back the CTC provisions. This is unacceptable and could jeopardize the bill’s chances of becoming law.

Estimates are families making less than $60,000 could see their CTC increase an average of $900 per year. This will make it easier for millions of parents to pay the rent and put food on the table. The expansion doesn’t increase unemployment, does not add to the deficit and does not give benefits to undocumented immigrants, despite false claims to the contrary.

The bill is not perfect, but it’s a good start. Some senators think this modest expansion is too generous. They want to cut back the CTC provisions in the bill, while leaving the tax breaks for corporations untouched.

Time is of the essence. I strongly urge Sen. Crapo to bring the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act to the floor and get it passed so Idaho families can get some much-needed help and relief – now.

Dawn Pierce, Boise

Labrador shouldn’t partner with hate group

Idaho Attorney General Raul Labrador has decided to hire the Christian Nationalist Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) to defend the state in the U.S. Supreme Court from a Biden administration court challenge against Idaho’s abortion ban. ADF is an ideologically based extremist group, designated by the Southern Poverty Law Center for its support of discriminating against LGBTQ people and lying about homosexuality to advance its Christian nationalist agenda — all under the guise of religious liberty. By partnering with this discredited hate group, he destroys the credibility of his office and the state of Idaho.

Cay Marquart, Boise

Mask ban would be senseless

In the current session of the Idaho Legislature, numerous bills, flexing their power and control to promote divisiveness, ignorance, false science, undermining our public education and their “Christian” agenda have been introduced. The most current is HB493, which prohibits any state entities from requiring persons to wear a “face covering” for the purpose of “slowing the spread of a contagion or infectious disease.” The Idaho Constitution defines “defending life” and “securing safety” as inalienable rights of its citizens and that the government of the people is instituted to enact laws for their protection and benefit. The fact that contagions (germs) cause diseases, some deadly, was established in the 19th Century. As the result of massive legitimate scientific research, medical practitioners have worn masks to protect patients from the spread of respiratory germs for over a century. Enacting mandates to implement scientifically proven methods to slow the spread of a respiratory virus responsible for a worldwide pandemic definitely falls in the category of “protection”. Further, no one has a right to expose me to a germ that is killing over 3000 people a day in the United States, nor do I have the right to expose another person.

End of story.

Sharon Curtis, Moscow