OUR VIEW
‘Occupiers’ can learn from Tea Party
It’s not just enough to identify a problem. If you want to ultimately solve it in America, you must have a concrete solution, then convince a majority to legally, peacefully enact it
Occupy Boise protesters say they plan to start an encampment at the old Ada County Courthouse grounds starting Saturday, and they say they won’t stop until the “system is fixed,” according to a story posted Wednesday on KTVB.com . Occupy Boise is a local version of the national Occupy Wall Street movement. Described by some as a liberal version of the Tea Party, it’s a loose amalgam of various left-wing factions, from war protesters to environmentalists, from anarchists to recent college graduates saddled with massive student loan debt working minimum-wage jobs, from homeless people to jobless people. While the stated reasons for their anguish vary, the central theme is this: A tiny percentage of rich people and corporations control the vast majority of the wealth. They’re right. The disparity between the affluent and the middle class has grown exponentially. A report by the Congressional Budget Office found that income for the top 1 percent of earners has increased 275 percent since 1979. During that same time, income for the rest of us went up just 18 percent. More than 40 percent of Americans save less than 5 percent of their income because they need most of that money to live on. That puts more and more pressure on a Social Security system teetering on the edge of insolvency. The Tea Party has been the most successful political movement in decades. It helped Republicans garner a net gain of some 70 seats in the House and Senate and helped the GOP take control of 19 state legislatures that used to be controlled by Democrats. How did they do it? By identifying a problem and offering a clear, concise, specific remedy. Government debt and spending are out of control, so it’s time to cut spending, cut taxes and adhere to a strict, Originalist interpretation of the Constitution. No “living, breathing document” stuff, and no using “promote the general welfare” as a justification for more and more unmandated government. Then they endorsed candidates who supported that platform. And while some Tea Partiers are also social conservatives, the group does not make issues such as gay marriage and abortion part of its platform. If the Occupy groups want to affect change, they need to follow this model. It’s not enough to just identify a problem. You also need to propose a specific, narrow, focused solution. That hasn’t happened yet. One would assume they want higher taxes on the rich and government redistribution of that wealth. If so, they should be specific — “fair share” is too vague. Your definition of “fair” can be much different than your neighbor’s. Provide some actual numbers for what “fair” is, sell your specific, detailed ideas and plans, whatever they may be, to your fellow Americans, endorse candidates who promise to enact such legislation and see what happens on Election Day. That’s what democracy really looks like. A candidate questionnaire on Occupy Boise’s website asks candidates if they are willing to reject corporate and large donations and what actions they’ve taken to reduce corporate influence in government. How, precisely, would that redress growing wealth disparity, which is — according to the group — the ultimate problem? It’s good to see people getting engaged in the public process, as long as they do so peacefully and respectfully. It’s far better than apathy. But all the days and nights of camping out and waving signs won’t really matter without a clear solution — a “how” — the majority of us will support. n Our view is based on the majority opinions of the Idaho Press-Tribune editorial board. Members of the board are Publisher Matt Davison, Managing Editor Vickie Holbrook and community members Tim Vandeventer and Sandi Levi, all of Nampa; Opinion Editor Phil Bridges and community member John Blaisdell of Caldwell, and Alex Zamora of Wilder.See, they want you to believe that the Tea Party actually had an agenda rather than a melange of differing views and a bunch of people who had no idea what they ALL stood for. The Occupy movement is about people who DO have an agenda that they all agree on.
Watch out Righties, you are making the same mistakes Tricky Dickie Nixon did when he discounted the "Youth Movement" in the 60s. Do not discount this movement because it is getting the youth involved in what's happening to our country economically and politically. The youth, because of their youth, will be able to keep up the pressure. Oldsters like me haven't got the energy to continue with a sit-in.
Word to the wise...WATCH OUT with what you say about the youth's movements. And never, never mess with Unions.
