Rise in extremism in Idaho is hurting young families and children under 5

When is this lunacy going to end? It's like a bad dream that just won't end. I mean, this is not a battle for the soul of America as its most vocal opponents have described it. It's child care for young children who are not in school yet simple so their parents can go to work, earn a living, and put food on the table at dinner time. How can that possibly be controversial?

---------------------------------------------------

In the months since a Republican house of representatives member first brought the grant for early childhood education to the legislature for a vote, far-right opponents have insisted, despite evidence and assurances proving otherwise, that the grant would be used to “indoctrinate” children five and under, and turn them into social justice activists.

Supporters of the grant include the state’s two Republican senators and its business lobby, but the most vocal opponents have pitched it as a “battle for the soul of America”.

The real battle, however, appears to be against the influence of fringe voices in Idaho politics. Though seemingly an obscure battle, the intensity of the fight in the state and the blood-curdling language used by its opponents reveals much about American politics in the post-Trump era.

It is a place where conspiracy theories run amok and where even some Republican legislators are at a loss how to combat the extremism of many of their supporters, who have concluded that grant money for educating young children represents a dire threat to their way of life.

Mike Satz, executive director of a new effort to combat extremism in Idaho, the Idaho 97 Project, said: “The politics have really started devolving and the extremists have really started taking control of the Republican party in the state, and now the policies are not for the people – conservative or liberal or whatever the ideology is.”

When it comes to the early childhood grant, the people who would be affected by it are watching and waiting to see if the money will be available to improve access to care – a typical family in the state spends 25% of its annual income on care for an infant and a four-year-old.

A vote in the house on whether or not to accept the money is expected any day. The house initially rejected the funds in early March, but the state senate approved an amended version of the bill by one vote earlier this month.

Supporters have flooded local news with opinion pieces clarifying misconceptions about the grant and explaining exactly how the money would be used, but they face a mountain of misinformation coming from some rightwing lawmakers and the libertarian group Idaho Freedom Foundation (IFF).

The Republican representative Charlie Shepherd provided an insight into this last week, when he told the Idaho Press that he approves of the amended version of the bill after voting against it in March.

Shepherd said that his earlier concerns about “indoctrination” had been addressed, but his constituents were not aware of that change. “And if I cannot educate them on what the bill actually does in time. At this point it’s almost political suicide for me to support the bill,” he confessed.


The amended version of the bill includes language that specifies that the appropriated money “shall not be used to dictate curricula for use by local collaboratives”. That was also true before, but the additional language makes it legally binding.

The executive director of one Idaho collaborative which could receive some of the funds, Andrew Mentzer, said the money would be beneficial for expanding childcare capacity and to help existing providers stay afloat in Valley County, a scenic, rural region in the west central part of the state.

“We lost two childcare facilities in the past 15 months in our area and that put about 50 families in a pretty bad position, during a pandemic, with regard to how and when they can go to work,” said Mentzer, executive director of the West Central Mountains Economic Development Council.

“A lot of the families ended up with situations where they had to cut hours or had a parent who couldn’t go to work, and that’s food on the table at the end of the day for the individual families.”

Already, the community is short 400 childcare slots. “Those are 400 kids whose parents can’t go to work,” Mentzer said.


The people stirring the pot
The grant money would be distributed to local collaboratives like Mentzer’s by the not-for-profit Idaho Association for the Education of Young Children (Idaho AEYC). This group is separate from its national affiliate, the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), a professional membership organization for people who work in education and childcare.

Intensity of Idaho childcare battle shows rise in extremism, post-Trump (msn.com)
The rise in liberal extremism hurts everyone. There's nothing logical or beneficial to any of it.
If you had actually bothered to read the article, it's far RW activists who are insisting that this funding would be used to turn young children in to social justice activists when the reality is the most controversial thing this children would likely be taught is how to build legos toys, or how to color within the lines in a coloring book, followed by a snack and a cup of milk and a midday nap followed by a recess period where they could run and play.
If you had bothered to take the time or understand the world, you'd know that childcare is NOT the responsibility of the Government. Ever. Full stop.

This is NOT extremism. Wanting the taxpayer to pay for the childcare of other people's children IS EXTREMISM.

How about taxpayer subsidized school lunches for children who would otherwise go hungry? Would you just let them go hungry? If so, would you please go to the schools to tell the children yourself.
Again, not what I am saying. When did the FEDS become responsible for feeding your brats?
 
When is this lunacy going to end? It's like a bad dream that just won't end. I mean, this is not a battle for the soul of America as its most vocal opponents have described it. It's child care for young children who are not in school yet simple so their parents can go to work, earn a living, and put food on the table at dinner time. How can that possibly be controversial?

---------------------------------------------------

In the months since a Republican house of representatives member first brought the grant for early childhood education to the legislature for a vote, far-right opponents have insisted, despite evidence and assurances proving otherwise, that the grant would be used to “indoctrinate” children five and under, and turn them into social justice activists.

Supporters of the grant include the state’s two Republican senators and its business lobby, but the most vocal opponents have pitched it as a “battle for the soul of America”.

The real battle, however, appears to be against the influence of fringe voices in Idaho politics. Though seemingly an obscure battle, the intensity of the fight in the state and the blood-curdling language used by its opponents reveals much about American politics in the post-Trump era.

It is a place where conspiracy theories run amok and where even some Republican legislators are at a loss how to combat the extremism of many of their supporters, who have concluded that grant money for educating young children represents a dire threat to their way of life.

