August 25, 2010. The Clubhouse Turn. As August draws to a close the pace of the election campaigning is picking up. As a member of the House Minority Leadership, I have been spending quite a bit of time working with and helping other members of the caucus, as well as first-timers, with their election efforts. Non- presidential years typically are less driven, but this year appears to be an exception.
Voters throughout the state appear to be getting involved earlier and more often than in the past. Just as in District 17, the economy – meaning jobs – is the number one issue. While some of the fringe issues get more coverage in the media, the great majority of people at the door are focused on either getting a job or hanging on to the one they have. It’s also pretty clear why the economy appears to be stalled at the bottom. If you have lost your job, or are concerned that you might lose it, it’s highly unlikely you’re going to be opening your wallet unless it’s absolutely essential.
Mike Ferguson, the state’s chief economist, has just released his annual August forecast update. He is expecting FY 2011 (July 2010 through June 2011) to be some $80 million above the Legislature’s forecast made this last session when the state budget was set. Since July came in above the earlier forecast he may be on to something. Consumer spending, the great driver of our national economy, needs to start heading up if we’re going to get people back to work, and getting people back to work makes that spending head up. While Wall Street may reflect investor’s expectations, it is main street small business, and their hiring activities, that really determines the economic reality. Here’s hoping that Ferguson’s forecast correctly anticipates an improving reality.
Summer School. July 13, 2010. In spite of the revenue shortfalls experienced these last 18 months, legislative activity is still ongoing between sessions. I am currently serving on two committees and two subcommittees which have been meeting this summer.
My primary involvement is with the Governor’s Transportation Funding Task Force and two of its subcommittees, Cost Allocation and the Public Transit. These committees are ongoing with a final report scheduled for submission to the Governor in December of this year. The Cost Allocation subcommittee will be reviewing an initial study in two weeks on July 27th. This study is an analysis of how various categories of motor vehicles share in the costs associated with the maintenance of our highway system. For example, do the big rigs carry their fair share relative to the family sedan? Hopefully this study will answer that and related questions, providing a rationale for setting the relative registration and licensing costs associated with each motor vehicle category.
The second subcommittee is attempting to identify the existing public transit programs and funding sources in play in Idaho. The goal is to see if there are some new approaches that would address these identified needs in light of the wide variety of communities throughout the state. One possible alternative is local option tax authority, essentially resurrecting the Home Rule approach popular a century ago.
The other committee I have been assigned to by the Speaker is the Ethics panel investigating the complaint brought against Representative Phil Hart. We have held an organizational meeting and will begin the first working session on the 29th of this month. This meeting as well as the Transportation one is open to the public, both being scheduled at the new legislative hearing rooms in the underground wings of the capitol.
As you can see school is not totally out this summer with all of the above going on – plus the ongoing campaign trail activities. I'm currently walking precinct 98 and if I haven’t been to your door yet, I hope to do so shortly. See you soon.
June 10, 2010. Back to Basics. As I work my way through Precinct 83 (somewhat slowly given the weather we’ve been having this “spring”), it becomes more and more apparent that the dominant concerns are economic. When people at the door say they really have no complaints about how things are going, they are either retired or still have a job. The rest are looking for a job, some for months now. Even retirees express growing concern about the deficit spending at the Federal level, but by and large recognize that a certain amount of “pump priming” is necessary to get things moving again.
There appears to be far less concern about social wedge issues, certainly compared to prior campaigns. Rather when times are tough, food, shelter and health come to the fore as they have in past hard times. I can recall my parents talking about how things were in the Great Depression and how recurring themes were the reforms and hope instilled by FDR during those dire times. Families were the primary resource for toughing out those times and still are.
Extended families appear to be coming back in to vogue as the economic reality of trying to maintain independent households for each generation sinks in. Perhaps as things begin to improve, these lessons will carry over and instill in everyone a recognition of the fundamental importance of family and personal relationships as contrasted with the merely material measures too often associated with leading a successful life. Here’s hoping.
May 10, 2010. On The Road Again. I’ve been out door-knocking and listening to peoples concerns and questions here in District 17. As one might expect jobs and economic issues are front and center. There does seem to be some optimism in the sense that a number of people made reference to a pick up in business activity in their business or job area. Even though the April revenue figures for Idaho were down overall, the continued improvement in sales tax revenues is definitely encouraging. This area has been better than forecast three out of the last four months; since it reflects the most current activity, most economists view it as a leading indicator – making this trend a real ray of hope.
Even though there are no primary contests in the legislative races in District 17, there are definitely some interesting races up for grabs. Several of the people I spoke to were quite intrigued with the prior Ada County commissioners, Roger Simmons and Vern Bisterfeldt, trying to unseat two of the incumbents, Fred Tilman and Rick Yzaguirre, from the same party. It appears this will be a real horse race if my sample is representative.
Hope to see some of you in the not too distance future – assuming the rain lets up.
