Elgar would have offered important opposing view

I know this sounds like sour grapes, but in endorsing Eric Anderson to return to the Idaho Legislature, the Bee painted his opponent, Steve Elgar, as a political opportunist, portraying him as rising "up around election time and isn't as engaged year-round as Anderson."

Now the Bee is certainly entitled to its opinion, but it should base that opinion on fact. Elgar is very engaged year-round. Not only is he a member of the same Northern Lights Board of Directors as Anderson, he is also involved with several local non-profit organizations, including a local free medical clinic, Partners in Care, that is very important to this community. A quick check of Anderson's resume shows lots of activities, but all with political or quasi-political agencies. Those are not inappropriate activities but they show a clear interest in creating a resume to support his political career, not his community. Yeah, I know, sour grapes.

 The point is, Idaho is not well served by a government of yes men. That is the lesson we should have learned from the Bush Administration and the go along Congress that enabled Bush for six years. Idaho needs more than one point of view in its leadership in order to make progress. That's the lesson of the property tax relief bill passed two years ago that could have been so much better than it was for the people of Idaho by incorporating some of the ideas of the Democratic minority. It's a fact of life that many Idaho voters are conservative, but they should at least be able to go to the polls with a fair representation of the candidates. We know the consequences of winning at any cost.

BOB WYNHAUSEN

Sandpoint