The Republican Party called for a censure. Maybe it was the wrong word, but the idea behind it was right. When politicians take it upon themselves to make decisions contrary to what the people or their party members want, it is not a representative government anymore. America is not a democracy, but instead, a representative form of government, a Republic. These four legislators did not represent us as a people or a party, whatever their rationale. Nor did they represent republicanism as set out in our platform.

The Republican Central Committee’s policy, as established by our own formal resolution, was to reject the State Health Care Exchange. We made it clear that our local legislators as well as the entire state that the Republican position was to reject the Democrat proposal for socialist health care in Idaho. It should be noted that the State Central Committee also voted rejecting the exchange.

There are valid and good reasons for standing against the state exchange, not the least of which is that it was a Democrat proposal injecting socialist principles into Idaho’s health-care system. Socialism has no place in a Republic.

But just as important in our decision to censure is this: We are the opposition party: Republican policy is for smaller government, less regulation, less micro- management of citizens lives. Democrats want anything but that. So, put another way, these legislators voted for bigger government, more government intrusion, more regulation, and more interference in the lives of each and every citizen of Idaho. The bottom line is that they rejected republican principles and voted Democrat. For our legislators, as part of the minority of Republicans, to have joined with the Democrats to make this the law in Idaho is astounding. It’s clear that they voted the way they wanted to vote. It was not hidden that Idaho citizens will, indeed, suffer at the hands of an overbearing federal bureaucracy with Idaho as its agent.

Now many can offer any rational they wish as to why this happened and why they had to vote for socialized medicine, we can argue the merits until we are blue in the face. The fact remains that these legislators joined with the Democrats to establish this socialist program: they voted Democrat. The purpose of the censure, in my mind, was to make it clear that this committee will not support Democrats even if they run as Republicans. If these gentlemen choose to run in the next election cycle, they will run without the support of many members of the Republican Central Committee. The Democrats will surely welcome them with open arms.

All elected officials are to be held accountable for what they do. It is every citizen’s responsibility to keep a close eye on what these officials are doing at all times. In my opinion, these legislators, Luke Malek, Ed Morse, Frank Henderson and John Goedde did not represent the people of Idaho.

MELANIE VANDER FEER

Precinct Committeeman

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