Petty politics

Legislators, like every else, have egos. It seems, though, that Idaho's legislators let their egos get in the way of doing the right things for the people of Idaho. Nicole LaFavour wrote of it often, as in the excerpts below.

This week will be about force. These last days are. The big boys fight, take hostages and dare each other to kill bills. It sometimes is as if no issue is attached to the legislation. Like Governor Otter vetoing a substance abuse budget line. You never know if its about policy or personalities. Did the sponsor make him mad? Was there a political rival who would benefit. Did he have other designs for the money?

And we could stop the foolish amendment but the house Republican leaders have kept lots of Senate bill as hostages. They will commence a grand game of chicken to see if the Senate will cave and give them what they want.

And today the Statesman reports that Rep JoAn Wood

She said she's not forgotten Otter's knock on lawmakers for lacking the "political courage" to act on transportation funding in 2008.

And she said

We would be way farther ahead if he'd taken the $68 million, said Wood, R-Rigby. That made me upset.

Ahh, did he hurt your feelers? Jeez. Would it be so much to ask that you put ego aside and do the people's business?