Safety should be paramount
Idaho Gov. Dirk Kempthorne proposed “connecting Idaho” 20 years or so ago. This project, Thorncreek Road to Moscow, was to be the first phase to improve U.S. Highway 95 from Lewiston to Moscow.
Since plans and dates were announced by the Idaho Transportation Department to begin the project in March 2016, the Paradise Ridge Defense Coalition has filed several lawsuits resulting in delays to the project.
Again, at long last, the project (Thorncreek Road to the top of Reisenauer Hill) was scheduled to commence on May 1, 2022, with completion in October on one of the deadliest stretches of highway in Idaho. Unfortunately, it was delayed due to weather.
In the meantime, another lawsuit has been filed concerning this stretch of U.S. 95 and is in the court system at this time. Nevertheless, it is encouraging that work on the rest of the chosen route is progressing.
We live on the highway, and will feel the impact of the improved road.
However, we have seen the increase of 6,000-plus vehicles a day using this highway. We have also seen numerous accidents and several deaths.
We don’t believe anyone, including the Paradise Ridge Defense Coalition, can deny the safety and comfort of driving to Lewiston. We need this same safety and comfort from Thorncreek Road to Moscow.
Gerald and Judy Reisenauer
Moscow
Abortion, Bible, Betsy Ross
Since so many crafting laws in Boise seem to have forgotten, I just wanted to remind folks access to birth control and abortion were legal at the time of our nation’s founding. Our Founding Fathers even published do-it-yourself instructions for at-home abortions.
In 1748, Benjamin Franklin published “The American Instructor.” It included information on birth control and abortion. The instructions first appeared in John Tennent’s “The Poor Planter’s Physician” in 1734 and was appended to Franklin’s publication with permission of the author. These were by no means the only publications that included abortion information —there is a wealth of information from numerous sources dating across several centuries.
Because so few Christians bother to read the Bible, many don’t realize that access to abortion and birth control were permissible at the time. Many are shocked to learn that one of the priest’s jobs was to perform abortions. Even less known, and talked about, is the fact that women could be forced to have abortions against their will if their husbands or parents demanded it. (See Numbers 5:11-31)
I’d like to encourage everyone to learn a little about the history of abortion. Surely, Idaho women deserve the same reproductive rights that were enjoyed by Betsy Ross and Martha Washington.
Khaliela Wright
Potlatch
Chose democracy over ‘coinocracy’
Current events forced me to unpack the suffix “-ocracy,” or the “government by a particular sort of people or according to a particular principle.” I wish to introduce a new ocracy, “coinocracy,” the tendency of people to vote in their own economic interest with their pocketbook.
To my surprise, I found 84 words ending in “ocracy,” related to all sorts of people ranging from women, mobs, technocrats, old people, property owners, priests in league with God and groups identified by Aristotle and Plato.
Some of the noteworthy “ocracies” of our time: theocracy (found in Moscow); democracy (the founding and enduring principle of our country); mobocracy (recently emerged in Washington D.C.); and pseudo Aristocracy (among the rich and privileged from Coast to Coast.)
As we approach the election in November, the battle lines are drawn between Maga Republicans, Republicans, Democrats, Independents, and Know Nothings. The perennial question, “Are you better off now than before?” has no place on the ballot when abortion, the right to vote and participate in a free, fair election should be foremost on our minds. Ukraine is a haunting reminder of the price of Democracy.
As humans, it is understandable that we desire simple solutions to complex problems. Before we pass judgment on old Joe, let us consider his accomplishments: a 1.2 trillion infrastructure bill; 1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill; the reduction of childhood poverty to a historic low; and the Inflation Reduction Act cutting the price of insulin to $35 a month in 2023 for those on Medicare.
Our present condition is the result of printing too much money starting in the 1980s, tax breaks for the wealthy, the War in Ukraine, the COVID-19 pandemic and the supply change shortages it created.
The Democrats are blamed for spending too much money. A final question. Who is the money spent on? The people.
Stan Smith
Viola
Electric school buses
I rode the school bus daily throughout elementary and middle school. As a high schooler now, I vividly remember the smell of diesel buses in the middle school parking lot when getting picked up in the morning and dropped off in the afternoon. It wasn’t pleasant to grow up inhaling all the exhaust, not to mention the loud noise they make in our neighborhoods and on board. Making the switch towards electric school buses would reduce the smell and noise. Our community needs this.
This summer, the Moscow High School Environmental Club and Climate Justice League, a youth climate advocacy group, collaborated and asked the Moscow School District to purchase electric school buses. We — high schoolers from MHS — made a presentation to the district about a federal rebate opportunity that provides $5 billion over five years for the replacement of existing school buses with clean school buses and zero-emission school buses. After deliberation, the district applied to replace two buses, the maximum eligible, under the Clean School Bus Program. The district will hear the results of its application in October.
I commend the Moscow School District for reducing pollution in our community, being a positive role model by considering electric vehicles, and listening to students’ voices.
Ian Schlater
Moscow
Tips for sustainability
I’m a sophomore at Moscow High School. I’m writing to talk about some self-sustainability tips.
First, organize with friends, family, and neighbors to carpool to work or school. This can be accomplished by setting up a neighbor group chat to easily give and get rides. Carpooling is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint while still having easy transportation.
Second, avoid plastic packaging and use recyclable packaging. This is probably the hardest lifestyle change because so much of your food and goods are wrapped in nonrecyclable plastics. The best way to avoid this is to look into what packaging is able to be recycled when trying to recycle.
Finally, eat less meat. I know it doesn’t sound like that could make a big difference, but … a cow on average releases between 70 and 120 kilograms of methane per year. Methane is a greenhouse gas like carbon dioxide. But the negative effect on the climate of methane is 23 times higher than the effect of carbon dioxide. Therefore, the release of about 100 kilograms of methane per year for each cow is equivalent to about 2,300 kilograms of carbon dioxide per year. This clearly shows the impact of meat.
K’den Bledsoe
Moscow