Mike Satz, executive director of a new effort to combat extremism in Idaho, the Idaho 97 Project, said: “The politics have really started devolving and the extremists have really started taking control of the Republican party in the state, and now the policies are not for the people – conservative or liberal or whatever the ideology is.”

When it comes to the early childhood grant, the people who would be affected by it are watching and waiting to see if the money will be available to improve access to care – a typical family in the state spends 25% of its annual income on care for an infant and a four-year-old.

A vote in the house on whether or not to accept the money is expected any day. The house initially rejected the funds in early March, but the state senate approved an amended version of the bill by one vote earlier this month.

Supporters have flooded local news with opinion pieces clarifying misconceptions about the grant and explaining exactly how the money would be used, but they face a mountain of misinformation coming from some rightwing lawmakers and the libertarian group Idaho Freedom Foundation (IFF).

The Republican representative Charlie Shepherd provided an insight into this last week, when he told the Idaho Press that he approves of the amended version of the bill after voting against it in March.

Shepherd said that his earlier concerns about “indoctrination” had been addressed, but his constituents were not aware of that change. “And if I cannot educate them on what the bill actually does in time. At this point it’s almost political suicide for me to support the bill,” he confessed.


The amended version of the bill includes language that specifies that the appropriated money “shall not be used to dictate curricula for use by local collaboratives”. That was also true before, but the additional language makes it legally binding.

The executive director of one Idaho collaborative which could receive some of the funds, Andrew Mentzer, said the money would be beneficial for expanding childcare capacity and to help existing providers stay afloat in Valley County, a scenic, rural region in the west central part of the state.

“We lost two childcare facilities in the past 15 months in our area and that put about 50 families in a pretty bad position, during a pandemic, with regard to how and when they can go to work,” said Mentzer, executive director of the West Central Mountains Economic Development Council.

“A lot of the families ended up with situations where they had to cut hours or had a parent who couldn’t go to work, and that’s food on the table at the end of the day for the individual families.”

Already, the community is short 400 childcare slots. “Those are 400 kids whose parents can’t go to work,” Mentzer said.


The people stirring the pot
The grant money would be distributed to local collaboratives like Mentzer’s by the not-for-profit Idaho Association for the Education of Young Children (Idaho AEYC). This group is separate from its national affiliate, the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), a professional membership organization for people who work in education and childcare.

Intensity of Idaho childcare battle shows rise in extremism, post-Trump (msn.com)
The rise in liberal extremism hurts everyone. There's nothing logical or beneficial to any of it.
If you had actually bothered to read the article, it's far RW activists who are insisting that this funding would be used to turn young children in to social justice activists when the reality is the most controversial thing this children would likely be taught is how to build legos toys, or how to color within the lines in a coloring book, followed by a snack and a cup of milk and a midday nap followed by a recess period where they could run and play.
If you had bothered to take the time or understand the world, you'd know that childcare is NOT the responsibility of the Government. Ever. Full stop.

This is NOT extremism. Wanting the taxpayer to pay for the childcare of other people's children IS EXTREMISM.

The money was from a $6 million grant passed by the Trump administration, not a long-term commitment. Republican elected representatives support it. It sounds like it's only RW extremists who don't even have any small children who are against it. They're a bunch of RW lunatics who have let their imaginations run wild and are getting some kind of a sick kick out of causing chaos while unnecessarily hurting young parents and young preschool children.
When is this lunacy going to end? It's like a bad dream that just won't end. I mean, this is not a battle for the soul of America as its most vocal opponents have described it. It's child care for young children who are not in school yet simple so their parents can go to work, earn a living, and put food on the table at dinner time. How can that possibly be controversial?

---------------------------------------------------

In the months since a Republican house of representatives member first brought the grant for early childhood education to the legislature for a vote, far-right opponents have insisted, despite evidence and assurances proving otherwise, that the grant would be used to “indoctrinate” children five and under, and turn them into social justice activists.

Supporters of the grant include the state’s two Republican senators and its business lobby, but the most vocal opponents have pitched it as a “battle for the soul of America”.

The real battle, however, appears to be against the influence of fringe voices in Idaho politics. Though seemingly an obscure battle, the intensity of the fight in the state and the blood-curdling language used by its opponents reveals much about American politics in the post-Trump era.

It is a place where conspiracy theories run amok and where even some Republican legislators are at a loss how to combat the extremism of many of their supporters, who have concluded that grant money for educating young children represents a dire threat to their way of life.

Mike Satz, executive director of a new effort to combat extremism in Idaho, the Idaho 97 Project, said: “The politics have really started devolving and the extremists have really started taking control of the Republican party in the state, and now the policies are not for the people – conservative or liberal or whatever the ideology is.”

When it comes to the early childhood grant, the people who would be affected by it are watching and waiting to see if the money will be available to improve access to care – a typical family in the state spends 25% of its annual income on care for an infant and a four-year-old.

A vote in the house on whether or not to accept the money is expected any day. The house initially rejected the funds in early March, but the state senate approved an amended version of the bill by one vote earlier this month.

Supporters have flooded local news with opinion pieces clarifying misconceptions about the grant and explaining exactly how the money would be used, but they face a mountain of misinformation coming from some rightwing lawmakers and the libertarian group Idaho Freedom Foundation (IFF).

The Republican representative Charlie Shepherd provided an insight into this last week, when he told the Idaho Press that he approves of the amended version of the bill after voting against it in March.

Shepherd said that his earlier concerns about “indoctrination” had been addressed, but his constituents were not aware of that change. “And if I cannot educate them on what the bill actually does in time. At this point it’s almost political suicide for me to support the bill,” he confessed.


