Idaho businesses are back to the Legislature asking for more protection from competition and Republicans will do their best to oblige; even though they violate their own principles for the sake of political power. Conservative political actions weaken Idaho businesses.

The Republican party and Idaho business are joined at the hip in very curious, complex and contradictory ways. Ideologically the party is opposed to government involvement in virtually every aspect of private and public life. Likewise business claims to love the free market aspects of "least is best" when it comes to government. To support these views In the public and political arena they unite to convince the voters that these same policies are best for them as well.

Oddly these same voters are also the workers that make these businesses possible. This fact gets turned on its head by the coalition of Republicans and businesses. They would have us believe that businesses create jobs when it is consumers of goods and services that create business (no demand, no business) and workers that make businesses possible (no workers, no production).

Since the consumers and the workers are the same people it seems clear that whatever level of government we have should always act in favor of people first and business second. After all why would business need help when merely unleashing the power of the free market is their sole answer.

Yet every year we witness a parade of Republican legislators seeking to shelter business through favorable tax policies and repressive labor laws. And it is a zero sum game. It is always the consumer /worker who pays the price through shifts in tax burdens, lower wages and higher prices.

The political/business coalition argues that the net is actually positive for the rank and file. "Trust business and the Republican party to take care of you", they say. But is that trust justified? It's difficult to see how.

Our unemployment rate is about the same as the country as a whole yet our per capita income ranks 38th in the nation. (The most recent uptick in personal income lagged behind the nation as a whole and was due primarily to Social Security, disability payments, unemployment, pensions and other benefits so no thanks to business generated wages or Republicans who would eliminate all of these programs if they could).

Our higher education is both underfunded and out of reach of many of our families. Our K-12 students rank well by national standards even though our spending on their behalf is 50th in the nation. Yet does the coalition thank the teachers for such success under difficult conditions? No. Instead, Republicans attack teachers as the problem and business complains that our education system is not preparing people for the workforce. Our infrastructure languishes in a state of deterioration even though there is broad acknowledgement of the importance of modern, high quality infrastructure for improved productivity.

They would have us believe all this is somehow both inevitable and good for us; and when it fails to be good for us, it's our fault; or rather it is actually what we want. They suggest we would rather do with less because it is character building. And if we are willing to make do with ever less and less, things will somehow get better because business will blossom and, despite the historical failure of this trickle down theory, it is we who will benefit thanks to the Republican party and business.

Case in point are two new pieces of legislation sought by business through their Republican legislators that seek to protect Idaho business from competition at the expense of both the workers and the general public. This legislation is a virtual admission that Idaho business are not up to the task. But this is more than mere politics. We should all be asking instead, why can't our businesses compete, even with advantages earned not in the market place but in the political arena?

One answer that seems obvious is that Idaho businesses may be out of shape. Perhaps they are inefficient, too much capital is taken out by owner/managers or they just don't expect to work as hard. In any case it seems the Republicans are more in the role of the enabler rather than the tough love parent and businesses are eager to shift the risks and pain of a competitive market to the public. Thus they both weaken business. They both go for the sure and substantial profit at the expense of growing lean, tough and competitive. It is simple whining and dishonesty to complain that even with substandard wages and benefits a business can't compete with those big, bad unions from across the borders. No, the problem is obviously with the business not the workers and coddling the business will not make it stronger.

Jerry Shriner is retired from the field of criminal justice and lives near Rockford Bay in the family home where he grew up.