Letters to the editor: Electric vehicles, Heritage Foundation, Carnegie Library, finger steaks, property taxes, Boise library, Interfaith Sanctuary

·5 min read

Electric vehicles

My monthly power bill implores us to reduce use of electric energy. It even offered subsidies for lowering my electric power demand. But our dear leaders in Washington offer other incentives for me to buy foreign electric vehicles. How do we reduce electric power demand by buying electric vehicles? Is this an effort to build more coal-fired power plants? We already pay the road tax for owners of electric vehicles. Now I have to build them a power plant too? This is crazy.

Dave Szplett, Kuna

Heritage Foundation

Question of the day: With all the bright, intelligent, thoughtful sources for editorials or guest opinions, why did the Idaho Statesman have to dredge up an opinion by the Heritage Foundation to print on May 24?

The Heritage Foundation has done nothing to advance our country in a positive way, ever. Their stances on race, religion, gender identity, equality of all kinds, care of the environment, public education, public safety, equitable taxation and political discourse have never advanced any cause or conversation in a way that would lift all people or further any worthwhile cause in a positive fashion.

On the other hand, the opinion by the editorial board regarding the farce that is the Idaho GOP on May 25, was spot on. The Heritage Foundation and the Idaho GOP cause way more problems than they solve.

John Post, Boise

Carnegie Library

If plans go through for the state to buy the Carnegie Library and lease it to the University of Idaho Law School, someone will have to deal with the formidable task of making the place accessible for law students and others who deal with mobility challenges.

This “barrier” has challenged previous owners and proposed uses of the building. There apparently is no easy fix. (And I hope I am wrong about this.)

Even if the building somehow qualifies for a “historical exemption” to the myriad federal, state and city laws requiring access in places of public accommodation, it would be lousy public policy for the state to make use of such a loophole.

Brent Marchbanks, Boise

Proposition 13

In 1978, Californians had had enough with property tax and passed a constitutional amendment that drastically limited yearly increases in property assessment. It also scaled the values back to 1976. Home owners in Ada County are victims of their own choices, the state legislature and the incompetents who run our cities.

If you own your home and want to live there, do you really care if it’s worth $400K or $600K. What if you’re retired on a slim pension and your property tax has slithered up to a level you can’t afford? I guess it’s only fair that you should take a profit and move to the desert near the INEL so some Californian can move into your house.

I don’t get the mayor and city council and whatever other sinister power mongers we’ve managed to elevate beyond their capacity to govern. We’re being tyrannized by our so-called leaders. And the legislature wants to curtail our ability to put the brakes on through initiative. Is it time for a Proposition 13 in Idaho?

Jack Havlina, Boise

Finger steaks

When I was a young man, I recall having finger steaks at the Torch when it was still a place my mother would visit. Mom served finger steaks at home often and always told us she got her recipe from the Torch. We still have her handwritten recipe, somewhat faded and stained all these years later. I compared Mom’s with what you reported May 25. They seem identical except Mom added a pinch of sugar, probably to brown the strips a bit. The recipe we have describes the batter very similarly.

David G. Decker, Eagle

Boise library

I once had a boss who’d counsel his senior managers about priority-setting with, “We finish the spinach on our plate before we eat our dessert.” By that he meant we’d do the best job we could performing essential functions with maximum efficiency; if there was budget remaining, there’d be opportunity to undertake the “nice-to-dos.”

We regret that Boise City Council member Holli Woodings is “still in mourning” over the suspension of the proposed $104 million Moshe Safdie downtown library and the need to now divert $25 million in taxpayer funds from city reserves to more pressing needs.

A fine downtown branch library may still be had. Next time, however, the vision needs to display greater fiscal prudence, more realistic vision, fewer impacts to surroundings and improved citizen oversight, in the form of a public vote.

Given the skyrocketing, post-pandemic costs of steel, concrete and lumber, the nearly 70% of Boise voters who approved our 2019 citizen initiative did this city a tremendous favor, dissuading it from rashly launching into such a costly endeavor.

Please, erect no statues in their honor. Spend the money fixing growth-caused problems in this new city you’ve invented for us.

David Klinger, Boise, for “Boise Working Together”

Interfaith Sanctuary

(The proposed new site for) Interfaith Sanctuary is a mere 1,350 feet to Willow Lane Sport Complex, connected to the Greenbelt and riparian area of the river. This will become ground zero of concern.

Consider Portland, Seattle or San Francisco’s homeless plight. Think about The Field of Dreams -- build it and they will come! If Interfaith Sanctuary is allowed to move to State Street, our city planners will jeopardize this beloved community space. Not only will the daily flow of the Interfaith Sanctuary go into this area, but a migration of other homeless will also congregate there. This shelter will bring vagrancy, loitering, littering, panhandling, tent cities, parked homeless vehicles, trashed public restrooms, the crime rate will skyrocket!

The desirability of this city park will diminish. How would a parent feel if a child came upon a passed out vagrant, perhaps with drug or alcohol litter.

This public space is simply too great to be sacrificed for the sake of Interfaith Sanctuary. City leaders prevent, not repair. Please don’t allow this to happen!

David Bergerud, Boise

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