Welcome to my new blog

It's after 5 and the work is done. The building is quiet; most legislators are on their way home. Most days, 5 to 7 o’clock is the best time for me to catch up on emails, phone calls, letters and — now — blogging.

I have avoided blogging prior to this for several reasons. Things like fear of commitment, being “too busy” or just the thought that “who reads these things anyway?” (I do, sometimes.) Then there’s the un-civil nature of some of the discourse we often see in the comment threads. Anonymity seems to bring out the worst in people. But the editors here at the Statesman have convinced me that people ARE interested in what legislators have to say. I hope to make it worthwhile to readers, and I’m interested in feedback on where you want us to take this.

I plan to mix it up with some days focused on policy and some on politics, with random observations on the more day-to-day human side thrown in.

Sitting here in my quiet office feels like quite the opposite of the current buzz about the cramped and crowded Capitol Annex. The Annex. That’s the name we’re calling the old Ada County Courthouse. I’m glad it still stands, and in its refurbished state it seems assured that this historic building won’t be squandered as I once feared. But these temporary quarters do bring up some interesting questions of protocol that Republican leadership came to discuss with us minority leaders recently.

Some protocol trivia: In the Capitol building — the Statehouse — we senators refer to the House of Representatives as the “body across the rotunda.” The rotunda being the open, round, central part of the Capitol building. There is no rotunda in the annex, but it was decided that the language would remain.

Consistency won out as well in how we refer to the Governor. During legislative debate one never refers to “the Governor”; the traditional term is “the gentleman on the second floor.” That made sense in the Capitol building, where the Governor’s office resides on the second floor and where the Governor by tradition may only visit the third (legislative) floor by invitation and while escorted by a legislator.

But Gov. Otter’s office is now located in the Borah Building. So it was decided that along with “the gentleman on the second floor” it would also be acceptable to refer to “the gentleman in the Borah Building.” By acclimation, we all agreed never to use “the gentleman in the Post Office.”

With that important business done, the adjustment to these new quarters continues.

Sen. David Langhorst
Idaho Legislature

access to legislators

I think it is awesome that an elected official is offering information through a BLOG! Better yet, allowing citizens to share their thoughts as well. At times it appears the public is limited to press releases in the media. Having a Blog will allow discussions, and when necessary...allows debate. Kudos!

Kudos Democrat Senator Langhorst!

This is great! I really liked your op-ed piece on public transit....so I am looking forward to your blog! It's nice to have such open and honest elected officials who are willing to put themselves out there into an open forum like blogging. Kudos as well.

Looking forward to more posts from you!

I didn't know you were blogging- I think it's great. Love to hear about what's going on from you!
Brooke

Well, I'll certainly be reading

Especially given I'm a constituent.

I just realized looking at the page on vote-smart.org that at least 'my district' at the state level has all democratic reps. Now we're talking!

Not Yet...

"Then there’s the un-civil nature of some of the discourse we often see in the comment threads. Anonymity seems to bring out the worst in people."

It's pretty bad at times, and I'm one of the guilty ones. I'll try to elevate my game and aspire to be like the Sklar brothers doing Cheap Seats.

Langhorst Blog

Aloha from the Big Island of Hawaii! Wow, never thought of you and "blog" in the same context. Did you ever start attending El-Ada CAP Board of Directors meetings? You always seemed to have a conflict on those days. Since I retired and moved to Hawaii, I have no way of knowing. This Statesman site is how I keep "in touch" with Idaho; a lot of the comment threads make me GLAD I left! You do seem to be doing a good job with the legislature. I will be watching how that goes.
Claudia

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

The recent under aged party goers in the vacnt house in Caldwell continues to raise the issue of what Idaho is planning to do about illegal immigrants and gangs that are costing us tax dollars in more than one way.

I know the legislature is considering a joint resolution to direct the feds to do more about this issue but why can't the Idaho legislature do some things like Arizona and other states are doing now to curb this probelm? It's long overdue.

I'm fed up of hearing that we need these folks to harvest our crops-they are not just in the fields-they are in all construction levles of work, etc. Most can't speak english which I believe is a requirement to enter the U.S. If we need them so bad they can come through the legal process.

It seems simple to indentify any illegal immigrant by doing a federal IRS or other check against SS# and names. Idaho Employers need to pay fines for such hirings and more sweeps by local and state enforcement agencires need to be done-Maybe if we applied more effort there we wouldn't need so much funding for transpotation expansion as we'd get them off the roads.

