The people have spoken, but Idaho’s cowardly governor and craven conservative legislators weren’t listening. Polls and public testimony show that Idaho’s voters are against any voucher system that pays parents to send their children to private, usually religious, schools, but who cares?

Idaho’s voucher system, proposed by lawmakers who are terrified of opposing the Idaho Freedom Foundation and out-of-state big money donors, will initially cost taxpayers $50M. If Arizona is a precedent, that will increase ten-fold. How does a $500M bill at the start of a looming recession sound? The guv, before signing and obviously for publicity purposes only, accepted phone calls from voters who expressed their opinion. After first refusing to tell the results of the phone-in poll, he finally caved. Eighty-six percent of callers opposed the bill: 32,366 requested he veto it, just 5,091 asked him to sign it. Also obviously, he has Idaho’s alleged attorney general Raul Labrador in his rear view mirror with the next election looming. Ask not for whom the chicken clucks, Brad, it clucks for thee.

Former Idaho attorney general Jim Jones may have the last word. He plans a lawsuit based on the Idaho Constitution expressly forbidding state funding of religious schooling. Labrador reportedly has a slush fund to pay expenses when the state loses lawsuits. Better top it off, Labby.

Glenn Alford,

Pocatello