Governor Little recently made the decision to move the state back to stage 3 in the grand reopening plan.  Several outlets have reported that Idaho hospitals are close to being at capacity due to a flood of Covid patients.  Several states, including Utah, have floated the idea of rationed healthcare because of the overflow of patients.

Governor Little made the call and just about everyone is mad at him.  Let's go through the list of the usual suspects.

The Democrats

Senator David Nelson (D-Moscow) expressed his disappointment via a party press release.  “Governor Little has taken a small step in the right direction by moving Idaho back to Stage 3, but he needs to start sprinting in the right direction.” Nelson said. “There are minimal differences between Stages 3 and 4 in Idaho’s Rebound plan because these stages are meant to be used after Idaho has turned the corner and significantly reduced the danger of contracting coronavirus. Idahoans are in more danger than ever. Coronavirus cases are rapidly increasing in every corner of the state and our hospitals are in crisis mode. In Kootenai county and Twin Falls county, their hospitals are completely full.”

It appears the senator will not be getting an invitation to the governor's Christmas Party.  However, what is he advocating?  A further shutdown will hurt Idaho's workforce which is currently the lowest unemployment rate in the country.

The Teachers

IEA President Layne McInelly in a written statement shared her thoughts on the governor's announcement.  'We appreciate Gov. Little recognizing the hard work of Idaho educators. However, the lack of accountability related to testing, tracing and transparency remains a major concern in our schools. Without it, and with physical space limited by classroom sizes in our state that rank sixth highest in the country, we have little confidence that the move to Stage 3 will keep students and educators safe in many areas of the state.'

Just like the above statement it's nothing more than criticism without solutions.  Granted both press releases had additional quotes with said absolutely nothing.  Is she asking the state to mandate remote learning?  How did that work out in the Spring?

The Conservatives

The Idaho Freedom Foundation and several of the state's most conservative law makers have filmed a video criticizing the state's plan for just about everything.  The video is successful because, once again , the IFF has grabbed an issue by making it there own.  However, hat does this video accomplish besides position lawmakers as opinionated vloggers?  Does the video move the needle?  You can view the video below.

Being a leader is not about being popular.  Everyone can be a critic, but who's offering solutions?  Please let me know your thought on this article.  I'd love to hear if you agree or disagree with my thoughts.

 

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