How about Championing a bill addressing the real issue-I think you would be surprised at the backing you would get-more than on domestic elk farms restrictions although as a hunter I support your efforts towards that end as well.
Look forward to some feedback on this one

Have to realize why & how illegal immigration came to be

before we can solve the problem. Corporate unAmerica wanted cheap labor, contributed to our representatives & put Americans out of work through illegal immigration. They promoted it & have fo over fifty years.

The same people who promoted it are not going to do much to stop it when American companies don't want to pay decent wages to Americans. Our misrepresentatives have interest in corporations & agriculture, some are business owners who use illegal immigrants & don't want to pay decent wages so their profits increase.

The American people are their own worst enemy, they buy foreign products because there are cheap. Making less money per hour due to our misrepresentation we can't afford American made products & the wages continue to fall or remain below poverty levels. Illegal immigration has then compounded every other problem like the cost of health care, driving, crime, & everyday life Americans used to appreciate before we were manipulated into poverty by the people we pay to represent US!

It's like compound interest in reverse. The more foreign product we buy the more American jobs are lost, wages continue to drop, more illegal immigration, more job loss, more crime, more police, higher taxes, more prisons, more illegal immigration, more schools, more crime, less wages, more crime, more prisons. Governmnet, the people we pay buy into tax cuts for every business in the country/world becasue they create jobs & who absorbs the taxes? American who make less money than they did thrity years ago plus pay higer taxes because our representatives gave tax cuts but somebody has to pay for roads & schools. We have a $9 trillion debt to prove it!

Who you going to vote for? Republican, democrat, the politician who had the most money contributed to them. They all lie to US, from supporting the war in Iraq to illegal immigration. All the little problems we have today are nothing compared to what we have in store through campaign finance, the sell out of the American people. There is another politician on trial or going to jail in the news everyday yet WE the People continue to be taken in the same shell game. If we want America to be about Americans, we're going to have to do it ourselves.

Only problem is the American people don't want to put in the effort & won't! It's to easy to vote in the next small change in agri corruption's or corporate unAmerica's pocket & lose, lose, lose! They make out like a bandit & detroy America & We the People pay for it. Enjoy working into your retiremet years.

That was in the paper today. Suddenly all these companies don't want to lose the experience of retirees. You wouldn't work cheap enough for fifty years but suddenly you're the best thing since canned beer? Government is manipulating the elderly out of retirement. The people we pay have run America so far into debt they have to keep retirees in the work force because the same representatives have busted our helth care to the point many can't quit their job, they need insurance & health care.

Comments re'; cheap labor and elk farms

I would wonder what business You are in?? with the cheap labor statement; I think there should be more enforcement on those hiring the wet backs and how are they paying. I stood and watched a contractor here in Meridian make a hand to hand pay-off to a man that appeared to be Mexican with three other Mexicans on the job, of pouring a foundation, and as he divided up the money with the other men and no one seemed to be concerned that I was standing there watching.
Now back to t;he what business your are in is your concern re: the Elk farms. You are a sportsman and, I will assume you must do something to make money as do the ELK FARMERS. We all must make a living some way.

Transportatiom/trucking

& I don't hire illegal immigrants. I know what you mean by contractors handing over the money & that is what I was pointing out. Illegal immigration has been promoted by our representatives for years & nobody seems to realize the damage it's done. I watched the meatpacking plants close the doors, bust the unions, & hire illegal immigrants in the late seventies & early eighties for half the money. That's our representation, busting unions & putting Americans out of work. None of it makes any sense, why promote illegal immigration for corporate unAmerica & put Americans in poverty & still expect them to pay all the taxes?

I'm not all about unions either because I've worked in them. Unions are their own worst enemy, drive wages up & prmote laziness? Our representatives aren't doing their job or we wouldn't need unions. Government has it all backwards. Free trade, illegal immigration, campaign contributions in return giving tax cuts & in the end the working class American pay for everything with less money.

Elk farms? I hunt but mostly birds. I don't support elk farms but I don't have time to mess with that just like I don't have time to go elk hunting. That's what we pay representatives to do, represent We the People. But they take $ from campaign contributors & hand out tax cuts we end up absorbing. That's why we have a $9 trillion debt. I wouldn't want a trophy rack if I had to shoot it inside a fence.
Waht would I do? Make up a bunch of lies about how I chased it all over the mountain & killed it with a knife when it charged?

Were there II's in that house?

I don't know, I only heard thugs were gettin' juiced.

You must know Mr. Om Nibus.