The Boise Daily Paper’s print edition has competing headlines on the front page today that offer a prophetic sign of the times.
“SOME EDUCATORS GET RAISES IN IDAHO” screams the bold type on the left. The message to the right is “FURLOUGHS COMING TO U of I” .
Bottom line in good stories by Statesman reporters Brian Murphy and Bill Roberts is $22 million in raises for public school teachers and layoffs for U of I educators.
Versions of this juxtaposition hit us daily:
- Economy is improving, but unemployment rate rises.
- If you run a good business and DON’T layoff staff, your unemployment insurance rate doubles.
- Financial institutions are on verge of collapse, but employees get huge bonuses.
- Taxes are cut, but billions in “stimulus funds” are doled out.
- Give us F-35s in Boise, “screw ‘em in Texas.”
- We battle Portland and Tucson for trolley money in Boise, while folks in Boise don’t even want the trolley.
- Change the state constitution and urban renewal laws to “attract business” that will help the economy, but do it on the backs of people whose voting rights are eliminated.
- Health care costs more, but folks have less money to pay for it.
The list goes on and it makes no sense. The point is, we Americans and Idahoans and are being pitted against each other. The uncommon enemy is US!
We fear the nation is as divided as it was at the end of the Vietnam War
By David R. Frazier Boise Guardian
Many of the teacher and administrator raises were in the Boise School District. It blows my mind that the taxpayers in Boise don't flinch when this happens. Boise folks are the highest paid in the state. As such, there are no market forces that are causing their salaries to climb. One opening in Boise has hundreds of applicants. Wake up Boise taxpayers.
ReplyDeleteSo, from this insightful article from Mr. Frazier I'm to believe that Idahoans are wrong for fighting to get the F-35 in Idaho as opposed to Texas? We shouldn't look out for ourselves and work for the betterment of our state? Just let the big states get the advantage of funded military spending and keep our mouths shut? This is a ridiculous and utterly naive statement. Fight local government on every issue but just let the feds hand out taxpayer money to other states. Good idea Mr. Frazier. Good idea.
ReplyDelete