[Vision2020] Stallings: Otter Still Doesn't Get It

[Tom Hansen]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

Contact: Chuck Oxley

(208) 226-1815 or (208) 871-4976

chuck at idaho-democrats.org

 

January 5, 2006

 

Stallings: Otter Still Doesn't Get It

 

BOISE, Idaho - Idaho Democratic Party Chairman Richard Stallings said
Thursday that Republican congressman C.L. "Butch" Otter still doesn't
understand that his job as a representative from Idaho is to preserve and
protect public access to federal lands - not just stand silently while
others auction it off. 

 

"Butch Otter still doesn't get it," said Stallings, a former congressman
from Idaho's 2nd Congressional District. "It's not enough for Otter simply
to take his name off the legislation. If he was doing his job, Otter would
be actively fighting against this bill and any others that would do the same
thing." 

 

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brady last month denounced Otter's
co-sponsorship of H.R. 3855, a federal bill sponsored by Rep. Tom Tancredo,
R-Colo., which seeks to sell off 15 percent of the U.S. Forest Service,
Bureau of Land Management and other Department of Interior lands. The bill
would use proceeds from the sales to pay for reconstruction of Hurricane
Katrina. 

 

For the past several weeks, Otter, who is seeking the Republican nomination
to the governor's office in 2006, has defended his actions -- despite a
cascade of calls from ordinary Idahoans who didn't want to see their
favorite hunting, fishing or camping grounds sold off to the highest bidder.
Sportsman's groups and former wildlife professionals also criticized Otter's
decision to lend his name to it as a co-sponsor. 

 

An online newspaper poll by The Idaho Statesman earlier this week indicated
more than 85 percent of the people opposed the idea. Stallings said it was
highly suspect that just days after the poll came out, Otter decided to
change his tune. 

 

"He's just trying to make this issue go away before the election season.
It's too bad that Idahoans have to threaten his job to get him to listen to
them," Stallings said. "While he may have reversed course in this case, what
will happen the next time? This is not who we want as our state's next chief
executive." 

 

At a separate legislative discussion forum earlier on Thursday, state Senate
Minority Leader Clint Stennett, D-Ketchum, said he intends to sponsor an
Joint Memorial to Congress that will put Idaho firmly and officially on
record as being opposed to wholesale sell-offs of federal lands. Stennett
said later Thursday that he still intends to move forward with the bill.

 

"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving
safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in
sideways, chocolate in one hand, a drink in the other, body thoroughly used
up, totally worn out and screaming 'WOO HOO. What a ride!'"

 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mailman.fsr.com/pipermail/vision2020/attachments/20060105/5c6181b5/attachment-0001.htm