Idiocracy overrules sanity among Idaho's GOP legislators

[TexasTowelie]

Considering they call themselves the party of fiscal responsibility, the party of limited government, the party of personal freedom, the party of anti-cancel culture and anti-virtue signaling, the majority of the Idaho GOP sure seems to embody none of that.

The Republican members of the Idaho Legislature would say they’re looking out for all Idahoans, but from what I’ve seen in the last few sessions, the vast majority of bills they’ve proposed or passed are 1) legislation to give themselves more power, 2) legislation to take power away from the people, 3) legislation that addresses things that aren’t even an issue and 4) legislation that our own attorney general assures them will be overturned in court but they proceed anyway.

In the latter instance, the legislation does get overturned in court — shocking, I know — thus wasting millions of taxpayer dollars just to virtue signal to their followers that they are on the same side. So much for fiscal responsibility.

Speaking of fiscal responsibility, is it fiscally responsible for lawmakers to pick a multi-year legal fight with the state treasurer over whether they can kick her out of her offices in the Capitol building so they can have more office space? That debacle ended up costing taxpayers almost $700,000, so I don’t think so.

Read more: https://www.idahostatejournal.com/opinion/columns/idiocracy-overrules-sanity-among-idaho-s-gop-legislators/article_2ca68081-b18d-54c4-80bb-5c79bab85595.html

[yonder]

1. Every year, I dread this January-April period when the legislature is in session.

Especially the last 15 years or so as they have taken a hard turn to the right. From putting confining restrictions on the citizens initiative process, to legislation restricting or banning the rights of local government to mandate things such as paper bags, etc. and this year, going after the Republican governor in his attempts to mitigate the Covid disaster, they've become more authoritarian every year. Many of us (I'd like to say most) breathe a sigh of relief come about April when they thankfully adjourn till next year. Oh wait. This year they've got a proposal to amend the state constitution which would allow the legislature to call themselves back into session anytime they want, for anything they want, taking that process away from just the governor.

And like clockwork, they get their asses handed to them in court when many newly-passed laws get shot down after being challenged after the fact, costing taxpayers millions of dollars. As the OP points out, the attorney general often advises against ill-thought out bills, but they go ahead anyway on the advice of taxpayer-funded private representation, which costs even more. What's the point of having an Attorney Generals Office anyway?

So the party of fiscal responsibility and local government control, endlessly citing the protection of citizens hard-earned taxpayer dollars, turns out to be working mostly for themselves and the consolidation of their own power and for their own interests in the House and Senate.

Who would've thunk?

Here's another example from the OP's Idaho posts today:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10481142

[TexasTowelie]

2. This year they will have to hold a special session for redistricting

because of the delay in receiving census data. There is no telling what other issues the governor will add in the special session.