Idaho’s last legislative session ended with much money wasted and nothing much to show for it. The reason for this squandered opportunity is that most of our state’s legislators including those representing Kootenai County would rather use their time resisting vaccinations and mask mandates. This political behavior comes at the expense of our state’s public health. In fact, a recently published article in the Washington Post stated that Red State residents are paying a price for this resistance. The article reports that “23 states have new case totals per capita higher than the nation overall, and 21 voted for Donald Trump.” This tally includes Idaho. The cost of choosing political expediency over science and public health is that more people are getting infected, resulting in more hospitalizations, and more unnecessary deaths.
Unfortunately, a surprising number of Idahoans prefer the theatrics and ignore the reality. Given the GOP’s success in justifying legislation with misinformation, it is likely that this trend will continue. To help us sort through it all, House Minority Leader Rep. Ilana Rubel irubel@house.idaho.gov will join us. She will offer her insights into what we should anticipate in the coming session. Join her this Friday, at 12pm online, for a breakdown of the legislative year to come.
ABOUT Ilana Rubel
Ilana Rubel’s first term in the Idaho Legislature started on January 8, 2014. She replaced outgoing Minority Leader Matt Erpelding in December 2019. Ilana joined the law firm of Fenwick & West, LLP in 2007. She took a leave of absence from the firm to serve in the legislature. Ilana represents Legislative District 18 which serves Southeast Boise. She is a graduate of Georgetown and Harvard Law School.
ABOUT OUR MEETINGS
The Democratic Club meets each Friday at noon online. We distribute a Zoom link for our club meetings each Thursday prior to the meeting date. Contact Phil at pjwmia@aol.com, to request the link or assistance getting connected. We will return to in person/online meetings as soon as it becomes safe to do so. You can find videos of past Club meetings at KootenaiCountyDemClub.com/Meeting Videos.