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BOISE STATE FOOTBALL
RELATED: WHY AND WHY NOT BOISE STATE SHOULD JOIN THE BIG EAST, A1; INSIDE: STATE BOARD TO DISCUSS BIG EAST MOVE, B2
Source: Big East to invite Boise State
Conference commissioner expects targeted schools to accept
PHILADELPHIA — The Big East is ready to start adding members after spending the last month and a half losing them. A person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press the Big East will invite Boise State, Navy and Air Force for football only and SMU, Houston and Central Florida for all sports in upcoming days. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the conference was not ready to announce its plan. Commissioner John Marinatto declined to elaborate on the Big East’s next moves after meeting with the league’s presidents at a Philadelphia hotel Tuesday. He said he expected the targeted schools to accept, but details still must be worked out with each. “As we’ve learned over the last two months, don’t believe anything anybody tells you. Nothing’s done until it is over. So I’m obviously being very cautious and that’s why I’m reluctant to say names of schools,” he said. Marinatto did acknowledge the league intends to expand west. Boise State and Air Force, both in the Mountain West Conference, and SMU and Houston, members of Conference USA, would be in the Big East’s western division, along with Louisville and Cincinnati. Navy, an independent, and UCF, also from CUSA, would be part of the league’s eastern division with Connecticut, South Florida, Rutgers and another school. The league would then likely play a conference championship game. The Big East has been working on a plan to add those six schools and reconfigure as a 12-team football conference since not long after Syracuse and Pittsburgh announced Sept. 18 they would be leaving for the Atlantic Coast Conference. “We got reaffirmation from our members that that was the way we wanted to go,” Marinatto said. “It was probably a very small part of our meeting today, where they just reaffirmed everything we had been talking about and authorized me to move forward with formal discussions to get this all wrapped up as soon as possible.” Exactly when was unclear. “We have not received an invitation from the Big East. However, we understand the things are moving in that direction,” UCF spokesman Grant Heston said. Navy athletic director Chet Gladchuk said Tuesday he had not yet heard from any Big East officials. A couple weeks after the Big East found out about Pitt and Syracuse, TCU announced it was backing out of a commitment to join the league next year and instead accepted an invite to the Big 12. Then last week West Virginia accepted an invitation to the Big 12, stripping the Big East of its most successful football member in recent years. So even with the six potential new members, the Big East still needs another school to get to 12 for the long term. “We didn’t get into the discussion of specifically replacing West Virginia,” Marinatto said. Temple and Memphis are being considered, the person with knowledge of the Big East’s decision said. Temple AD Bill Bradshaw declined comment. “We’re having discussions with Big East officials and continue to consider all of our options,” Boise State spokesman Frank Zang said. Marinatto said again that the Big East intends to enforce the league’s 27-month notification period and will hold Pitt, Syracuse and West Virginia in the conference until July 2014. The ACC has said it will not challenge the Big East’s rules, but the Big 12 needs 10 teams to fulfill its television contracts in 2012 and has said it expects West Virginia to replace Missouri and join the league next year. Missouri is expected to leave for the Southeastern Conference soon. West Virginia filed a lawsuit Monday challenging the Big East’s waiting period and asking the court to speed the school’s divorce from the league. “I quite frankly was stunned when I heard the news that they were filing a lawsuit,” Marinatto said. “I couldn’t understand under what grounds.” Even with new members ready to commit, the Big East might not have enough football teams next season without Syracuse, Pittsburgh and West Virginia. According to Conference USA bylaws, UCF, SMU and Houston would not be able to compete in the Big East until 2013, CUSA spokeswoman Courtney Archer said. Those teams would also have to pay a $500,000 exit fee and relinquish about $6.13 million in television revenue. Mountain West bylaws won’t stand in the way of Boise State or Air Force leaving immediately, but they would have to relinquish this year’s revenue, plus pay either $5 million or double the revenue, whichever is greater. If Boise State makes it to the Bowl Championship Series this season, it could cost as much as $21 million for the Broncos to jump to the Big East in 2012. But getting access to an automatic BCS bid, something neither the MWC nor CUSA has, is what Boise State and most schools are chasing these days. The MWC and CUSA have announced a football merger they hope will land it BCS automatic bid. The Big East has that, at least through the 2013 season, and hopes its latest incarnation can keep it — and be attractive enough to television networks to land a billion-dollar deal similar to what the other automaticqualifying BCS leagues have signed in recent years. “(Former Commissioner) Mike Tranghese reinvented the conference in 1990 by creating a football element in order to service its members at the time,” Marinatto said. “We reinvented it again in 2003 and created the biggest and most diverse conference in the country. And now because of all these circumstances, we’re reinventing it a fourth time.”My answer...NO. Do not move from the Mountain West Conference at this time. If BSU does make the move, all other sports will be sucking hind tit. They will either have to go back to the WAC or Big Sky conferences because they would not be welcome at the Mountain West Conference. Kustra, the answer is no...please do not move.
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Congressman Rush compares NCAA to Maÿa
WASHINGTON — A Democratic congressman compared the NCAA to the Mafia over how it controls the lives of student athletes. “I think they’re just one of the most vicious, most ruthless organizations ever created by mankind,” Illinois Rep. Bobby Rush said of the NCAA at a congressional forum on college sports Tuesday. “I think you would compare the NCAA to Al Capone and to the Mafia.” Rush made the accusations at the forum called to look at the impact of “back-room deals, payoffs and scandals” in college sports. The congressman spoke after hearing from a couple of mothers of former student-athletes who complained of ill treatment by schools after their sons suffered injuries. “Congressman Rush obviously doesn’t know the NCAA,” Bob Williams, a spokesman for the organization, said in an email Tuesday night. “The NCAA and its member institutions provide over $2 billion per year in scholarships, financial assistance and academic support to student-athletes ... second only to the federal government. Student-athlete success is our mission.”TO THIS A FIRMLY AGREE. These people are destroying college sports and they get vicious when it comes to a coach or team they don't like.
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Everyone seems panicked that when Kellen Moore leaves BSU, what on earth are we gonna do? Without Kellen, BSU's football team will go into the dumper. Yikes!!!
Have heart fans. Not so. Kellen is great, but he is only one man in a huge roster of talented people at Boise State. While Kellen has lead us to bowls and trophies, the coaches have been quietly recruiting some pretty fantastic players. Some are 4-star athletes.
And have we forgotten Southwick? Joe has a rocket launch arm. He can throw the ball accurately 60 yard down the field. He will seamlessly take the helm when Kellen leaves. We also have a running QB waiting in the wings to back up Joe. Never fear BSU fans, Football is in very good hands m'dears.
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