There’s an unreported, but critical, political battle raging in Idaho. It concerns changing what slogan is printed on the attractive welcome signs at our borders.

Why does this matter? For the same reason anything matters these days — the virus! Now that the weather’s warming up, folks in states where the pandemic is taking a heavier toll want to retreat to relatively healthy Idaho.

Some here say the signs should tell people to stay away. Others say that’s an infringement on their rights. They just want signs that warn of the realistic hazards here.

The nearly 70,000 Idahoans whose jobs rely on tourists just wish there were a way for visitors to bring their dollars but leave the coronavirus back home. If only that could be.

Tourism is a major source of jobs and revenue across the state, and especially in rural areas. While agriculture and food processing, followed by computer chips and electronics, are the largest elements of Idaho’s economy, tourism also matters here. Travelers account for nearly $4 billion of spending in Idaho.

Other states have the same kinds of problems we do, of course. Maine, with a population not much smaller than Idaho, relies on farming, wood products and a technology sector. While almost a third of Idaho residents are concentrated in and around Boise, many of the best jobs and the largest concentration of people in Maine are in the large urban center near Portland, Maine.

Coincidentally, as with Idaho, lots of forests, lakes and beautiful scenery, attracts tourists and summer residents to Maine. Unfortunately, the beauty of our state and that of Maine also attract coronavirus refugees from other states which are pandemic hot spots.

Maine, however, requires any nonresident entering the state to self-isolate for 14 days before they can so much as make an all-important trip to a health spa. That this regulation, intended to reduce spread of the coronavirus, is both unenforceable and unenforced, has not escaped the notice of crafty Mainers.

When New Jersey license plates were visible on a car at a Maine home recently plucky area residents cut down a tree to block the driveway and keep the intruders in quarantine. The out-of-state visitors found out what had happened when they realized their cable service wasn’t working.

They went to investigate and were quickly surrounded by a group of armed Mainers who accused the visitors of being infected with Covid-19. The visitors, being both bright and well-equipped, hastily retreated to their house.

There they used a marine band radio to notify the Coast Guard who in turn called the local sheriff. In the meantime the tourists launched a drone to monitor their less-than-friendly neighbors.

As it turned out, the folks from New Jersey had been staying in the house for a month when their neighbors rolled out the less-than-welcome mat.

The invaders were actually four construction workers who had been working on a nearby job since September.

The eager health guardians had disappeared by the time deputies arrived. None of the workers were found to be ill. The Maine tourism industry got national publicity it didn’t need in the middle of a pandemic. A TV comic offered that Maine welcome signs should now read, “Welcome to Maine, the Vigilante State.”

Could similar acts occur here in Idaho? Of course not! Idaho is much too rational and civilized. Suggestions have surfaced, though, that we need to change our border greetings.

Here’s some humor on how this could play itself out...

Reports from the Idaho Panhandle say Rep. Heather Scott, R-Blanchard, wants Idaho border signs to now read, “Welcome to Idaho — the TICK FEVER state.” Meanwhile, former Rexburg state lawmaker Ron Nate is rumored to be arguing the signs should instead declare, “Welcome to Idaho — the RATTLESNAKE state.”

While there have been no formal announcements, it is possible Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin will step forward to referee the dispute between Scott and Nate. So far, McGeachin has remained silent about which slogan she may prefer.

Dave Finkelnburg is a longtime Idahoan, a former newspaper journalist, and is currently semi-retired from an engineering career.