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During the year or so that “Reclaim Idaho’s” Medicaid expansion campaign has been under way, we’ve had the opportunity to examine its claims. Luke Mayville, its champion, unsurprisingly sees only benefits.

He says it’s a non-partisan, grassroots effort. Non-partisan? The campaign was kicked off and presented at predominantly Democrat groups. That’s because it resonates well with Democrat beliefs in more entitlements. In one of those meetings, he schooled Democrats in language to get conservatives on board by downplaying their concerns, such as “reproductive rights,” especially since Planned Parenthood endorses the campaign.

Grassroots? The campaign is funded by a Washington, D.C., leftist group, The Fairness Project, which has contributed half a million dollars used to hire professional signature gatherers for its petition drive. Mayville insists that 97 percent of those people are “volunteers.”

What about the massive number of new Medicaid enrollees expected? No problem, in fact, the more the better! Because even if we blow past the original estimates, it’s all good because the federal government will pick up the costs. Therefore, it’s “free!” He’ll have us believe that this free money is already sitting in Washington, D.C., waiting for us to reclaim it. Pure nonsense. But maybe that’s how he came up with the name of “Reclaim Idaho”?

Without details, he also asserts that 5,000 new jobs and $20 million in new tax revenue will be generated annually.

We are also to believe that very few Medicaid enrollees are unemployed. Mountains of data contradict that. Mayville claimed at a recent meeting that he hadn’t seen data of that kind.

On Nov. 6, let’s not willfully suspend our good judgment. Vote no on this boondoggle.

ANITA PERRY

Sandpoint