The amended version of the bill includes language that specifies that the appropriated money “shall not be used to dictate curricula for use by local collaboratives”. That was also true before, but the additional language makes it legally binding.

The executive director of one Idaho collaborative which could receive some of the funds, Andrew Mentzer, said the money would be beneficial for expanding childcare capacity and to help existing providers stay afloat in Valley County, a scenic, rural region in the west central part of the state.

“We lost two childcare facilities in the past 15 months in our area and that put about 50 families in a pretty bad position, during a pandemic, with regard to how and when they can go to work,” said Mentzer, executive director of the West Central Mountains Economic Development Council.

“A lot of the families ended up with situations where they had to cut hours or had a parent who couldn’t go to work, and that’s food on the table at the end of the day for the individual families.”

Already, the community is short 400 childcare slots. “Those are 400 kids whose parents can’t go to work,” Mentzer said.


The people stirring the pot
The grant money would be distributed to local collaboratives like Mentzer’s by the not-for-profit Idaho Association for the Education of Young Children (Idaho AEYC). This group is separate from its national affiliate, the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), a professional membership organization for people who work in education and childcare.

Intensity of Idaho childcare battle shows rise in extremism, post-Trump (msn.com)
The rise in liberal extremism hurts everyone. There's nothing logical or beneficial to any of it.
If you had actually bothered to read the article, it's far RW activists who are insisting that this funding would be used to turn young children in to social justice activists when the reality is the most controversial thing this children would likely be taught is how to build legos toys, or how to color within the lines in a coloring book, followed by a snack and a cup of milk and a midday nap followed by a recess period where they could run and play.
If you had bothered to take the time or understand the world, you'd know that childcare is NOT the responsibility of the Government. Ever. Full stop.

This is NOT extremism. Wanting the taxpayer to pay for the childcare of other people's children IS EXTREMISM.

How about taxpayer subsidized school lunches for children who would otherwise go hungry? Would you just let them go hungry? If so, would you please go to the schools to tell the children yourself.
So the welfare payments and snap coupons are not enough, eh. No, I DON'T BELIEVE IN COMMUNISM. I believe in personal responsibility--you should try it sometime--FUCKING PARASITE.

Well, I support myself without any gov't assistance whatsoever.

However, when it comes to public policy, it's a well known fact (at least it is for educated people) that rudimentary gov't programs can and do prevent much higher social and taxpayers costs later on down the line.
People who raise and feed their own children can attest that they don't become communist wards of the state. The parents should be held accountable. If you feel you have the responsibility to alleviate every ill of the world, then have at it. Stay the fuck out of my pockets and my life--I don't need nor want any of your help. You social justice warriors are merely morons. Get an education.

Not all parents are responsible people. That includes both before a child is conceived and after a child is born. That's certainly not the fault of their children. That's one of the reasons that there is such a thing as social services and/or child welfare services. Responsible citizens who are not the parents of those children (who are, after all, our fellow human beings made in God's image just like you and I are) will take the necessary steps to see to their immediate welfare because it's a moral responsibility, if not a legal one. With that help, hopefully they will grow into responsible adults instead of delinquents and wards of the state.
The reason people are not responsible before and after having children is a direct result of leftwing extremist programs that teaches them, before they can barely walk, that government will always provide for them regardless of the bad choices they make in life.

YOU are the PROBLEM.
 
When is this lunacy going to end? It's like a bad dream that just won't end. I mean, this is not a battle for the soul of America as its most vocal opponents have described it. It's child care for young children who are not in school yet simple so their parents can go to work, earn a living, and put food on the table at dinner time. How can that possibly be controversial?

---------------------------------------------------

In the months since a Republican house of representatives member first brought the grant for early childhood education to the legislature for a vote, far-right opponents have insisted, despite evidence and assurances proving otherwise, that the grant would be used to “indoctrinate” children five and under, and turn them into social justice activists.

Supporters of the grant include the state’s two Republican senators and its business lobby, but the most vocal opponents have pitched it as a “battle for the soul of America”.

The real battle, however, appears to be against the influence of fringe voices in Idaho politics. Though seemingly an obscure battle, the intensity of the fight in the state and the blood-curdling language used by its opponents reveals much about American politics in the post-Trump era.

It is a place where conspiracy theories run amok and where even some Republican legislators are at a loss how to combat the extremism of many of their supporters, who have concluded that grant money for educating young children represents a dire threat to their way of life.

Mike Satz, executive director of a new effort to combat extremism in Idaho, the Idaho 97 Project, said: “The politics have really started devolving and the extremists have really started taking control of the Republican party in the state, and now the policies are not for the people – conservative or liberal or whatever the ideology is.”

When it comes to the early childhood grant, the people who would be affected by it are watching and waiting to see if the money will be available to improve access to care – a typical family in the state spends 25% of its annual income on care for an infant and a four-year-old.

A vote in the house on whether or not to accept the money is expected any day. The house initially rejected the funds in early March, but the state senate approved an amended version of the bill by one vote earlier this month.

Supporters have flooded local news with opinion pieces clarifying misconceptions about the grant and explaining exactly how the money would be used, but they face a mountain of misinformation coming from some rightwing lawmakers and the libertarian group Idaho Freedom Foundation (IFF).

The Republican representative Charlie Shepherd provided an insight into this last week, when he told the Idaho Press that he approves of the amended version of the bill after voting against it in March.

