I am Kathryn Larson, and I am running for Idaho House District 1, Seat B, because I care very deeply about Boundary and Bonner counties and our democracy. I do not believe that the laws that are being passed by our legislature represent the “live and let live” values of the majority of Idahoans. Idahoans are fiercely independent, yet we are there to help our neighbors when they need help. And that help is not dependent upon common political or religious beliefs. It’s no strings attached.
Three lenses inform my approach to issues:
Local Matters – Decisions should be made locally and supported (rather than restricted) by state government. We cannot let federal dark money interests dictate decisions. Our vibrant library system is managed by thoughtful board members and library professionals. Yet it is under attack, not to protect our children, but to bankrupt our libraries. An illiterate electorate is easier to control. Our schools are systematically being weakened. In West Bonner County, the community had to mobilize to avoid losing their school. Proposed state legislation further disadvantages our rural schools. Rural hospitals struggle to stay open and yet legislators tried to stop Medicaid Expansion which is critical to keeping rural hospitals profitable. I’ll focus on the things that matter to citizens locally – not national culture war stuff.
Freedom – A small group of people exerting control over the rest of us is not freedom, that is power. We can’t let bullies dictate decisions for the rest of us. We need the freedom of knowing that our children will get the same high-quality education here in District 1, as the students in Boise. We need the freedom to be able to allow our children to read books that ignite their imaginations and transport them to new places. We need the freedom to afford to live close to our place of employment. I’ll focus on clean, transparent bills that don’t put inappropriate decisions into the hands of government.
An Economy that Works – Sound economic policy encourages our local businesses to thrive. The role of the state should be to remove the roadblocks and ensure that we have an infrastructure that supports a healthy quality of life. Most of our citizens are middle class. We need to ensure that they are not spending disproportional amounts of their income on housing, childcare, taxes, food, and other necessities. Discretionary income fuels economies. You deserve elected officials who legislate to encourage the health of our businesses, workers, and families.
The promise of democracy is representation for all citizens in North Idaho.