Who doesn't enjoy a little game of chance?

An occasional Powerball ticket, maybe, or the March Madness office pool?

But clean air shouldn't be left to luck. No matter what those merrymakers in the Canyon County Courthouse would have you think.

The county commissioners have come up with a remarkably tortured alternative to mandatory vehicle emissions testing — and forgive the bureaucratic jargon, but it's a doozy.

It took more than two months, but the Federal Election Commission has finally gone public with a letter dropping its case against former Idaho Rep. Bill Sali.

In the June 10 letter, released on Friday, the FEC said the Sali campaign had made "extensive efforts" to correct software problems that had caused delays in Sali's July 2008 fund-raising report. Consequently, the FEC has said it will take no further action against the Idaho Republican.

Here's what the commission said:

I have no idea whether Pam Lowe is telling the truth.

I don't know if the ousted Idaho Transportation Department chief's litany of good ol' boy complaints will hold up in court. But her legal filing, reported by The Associated Press last week, is just the kind of a fiasco this agency doesn't need.

Fired last month, Lowe has fired back with several explosive allegations.

Could be.

A Wall Street Journal writer uses Idaho's 1st District congressman as an illustration for that which ails the conservative wing of the Democratic caucus.

"(Minnick is) a supercharged example of the mess (House Speaker Nancy) Pelosi has created for dozens of conservative and freshman Democrats with her liberal health-care legislation," writes Kimberley A. Strassel.

Dear Mr. President:

You spoke a lot last year about hope and change.

So I hope you will change the dialogue about saving the Northwest's wild salmon. And you have a perfect opportunity to do it.

I don't copy and paste every press release that hits the inbox, but I found this one to be particularly pointed.

This tongue-lashing comes from Idaho Republican Party Chairman Norm Semanko, reflecting on President Obama's first 200 days in office.

I guess what I find pointed here (in response to a comment from becourteous") is the writing off of the Obama administration. Where Rush Limbaugh may only hope Obama's policies fail, Semako has declared them failed.

Here is Semanko's statement, in full:

What if we spend millions of taxpayer dollars on vaccinations and it doesn't change consumer behavior?

What if parents still refuse to immunize their children, even if the shots are inexpensive and readily available?

That's possible — even though Gov. Butch Otter did the right thing, however belatedly, by dedicating $2.1 million of "rainy-day" money to rescue the state's immunization program.

In the late 1980s, when Betty Richardson served as Ada County Democratic Party chairwoman, her party made inroads in local legislative races — including a high-profile 1988 campaign, when a relatively unknown Mike Burkett ousted Jim Risch, the GOP's Senate president pro tem.

In 2002, the former U.S. attorney picked up 39 percent of the vote in a uphill bid to unseat Republican U.S. Rep. Butch Otter. Running a congressional race was an education in politics, she now says, but she has no intent of running again.

One declaration of disaster. One prediction of disaster. In one 30-minute talk show appearance.

Appearing this morning on C-SPAN's "Washington Journal," Idaho Sen. Jim Risch maintained his opposition to the Obama administration's "cash for clunkers" program — and took a hard line on health care reform.

The freshman Republican criticized the philosophy behind the clunker plan, which provides rebates for Americans who trade in an old car for a new, fuel-efficient model. Risch opposed the original $1 billion plan, and said the administration has failed to track where the money went.

UPDATED, 10:20 a.m., with details about cost and source of funding.

Gov. Butch Otter has listened to health care providers — and a bipartisan legislative task force.

He says the state will pay for childhood vaccines through January. But it is only a short-term fix.

The state will take $2.1 million from its rainy-day fund to cover immunizations, Department of Health and Welfare spokeswoman Emily Simnitt said this morning. From there, Otter hopes legislators and health care providers will come up with a permanent funding plan.