Shepherd said that his earlier concerns about “indoctrination” had been addressed, but his constituents were not aware of that change. “And if I cannot educate them on what the bill actually does in time. At this point it’s almost political suicide for me to support the bill,” he confessed.


The amended version of the bill includes language that specifies that the appropriated money “shall not be used to dictate curricula for use by local collaboratives”. That was also true before, but the additional language makes it legally binding.

The executive director of one Idaho collaborative which could receive some of the funds, Andrew Mentzer, said the money would be beneficial for expanding childcare capacity and to help existing providers stay afloat in Valley County, a scenic, rural region in the west central part of the state.

“We lost two childcare facilities in the past 15 months in our area and that put about 50 families in a pretty bad position, during a pandemic, with regard to how and when they can go to work,” said Mentzer, executive director of the West Central Mountains Economic Development Council.

“A lot of the families ended up with situations where they had to cut hours or had a parent who couldn’t go to work, and that’s food on the table at the end of the day for the individual families.”

Already, the community is short 400 childcare slots. “Those are 400 kids whose parents can’t go to work,” Mentzer said.


The people stirring the pot
The grant money would be distributed to local collaboratives like Mentzer’s by the not-for-profit Idaho Association for the Education of Young Children (Idaho AEYC). This group is separate from its national affiliate, the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), a professional membership organization for people who work in education and childcare.

Intensity of Idaho childcare battle shows rise in extremism, post-Trump (msn.com)
The rise in liberal extremism hurts everyone. There's nothing logical or beneficial to any of it.
If you had actually bothered to read the article, it's far RW activists who are insisting that this funding would be used to turn young children in to social justice activists when the reality is the most controversial thing this children would likely be taught is how to build legos toys, or how to color within the lines in a coloring book, followed by a snack and a cup of milk and a midday nap followed by a recess period where they could run and play.
If you had bothered to take the time or understand the world, you'd know that childcare is NOT the responsibility of the Government. Ever. Full stop.

This is NOT extremism. Wanting the taxpayer to pay for the childcare of other people's children IS EXTREMISM.

How about taxpayer subsidized school lunches for children who would otherwise go hungry? Would you just let them go hungry? If so, would you please go to the schools to tell the children yourself.
Again, not what I am saying. When did the FEDS become responsible for feeding your brats?
I don't live in Idaho.

Regardless, I'm all in favor of feeding hungry children so they can learn and have a chance to grow up and be contributing members of society as opposed to angry young adults with chips on their shoulders. It sounds like a wise use of resources to me.
 
When is this lunacy going to end? It's like a bad dream that just won't end. I mean, this is not a battle for the soul of America as its most vocal opponents have described it. It's child care for young children who are not in school yet simple so their parents can go to work, earn a living, and put food on the table at dinner time. How can that possibly be controversial?

---------------------------------------------------

In the months since a Republican house of representatives member first brought the grant for early childhood education to the legislature for a vote, far-right opponents have insisted, despite evidence and assurances proving otherwise, that the grant would be used to “indoctrinate” children five and under, and turn them into social justice activists.

Supporters of the grant include the state’s two Republican senators and its business lobby, but the most vocal opponents have pitched it as a “battle for the soul of America”.

The real battle, however, appears to be against the influence of fringe voices in Idaho politics. Though seemingly an obscure battle, the intensity of the fight in the state and the blood-curdling language used by its opponents reveals much about American politics in the post-Trump era.

It is a place where conspiracy theories run amok and where even some Republican legislators are at a loss how to combat the extremism of many of their supporters, who have concluded that grant money for educating young children represents a dire threat to their way of life.

Mike Satz, executive director of a new effort to combat extremism in Idaho, the Idaho 97 Project, said: “The politics have really started devolving and the extremists have really started taking control of the Republican party in the state, and now the policies are not for the people – conservative or liberal or whatever the ideology is.”

When it comes to the early childhood grant, the people who would be affected by it are watching and waiting to see if the money will be available to improve access to care – a typical family in the state spends 25% of its annual income on care for an infant and a four-year-old.

A vote in the house on whether or not to accept the money is expected any day. The house initially rejected the funds in early March, but the state senate approved an amended version of the bill by one vote earlier this month.

Supporters have flooded local news with opinion pieces clarifying misconceptions about the grant and explaining exactly how the money would be used, but they face a mountain of misinformation coming from some rightwing lawmakers and the libertarian group Idaho Freedom Foundation (IFF).

The Republican representative Charlie Shepherd provided an insight into this last week, when he told the Idaho Press that he approves of the amended version of the bill after voting against it in March.

Shepherd said that his earlier concerns about “indoctrination” had been addressed, but his constituents were not aware of that change. “And if I cannot educate them on what the bill actually does in time. At this point it’s almost political suicide for me to support the bill,” he confessed.


The amended version of the bill includes language that specifies that the appropriated money “shall not be used to dictate curricula for use by local collaboratives”. That was also true before, but the additional language makes it legally binding.

The executive director of one Idaho collaborative which could receive some of the funds, Andrew Mentzer, said the money would be beneficial for expanding childcare capacity and to help existing providers stay afloat in Valley County, a scenic, rural region in the west central part of the state.

“We lost two childcare facilities in the past 15 months in our area and that put about 50 families in a pretty bad position, during a pandemic, with regard to how and when they can go to work,” said Mentzer, executive director of the West Central Mountains Economic Development Council.

“A lot of the families ended up with situations where they had to cut hours or had a parent who couldn’t go to work, and that’s food on the table at the end of the day for the individual families.”

Already, the community is short 400 childcare slots. “Those are 400 kids whose parents can’t go to work,” Mentzer said.


