Idahoans express their thoughts to congressmen

Residents of north central Idaho still haven't secured a town hall meeting with their congressmen, but they got the chance Wednesday to share their thoughts and concerns with staff members.

More than 20 people, many of them from Moscow, gathered Wednesday afternoon in Sen. James Risch's Lewiston office for a meeting with staff members from his office, as well as the offices of Sen. Mike Crapo and Rep. Raul Labrador. Risch spokesman Mike Hanna, Crapo spokesman Tony Snodderly and Labrador spokesman Scott Carlton did not respond to comments, but did accept letters and written statements.

Along with serving as a sounding board, the main purpose of the meeting was to ask for town hall meetings with representatives. Labrador has scheduled such public meetings in southern Idaho, but so far, Risch and Crapo have not.

Lauren Fins of Moscow, a former University of Idaho professor in forest resources, spoke Wednesday on the importance of the Environmental Protection Agency. She recalled a past case of lead poisoning in Kellogg children, noting it was the EPA that stepped in on that issue. The agency, she argued, needs to be kept in place and funded.

"Please let the agency do the job it was intended to do for the sake of the American people and for the sake of their - our - long-term health," Fins said.

People and their health came up again when Wayne Ruby, a Moscow physician, brought up America's health care system, noting neither the Affordable Care Act nor proposed Republican plans control any health insurance costs. He said Americans spend a lot of money on health care, but added that America still does not have the best quality health care in the world.

"There's this blind faith that the free market will control health care costs, and it doesn't work in health care," Ruby said. " ... We have to get control of costs, and the only people that can do that is the government."

Diane Baumgart of Moscow made note of recent military conflicts, including bombings in Yemen and Syria. She said she wanted Congress to clarify what levels of military involvement are justified, and called for a long-term strategy.

"I'd like to push for a long-term strategy that has emphasis on increased diplomacy, sanctions, non-military actions and coordinated efforts with China and our NATO allies," Baumgart said.

Thinking of people trying to escape war-ridden countries was a concern for Moscow resident Betsy Dickow. She has a Jewish heritage, and her family came to America to escape "repression" and "tyranny."

"This country has always opened its arms. That's how we all ended up here. I think we need to continue to open our arms," Dickow said.

In a similar vein, Kathy Dawes of Moscow said that building a wall along the United States' border with Mexico was a "very offensive" way to treat neighbors. She added that cost estimates for the construction project have ranged from $12 billion to $64 billion, and said it's likely American taxes will pay for that.

"This is fiscally irresponsible," she said. "This budget item will raise our national debt and make us and our children responsible for paying it off for many years."

Dana Dawes, Kathy's husband, had some additional money concerns - namely to do with what he called conflicts of interest in President Donald Trump's business entanglements. Coming from a family of business owners, Dawes said he was "appalled" by Trump's "alarming entanglements" and "half-hearted" measures taken to address them.

"I'm anxious to see our congresspeople ... ensure that the president is no longer in a position to advance his own interests at the expense of the public," he said.

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Embree may be contacted at cembree@lmtribune.com or (208) 669-1298. Follow her on Twitter @chelseaembree.