<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><div>Courtesy of today's (April 10, 2017) Lewiston Tribune with a note of thanks to Diane Prorak.</div><div><br></div><div>---------------------------------</div><div><br></div><div><div><b>Phone Home</b></div><div><br></div><div>Dan Foreman was recently the only Idaho state senator to vote against the higher education budget proposal, while representing a district in which higher education is an important economic factor.</div><div><br></div><div>Many of his constituents are connected to the University of Idaho as employees, students or parents of students.</div><div><br></div><div>His stated reason: The budget request was loaded with "pork." So I asked him if he had consulted with any of his knowledgeable constituents about the UI budget request to see if perhaps it was "leaner" than he first thought.</div><div><br></div><div>I had to ask him twice and he never answered my question. I can only interpret that to mean he never asked about or researched something of vital economic interest to his district.</div><div><br></div><div>He said he consults the Idaho Freedom Foundation as an "unbiased" source.</div><div><br></div><div>Foreman needs to learn the difference between objective and opinion sources. The Freedom Foundation is a conservative advocacy group, is very biased and should not be the only source a decision-maker uses.</div><div><br></div><div>He may be able to justify voting against a bill, but not ignoring his responsibility to thoroughly research a bill relevant to his district.</div><div><br></div><div>It's clear Foreman does not have any interest in helping his district thrive. He is just using his Senate seat to push his own extreme agenda. He needs to get out of his extremist bubble, face reality (such as that his survey of a few of his supporters is not a valid poll) and do his job for District 5.</div><div><br></div><div><b>Diane Prorak, Moscow</b></div></div><div><br></div><div>---------------------------------<br><br><div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Seeya 'round town, Moscow, because . . .</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">"Moscow Cares" </span></div><div><a href="http://www.moscowcares.com/" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><font color="#000000">http://www.MoscowCares.com</font></a></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span></div><div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Tom Hansen</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Moscow, Idaho</span></div></div><div><br></div></div></div></body></html>