The people stirring the pot
The grant money would be distributed to local collaboratives like Mentzer’s by the not-for-profit Idaho Association for the Education of Young Children (Idaho AEYC). This group is separate from its national affiliate, the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), a professional membership organization for people who work in education and childcare.

Intensity of Idaho childcare battle shows rise in extremism, post-Trump (msn.com)
The rise in liberal extremism hurts everyone. There's nothing logical or beneficial to any of it.
If you had actually bothered to read the article, it's far RW activists who are insisting that this funding would be used to turn young children in to social justice activists when the reality is the most controversial thing this children would likely be taught is how to build legos toys, or how to color within the lines in a coloring book, followed by a snack and a cup of milk and a midday nap followed by a recess period where they could run and play.
If you had bothered to take the time or understand the world, you'd know that childcare is NOT the responsibility of the Government. Ever. Full stop.

This is NOT extremism. Wanting the taxpayer to pay for the childcare of other people's children IS EXTREMISM.

How about taxpayer subsidized school lunches for children who would otherwise go hungry? Would you just let them go hungry? If so, would you please go to the schools to tell the children yourself.
Again, not what I am saying. When did the FEDS become responsible for feeding your brats?
I don't live in Idaho.

Regardless, I'm all in favor of feeding hungry children so they can learn and have a chance to grow up and be contributing members of society as opposed to angry young adults with chips on their shoulders. It sounds like a wise use of resources to me.
that is fine, as long as the entire community in that area agrees to it so that the parents of those children who need feeding and support can get feedback from that community.

Do NOT have children if you cannot feed and support them.

^^^

That is what adults call, "Compassion". Because just handing out money is NOT compassionate.
 
When is this lunacy going to end? It's like a bad dream that just won't end. I mean, this is not a battle for the soul of America as its most vocal opponents have described it. It's child care for young children who are not in school yet simple so their parents can go to work, earn a living, and put food on the table at dinner time. How can that possibly be controversial?

---------------------------------------------------

In the months since a Republican house of representatives member first brought the grant for early childhood education to the legislature for a vote, far-right opponents have insisted, despite evidence and assurances proving otherwise, that the grant would be used to “indoctrinate” children five and under, and turn them into social justice activists.

Supporters of the grant include the state’s two Republican senators and its business lobby, but the most vocal opponents have pitched it as a “battle for the soul of America”.

The real battle, however, appears to be against the influence of fringe voices in Idaho politics. Though seemingly an obscure battle, the intensity of the fight in the state and the blood-curdling language used by its opponents reveals much about American politics in the post-Trump era.

It is a place where conspiracy theories run amok and where even some Republican legislators are at a loss how to combat the extremism of many of their supporters, who have concluded that grant money for educating young children represents a dire threat to their way of life.

Mike Satz, executive director of a new effort to combat extremism in Idaho, the Idaho 97 Project, said: “The politics have really started devolving and the extremists have really started taking control of the Republican party in the state, and now the policies are not for the people – conservative or liberal or whatever the ideology is.”

When it comes to the early childhood grant, the people who would be affected by it are watching and waiting to see if the money will be available to improve access to care – a typical family in the state spends 25% of its annual income on care for an infant and a four-year-old.

A vote in the house on whether or not to accept the money is expected any day. The house initially rejected the funds in early March, but the state senate approved an amended version of the bill by one vote earlier this month.

Supporters have flooded local news with opinion pieces clarifying misconceptions about the grant and explaining exactly how the money would be used, but they face a mountain of misinformation coming from some rightwing lawmakers and the libertarian group Idaho Freedom Foundation (IFF).

The Republican representative Charlie Shepherd provided an insight into this last week, when he told the Idaho Press that he approves of the amended version of the bill after voting against it in March.

Shepherd said that his earlier concerns about “indoctrination” had been addressed, but his constituents were not aware of that change. “And if I cannot educate them on what the bill actually does in time. At this point it’s almost political suicide for me to support the bill,” he confessed.


The amended version of the bill includes language that specifies that the appropriated money “shall not be used to dictate curricula for use by local collaboratives”. That was also true before, but the additional language makes it legally binding.

The executive director of one Idaho collaborative which could receive some of the funds, Andrew Mentzer, said the money would be beneficial for expanding childcare capacity and to help existing providers stay afloat in Valley County, a scenic, rural region in the west central part of the state.

“We lost two childcare facilities in the past 15 months in our area and that put about 50 families in a pretty bad position, during a pandemic, with regard to how and when they can go to work,” said Mentzer, executive director of the West Central Mountains Economic Development Council.

“A lot of the families ended up with situations where they had to cut hours or had a parent who couldn’t go to work, and that’s food on the table at the end of the day for the individual families.”

Already, the community is short 400 childcare slots. “Those are 400 kids whose parents can’t go to work,” Mentzer said.


The people stirring the pot
The grant money would be distributed to local collaboratives like Mentzer’s by the not-for-profit Idaho Association for the Education of Young Children (Idaho AEYC). This group is separate from its national affiliate, the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), a professional membership organization for people who work in education and childcare.

Intensity of Idaho childcare battle shows rise in extremism, post-Trump (msn.com)
The rise in liberal extremism hurts everyone. There's nothing logical or beneficial to any of it.
If you had actually bothered to read the article, it's far RW activists who are insisting that this funding would be used to turn young children in to social justice activists when the reality is the most controversial thing this children would likely be taught is how to build legos toys, or how to color within the lines in a coloring book, followed by a snack and a cup of milk and a midday nap followed by a recess period where they could run and play.
If you had bothered to take the time or understand the world, you'd know that childcare is NOT the responsibility of the Government. Ever. Full stop.

