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<H2>Moscow debate features no debate</H2><BR>
<ADDRESS><BR>By Alexis Bacharach Daily News staff writer</ADDRESS><BR>A Moscow
Civic Association sponsored candidate debate turned into a rally for Democrats
on Wednesday, when Republican candidates failed to show up.
<P>State Rep. Shirley Ringo was scheduled to debate the issues with her
Republican opponent, Earl Bennett.
<P>Likewise, Democrat candidate Mark Solomon was scheduled to debate the issues
with his Republican opponent, Rep. Tom Trail.
<P>All but one of the local Republican candidates in various state and county
races refused to attend two MCA sponsored debates.
<P>The Republicans claimed the community organization is stacked with Democrats
and, therefore, incapable of sponsoring an unbiased debate.
<P>"I'm horrified the opposition failed to attend tonight's debate, and their
reasons for not attending simply don't hold water," Ringo said. "It amuses me
almost, that they had the time to wander around town and see whose signs you had
in your yards."
<P>Solomon described the "Republican-created" controversy over the MCA debates
as a "tempest in a teapot."
<P>"None of the other forums we've attended have allowed the candidates to
really debate the issues back and forth," he said. "I was looking forward to
exploring and discussing the issues facing the Legislature one-on-one with my
opponent."
<P>Instead of a debate, Ringo and Solomon sat side by side, representing the
Democratic Party in Idaho.
<P>"The one-party system in Idaho is highly dysfunctional," Ringo said. "The
very conservative Republicans will pick candidates in the primary elections to
eliminate the moderates in their own party. They attempted to get rid of Sen.
Gary Schroeder in the latest primary."
<P>Audience members submitted written questions for the candidates on notecards.
They seemed particularly interested in taxes, education and the climate in the
Legislature.
<P>One audience member asked Ringo and Solomon how to curb "the anti-public
education" sentiment among Idaho lawmakers.
<P>"The only way is to change the make-up of the Legislature," Ringo said. "If
the Republicans start to feel threatened by the other side, you will start
seeing a lot of changes, I think."
<P>Ringo said education will never get a fair shake until there is more than one
party in the Idaho Legislature. Even the State Board of Education is partisan,
she added.
<P>"We have to do something about the board of education. It is just totally out
of control," Ringo said. "Last session I introduced legislation that would make
the board of education bipartisan. In fact, Idaho code states board members
should be appointed by the governor, and that no consideration shall be made
with regard to party affiliation. Every appointed member on the board is a
Republican."
<P>Ringo and Solomon said it will take more Democrats and moderate Republicans
to pass tax reform legislation necessary to adequately fund education.
<P>"People at the top 20 percent are paying a smaller portion of income tax than
the working-class families. There is something wrong with that," Solomon said.
"Fairness is an issue. Corporations in Idaho are currently paying 29 percent
less taxes than their peers nationally. The Idaho State Tax Commission said we'd
gain an additional $159 million annually if we level the playing field."
<P>Solomon said that money could be used to increase teacher pay, repair unsafe
schools and improve the overall quality of education for Idaho students.
<P>Ringo pointed to conservative Republican leaders in charge of revenue and
taxation legislation and education legislation. In both cases, she said leaders
have shown they are opposed to creating revenue and they are opposed to public
education.
<P>"We have a chairman of the House Education Committee who said, 'comparing a
kid that went to charter school to a kid that went to public school, is like
comparing a team that went to a Super Bowl to a team that never made it,' "
Ringo said. "The chairwoman of the Revenue and Taxation says if she has it her
way nothing will get out of her committee ...I apologize if I've been too
partisan tonight, but we absolutely don't need to reward (the Republican Party
in Idaho) by increasing its numbers."
<P>
<P><B>Alexis Bacharach can be reached at (208) 882-5561, ext. 234, or by e-mail
at abacharach@dnews.com.</B> </P></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>