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Sen. Corder. I have this issue.” And of course, they said, “OK, we’ll take care of that.” That’s what legislators are supposed to do.
Let’s talk about that primary. I’ve heard it said that you and Sen. Brackett are friends. Actually, we’re acquaintances. I use the word “friend” very sparingly. Were the two of you ever at odds? For some reason, he got engaged on the issue of soil conservation districts. I wanted to have them governed differently than he did. I was the chairman of the Agriculture Committee, and I wanted to have some more conversations on the matter. I went to his office to talk to him about it. I told him there were two things in the bill that I believed needed to be changed. He made the comment, “OK, but you can’t keep changing your mind.” In all my years in the Legislature, no one could accuse me of not being consistent. And Sen. Brackett had a bit of an angry tone in his voice. Well, I made it clear, within four seconds, that I hadn’t changed my mind on the issue and this was the way it was going to be. That was the end of it. How did your legislative district change through reapportionment? It moved south and it expanded. I really didn’t think they would go as far as they did in bringing so much of Twin Falls County into the district. That resulted in an interesting mix of urbanites and farmers. Is there risk in that? There’s certainly risk to those who don’t respond well to urbanites. For instance, I said that I thought the sales tax exemption for agriculture equipment ought to go away. It’s
simply not fair; it’s a terrible idea. Eliminating the exemption would have been more equitable and eliminate some animosity that town people have against ag. I said, “One of these days, there’s going to be more town people than ag people, and they’re going to take everything away from you. So maybe you ought to sit at the table and offer something to make people feel better about ag.” I was trying to get them to understand, and not be so selfish or greedy. Would you ever consider lobbying? For the right cause. I would only lobby for something I really believed in. I would never be a lobbyist that was for sale, a hired gun. Where do you think the Republican party is heading? Downhill and to the right. Is there great risk there? Risk to the party, to Idaho and to America. The idea of political parties was to get people engaged. But now, both parties in Idaho have become clubs. Look at the GOP closed primary and the caucuses. That’s a club. Then they want to say who can be a member of the club. That’s anti-American. That’s socialism at the highest degree. Do you have a sense that the Republican party will eventually lose votes because of this? Absolutely. This pendulum is swinging. If anything, Idaho is dying for an active independent party. What’s next for you? I’m beginning a column for the Idaho Business Review. Plus, spending a lot more time with the kids and grandkids. That’s the best contribution to life I can make.
RALL willingness and/or inability to issue a list of demands. Not me. I have seen how the debates within Occupy have empowered the voiceless who used to think politics was for politicians. Let the oppressors try to guess how we may be mollified, how they might avoid revolution. Demands would define us too narrowly and separate us from one another. But things have changed. We have been kicked out of our encampments. Occupy groups in numerous cities have split into radical and reformist factions. There really is no place for the liberals in Occupy. Democratic apologists should go where they belong, to volunteer for Obama. We real Occupiers, we radicals, should come together around a list of demands that define us, and allows the wait-and-see public what we’re about, to understand that we are fighting for them—demands that a somewhat reasonable and responsive government would agree to, but cannot and will not because it would counter their insane, addictive greed, their lust to control and own everything. 6
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There should be demands for justice: prison sentences and fines for the politicos and corporate execs whose behavior was not only reprehensible but illegal, along with the seizure of their companies and their properties for the public good. There should be demands for redress for victims of crimes, economic and otherwise. Torture victims need counseling and homes, and deserve punitive and compensatory damages. Those who lost their homes to illegal foreclosures need not only their lives back but also interest and cash penalties. And there should be demands for systemic changes: opening ballots to third parties; making it illegal for elected representatives to talk to businesspeople, much less accept contributions; rigorously enforcing the Constitution, laws and treaty obligations; expanding the Bill of Rights to include such obvious 21st century necessities as a right to a college education, a right to a living wage and a right to be treated for any illness, without charge, just because you’re American and you live in the wealthiest society that has ever existed, anywhere.
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