This is NOT extremism. Wanting the taxpayer to pay for the childcare of other people's children IS EXTREMISM.

How about taxpayer subsidized school lunches for children who would otherwise go hungry? Would you just let them go hungry? If so, would you please go to the schools to tell the children yourself.
Again, not what I am saying. When did the FEDS become responsible for feeding your brats?
I don't live in Idaho.

Regardless, I'm all in favor of feeding hungry children so they can learn and have a chance to grow up and be contributing members of society as opposed to angry young adults with chips on their shoulders. It sounds like a wise use of resources to me.
I do live in Idaho...and have for about 40 years. The only time I moved to Wa.--it was because of the schools in Idaho. They're horrible..with one of the worst dollar per student spent ratio.
I think they were 49th. Thank God for Mississippi, right?
I love Idaho..but I'd never try to educate children there. Here we have the US govt. giving us money..6m....to address a serious problem. some North Idaho fruitcakes, once again, gum up the works with their ideological bullshit.
Great state to retire in--great fishing and hunting. If you like the rural lifestyle...this is the place for you. If you need anything from the govt--if you want a social safety net--not the place for you.
 
When is this RW lunacy going to end? It's like a bad dream that just won't end. I mean, this is not a battle for the soul of America as its most vocal opponents have described it. It's child care for young children who are not in school yet simple so their parents can go to work, earn a living, and put food on the table at dinner time. How can that possibly be controversial?

---------------------------------------------------

In the months since a Republican house of representatives member first brought the grant for early childhood education to the legislature for a vote, far-right opponents have insisted, despite evidence and assurances proving otherwise, that the grant would be used to “indoctrinate” children five and under, and turn them into social justice activists.

Supporters of the grant include the state’s two Republican senators and its business lobby, but the most vocal opponents have pitched it as a “battle for the soul of America”.

The real battle, however, appears to be against the influence of fringe voices in Idaho politics. Though seemingly an obscure battle, the intensity of the fight in the state and the blood-curdling language used by its opponents reveals much about American politics in the post-Trump era.

It is a place where conspiracy theories run amok and where even some Republican legislators are at a loss how to combat the extremism of many of their supporters, who have concluded that grant money for educating young children represents a dire threat to their way of life.

Mike Satz, executive director of a new effort to combat extremism in Idaho, the Idaho 97 Project, said: “The politics have really started devolving and the extremists have really started taking control of the Republican party in the state, and now the policies are not for the people – conservative or liberal or whatever the ideology is.”

When it comes to the early childhood grant, the people who would be affected by it are watching and waiting to see if the money will be available to improve access to care – a typical family in the state spends 25% of its annual income on care for an infant and a four-year-old.

A vote in the house on whether or not to accept the money is expected any day. The house initially rejected the funds in early March, but the state senate approved an amended version of the bill by one vote earlier this month.

Supporters have flooded local news with opinion pieces clarifying misconceptions about the grant and explaining exactly how the money would be used, but they face a mountain of misinformation coming from some rightwing lawmakers and the libertarian group Idaho Freedom Foundation (IFF).

The Republican representative Charlie Shepherd provided an insight into this last week, when he told the Idaho Press that he approves of the amended version of the bill after voting against it in March.

Shepherd said that his earlier concerns about “indoctrination” had been addressed, but his constituents were not aware of that change. “And if I cannot educate them on what the bill actually does in time. At this point it’s almost political suicide for me to support the bill,” he confessed.


The amended version of the bill includes language that specifies that the appropriated money “shall not be used to dictate curricula for use by local collaboratives”. That was also true before, but the additional language makes it legally binding.

The executive director of one Idaho collaborative which could receive some of the funds, Andrew Mentzer, said the money would be beneficial for expanding childcare capacity and to help existing providers stay afloat in Valley County, a scenic, rural region in the west central part of the state.

“We lost two childcare facilities in the past 15 months in our area and that put about 50 families in a pretty bad position, during a pandemic, with regard to how and when they can go to work,” said Mentzer, executive director of the West Central Mountains Economic Development Council.

“A lot of the families ended up with situations where they had to cut hours or had a parent who couldn’t go to work, and that’s food on the table at the end of the day for the individual families.”

Already, the community is short 400 childcare slots. “Those are 400 kids whose parents can’t go to work,” Mentzer said.


The people stirring the pot
The grant money would be distributed to local collaboratives like Mentzer’s by the not-for-profit Idaho Association for the Education of Young Children (Idaho AEYC). This group is separate from its national affiliate, the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), a professional membership organization for people who work in education and childcare.

Intensity of Idaho childcare battle shows rise in extremism, post-Trump (msn.com)
Listen hillbilly, you don't know shit about ID--and neither does your communist MSN. The reason the funding was down-voted was because they were attaching critical race theory to the curriculum--That is left wing extremist INDOCRINATION. You live in Appalachia and you think you are qualified to address problems in education--you're a piece of work.
The reason the funding was down-voted was because they were attaching critical race theory to the curriculum--That is left wing extremist INDOCRINATION.
WOW! :eusa_doh:
Critical race theory is an obscure academic theory taught in few graduate and post graduate courses. Certainly not to pre-schoolers. Damn… you don’t even understand it.
 
