In a time where national news seems to rule everyone’s mind, it becomes harder to get people to focus on state and local issues. With an election coming up in November (early voting runs from October 20 to 31), it becomes more incumbent on me to write about the fact that some of our local leaders, not too dissimilar to national leaders, are also not focusing on us. I think working class people feel as though their elected representatives have, in some ways, abandoned them by choosing to focus on issues that affect less than 1% of the entire population of Idaho. Passing legislation that causes an already scarce commodity of local clinics and doctors to flee the state in fear of potential prosecution over a judgment call. Fifty million dollars allocated to private schools while our public education system fights for what scraps are left.
If there’s something that I’ve learned in my life, it’s that people often respond better to solutions than problems. What I mean by that is that in a time where problems abound, solutions are scarce. I feel as though the solution to these issues is not as complicated as some would have you believe. Our legislature is not focusing on the issues Plaguing Idahoans; it is not interested in making sure that the lives of every Idahoan are better today than they were yesterday, and it is not focused on ensuring that Idaho’s working class is taken care of. In short, our legislature serves a master that is not its constituents.
When education becomes a luxury, when being able to afford your medical bills or even seeing a doctor becomes a luxury, when minorities become a target of legislation, it is because the people writing and creating that legislation are not truly interested in the benefit and prosperity of the people they represent. It has little to do with political parties at that point and everything to do with priorities.
In this battle of priorities, not all legislators are created equal. You will find that some legislators do care about the working class. They do care about their constituents. They listen to the needs of the people and fight for them. You will find others who are more focused on other priorities. I don’t have to list them out. You’ve probably already seen them. If you haven’t, there are some telltale signs that priorities may be in question. If you see these people spending more time focused on things that do not impact your day-to-day life, they may have a priority problem.
If we are to believe that representative democracy is the best way of governing, which I do, then we must require the legislator who affects every Idahoan’s life to take that into account when making and passing legislation. If you do not believe that our citizens’ well-being should be the weight that sits on our legislators’ shoulders, then perhaps you do not believe in the governmental system in which we reside.
Chance Marshall is a political organizer and president of the Bonneville County Young Democrats, where he chartered the chapter to amplify youth voices in Idaho politics. A former conservative turned progressive after a transformative personal journey, he was raised across the Rural South and Urban West.