The University of Idaho Argonaut

Minnick not so conservative
As we narrow in on Election Day, it is important your readers know exactly who the candidates are in this year’s first congressional race. Walt Minnick, the Democratic challenger for the First Congressional District, has been spending hundreds of thousands of dollars so far on advertising, which highlights his so-called “conservative” takes on the issues. During his time as president of TJ International, his company profited from restrictions placed on logging of old-growth timber at the expense of the Idaho logging industry.

Minnick is a dangerous candidate. Did you know Minnick served on the board of directors for the Wilderness Society for many years? Did you know a major focus of the Wilderness Society is to create more wilderness in an effort to lock you out of your public lands for all but the most primitive of uses?
However, the message I am trying to deliver in this letter is one of hope. Bill Sali is a member of the Natural Resources Committee in the House of Representatives and in that capacity has taken an active approach to ensuring federally owned lands are kept open for public enjoyment. He stands firmly opposed to legislation that would limit responsible access to public lands. Unlike Minnick, Sali believes the great lands of this country belong to the people, and his actions during his 18 years as an elected official are completely consistent with this view. I am excited to offer him my endorsement for re-election.

Consider candidate records
Bill Sali took a courageous stand against the $700 billion bailout of Wall Street. It has become apparent the bailout was the wrong course of action — it hasn’t succeeded in stopping the plunging stock market, and it put us even further into debt as a nation. Walt Minnick, on the other hand, has been directly involved in the economic turmoil we are all facing today.

For instance, Minnick was a member of the board of directors of the Wilderness Society. He spent 16 years on their board, and during that time, they filed lawsuits against drilling in the National Petroleum Reserve — Alaska, ANWR, on the outer continental shelf and in 10 of the 48 lower states. This amounts to more than 24 billion barrels of oil. Minnick needs to atone for his mistakes and the economic trouble we are all facing because of his anti-drilling agenda. It is important we take some time to think about the candidates’ records before we cast our votes on Election Day.

Minnick goes too far
I think it is quite telling that Walt Minnick threw the first punch in the First Congressional District race. Last Thursday, Minnick released an attack ad against incumbent Bill Sali which crossed the line in my opinion. Minnick’s ad departed from Sali’s take on the issues and instead went personal.
It is equally impressive that on the same day Minnick went negative, Sali started airing a television ad which highlighted his record of protecting Idaho from higher taxes and government spending. The ad highlights some really exciting facts: Congressman Sali has voted against $733 billion in additional taxes. Congressman Sali has never, in his 18 years as an elected official, voted in favor of a tax increase. With a record like that, it is easy to see why Minnick went negative. I hope to see the media pick up on Minnick’s refusal to debate the issues and call him out on this accordingly.

Good job, volleyball
I would like to congratulate and commend Debbie Buchanan and the University of Idaho volleyball team for the outstanding season they are having, and I wish them further success for the year.