The rise in liberal extremism hurts everyone. There's nothing logical or beneficial to any of it.
agreed

The bill smacks of liberal extremism if you examine the it closely

************

Yet many representatives spoke passionately against it. Rep. Priscilla Giddings, R-White Bird, was the first to hold the floor following opening statements. She began by asking a question that set the tone for the rest of debate.

“Good gentleman, are you aware if this nonprofit has provided any support or if they would encourage or support the teaching of the Pledge of Allegiance?” she asked Amador.

Giddings feared that this money would be used to push lessons that did not align with conservative values. She was particularly concerned with the Idaho Association for the Education of Young Children partnership. The nonprofit is an affiliate of the National Association for the Education of Young Children. Giddings said she looked through the national branch’s catalog. She was alarmed to read a line stating “whiteness, for example, confers privilege, as does being male” and that the organization supports a “social justice curriculum.”

“I do not believe that you are privileged based on your gender or your race,” Giddings said.
 
presence of a humanity gene
Kind of like feeding the bears in Yellowstone--that is cruelty, because you do not teach self sufficiency which is what you communists lack. Have you never heard the old saw about giving a man a fish and feeding him for a day as opposed to teaching him to fish and feeding him forever? Wake up moron.

So I guess you're ok with punishing kids because their parents aren't sufficiently self sufficient.
What I am okay with is taking real steps to alleviate the problem before it begins.

Start in pre-school and teach children, the way you teach them that muder is wrong, that having children before you can pay for them is socially unacceptable and then really, really, really, stigmatize it.

When you accept bad behavior, you just get more of it.
Why not say the quiet part out loud? The 'conservatives' want a caste system. Period.
 
presence of a humanity gene
Kind of like feeding the bears in Yellowstone--that is cruelty, because you do not teach self sufficiency which is what you communists lack. Have you never heard the old saw about giving a man a fish and feeding him for a day as opposed to teaching him to fish and feeding him forever? Wake up moron.

So I guess you're ok with punishing kids because their parents aren't sufficiently self sufficient.
What I am okay with is taking real steps to alleviate the problem before it begins.

Start in pre-school and teach children, the way you teach them that muder is wrong, that having children before you can pay for them is socially unacceptable and then really, really, really, stigmatize it.

When you accept bad behavior, you just get more of it.
Why not say the quiet part out loud? The 'conservatives' want a caste system. Period.
Don't go to ID, simple. Just stay in your blue state shithole.
 
presence of a humanity gene
Kind of like feeding the bears in Yellowstone--that is cruelty, because you do not teach self sufficiency which is what you communists lack. Have you never heard the old saw about giving a man a fish and feeding him for a day as opposed to teaching him to fish and feeding him forever? Wake up moron.

So I guess you're ok with punishing kids because their parents aren't sufficiently self sufficient.
What I am okay with is taking real steps to alleviate the problem before it begins.

Start in pre-school and teach children, the way you teach them that muder is wrong, that having children before you can pay for them is socially unacceptable and then really, really, really, stigmatize it.

When you accept bad behavior, you just get more of it.
Why not say the quiet part out loud? The 'conservatives' want a caste system. Period.
Don't go to ID, simple. Just stay in your blue state shithole.
Nice deflection.
 
presence of a humanity gene
Kind of like feeding the bears in Yellowstone--that is cruelty, because you do not teach self sufficiency which is what you communists lack. Have you never heard the old saw about giving a man a fish and feeding him for a day as opposed to teaching him to fish and feeding him forever? Wake up moron.

So I guess you're ok with punishing kids because their parents aren't sufficiently self sufficient.
What I am okay with is taking real steps to alleviate the problem before it begins.

Start in pre-school and teach children, the way you teach them that muder is wrong, that having children before you can pay for them is socially unacceptable and then really, really, really, stigmatize it.

When you accept bad behavior, you just get more of it.
Why not say the quiet part out loud? The 'conservatives' want a caste system. Period.
Don't go to ID, simple. Just stay in your blue state shithole.
Nice deflection.
Wrong again--there was nothing in your post to deflect. Simply a suggestion to keep your snowflake ass happy.
 
I'm all in favor of feeding hungry children
I did feed my children and I didn't ask or expect anyone to do it for me. If you aren't responsible enough to care for your children--don't have them.
Like there is no such thing as bad luck. Could happen to anyone. During the recession and covid tons of people lost jobs and had to apply for relief. Guess they should give their children up.

Effing rightwing "family values".
 
When is this lunacy going to end? It's like a bad dream that just won't end. I mean, this is not a battle for the soul of America as its most vocal opponents have described it. It's child care for young children who are not in school yet simple so their parents can go to work, earn a living, and put food on the table at dinner time. How can that possibly be controversial?

---------------------------------------------------

In the months since a Republican house of representatives member first brought the grant for early childhood education to the legislature for a vote, far-right opponents have insisted, despite evidence and assurances proving otherwise, that the grant would be used to “indoctrinate” children five and under, and turn them into social justice activists.

Supporters of the grant include the state’s two Republican senators and its business lobby, but the most vocal opponents have pitched it as a “battle for the soul of America”.

The real battle, however, appears to be against the influence of fringe voices in Idaho politics. Though seemingly an obscure battle, the intensity of the fight in the state and the blood-curdling language used by its opponents reveals much about American politics in the post-Trump era.

It is a place where conspiracy theories run amok and where even some Republican legislators are at a loss how to combat the extremism of many of their supporters, who have concluded that grant money for educating young children represents a dire threat to their way of life.

Mike Satz, executive director of a new effort to combat extremism in Idaho, the Idaho 97 Project, said: “The politics have really started devolving and the extremists have really started taking control of the Republican party in the state, and now the policies are not for the people – conservative or liberal or whatever the ideology is.”

When it comes to the early childhood grant, the people who would be affected by it are watching and waiting to see if the money will be available to improve access to care – a typical family in the state spends 25% of its annual income on care for an infant and a four-year-old.

A vote in the house on whether or not to accept the money is expected any day. The house initially rejected the funds in early March, but the state senate approved an amended version of the bill by one vote earlier this month.

Supporters have flooded local news with opinion pieces clarifying misconceptions about the grant and explaining exactly how the money would be used, but they face a mountain of misinformation coming from some rightwing lawmakers and the libertarian group Idaho Freedom Foundation (IFF).

The Republican representative Charlie Shepherd provided an insight into this last week, when he told the Idaho Press that he approves of the amended version of the bill after voting against it in March.

Shepherd said that his earlier concerns about “indoctrination” had been addressed, but his constituents were not aware of that change. “And if I cannot educate them on what the bill actually does in time. At this point it’s almost political suicide for me to support the bill,” he confessed.


The amended version of the bill includes language that specifies that the appropriated money “shall not be used to dictate curricula for use by local collaboratives”. That was also true before, but the additional language makes it legally binding.

The executive director of one Idaho collaborative which could receive some of the funds, Andrew Mentzer, said the money would be beneficial for expanding childcare capacity and to help existing providers stay afloat in Valley County, a scenic, rural region in the west central part of the state.

“We lost two childcare facilities in the past 15 months in our area and that put about 50 families in a pretty bad position, during a pandemic, with regard to how and when they can go to work,” said Mentzer, executive director of the West Central Mountains Economic Development Council.

“A lot of the families ended up with situations where they had to cut hours or had a parent who couldn’t go to work, and that’s food on the table at the end of the day for the individual families.”

Already, the community is short 400 childcare slots. “Those are 400 kids whose parents can’t go to work,” Mentzer said.


The people stirring the pot
The grant money would be distributed to local collaboratives like Mentzer’s by the not-for-profit Idaho Association for the Education of Young Children (Idaho AEYC). This group is separate from its national affiliate, the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), a professional membership organization for people who work in education and childcare.

Intensity of Idaho childcare battle shows rise in extremism, post-Trump (msn.com)
The rise in liberal extremism hurts everyone. There's nothing logical or beneficial to any of it.
If you had actually bothered to read the article, it's far RW activists who are insisting that this funding would be used to turn young children in to social justice activists when the reality is the most controversial thing this children would likely be taught is how to build legos toys, or how to color within the lines in a coloring book, followed by a snack and a cup of milk and a midday nap followed by a recess period where they could run and play.
If you had bothered to take the time or understand the world, you'd know that childcare is NOT the responsibility of the Government. Ever. Full stop.

This is NOT extremism. Wanting the taxpayer to pay for the childcare of other people's children IS EXTREMISM.

How about taxpayer subsidized school lunches for children who would otherwise go hungry? Would you just let them go hungry? If so, would you please go to the schools to tell the children yourself.
Again, not what I am saying. When did the FEDS become responsible for feeding your brats?
Morality in general, which certainly includes the Christian commandment to love one's neighbor as thyself, compels us to not let children go hungry without regard to the parents' failings.

In other words, we don't punish children for the sins of their parents.
 
presence of a humanity gene
Kind of like feeding the bears in Yellowstone--that is cruelty, because you do not teach self sufficiency which is what you communists lack. Have you never heard the old saw about giving a man a fish and feeding him for a day as opposed to teaching him to fish and feeding him forever? Wake up moron.

So I guess you're ok with punishing kids because their parents aren't sufficiently self sufficient.
What I am okay with is taking real steps to alleviate the problem before it begins.

Start in pre-school and teach children, the way you teach them that muder is wrong, that having children before you can pay for them is socially unacceptable and then really, really, really, stigmatize it.

When you accept bad behavior, you just get more of it.
Why not say the quiet part out loud? The 'conservatives' want a caste system. Period.
Don't go to ID, simple. Just stay in your blue state shithole.
Nice deflection.
Wrong again--there was nothing in your post to deflect. Simply a suggestion to keep your snowflake ass happy.
I'm good, but appreciate the fake concern. I live in a town of less than 1000.
 
I'm all in favor of feeding hungry children
I did feed my children and I didn't ask or expect anyone to do it for me. If you aren't responsible enough to care for your children--don't have them.
Like there is no such thing as bad luck. Could happen to anyone. During the recession and covid tons of people lost jobs and had to apply for relief. Guess they should give their children up.

Effing rightwing "family values".
RW values can best be summed up by the last song The Beatles recorded in January of 1970.

I, Me, Mine
 
WOW! :eusa_doh:
Critical race theory is an obscure academic theory taught in few graduate and post graduate courses. Certainly not to pre-schoolers. Damn… you don’t even understand it.
Wow is right. I had to read four or five times to see if I was imagining things.

Is someone claiming Idaho is indoctrinating children with CRT b.s.?

On it's face that seems ridiculous.
 
presence of a humanity gene
Kind of like feeding the bears in Yellowstone--that is cruelty, because you do not teach self sufficiency which is what you communists lack. Have you never heard the old saw about giving a man a fish and feeding him for a day as opposed to teaching him to fish and feeding him forever? Wake up moron.

So I guess you're ok with punishing kids because their parents aren't sufficiently self sufficient.
What I am okay with is taking real steps to alleviate the problem before it begins.

Start in pre-school and teach children, the way you teach them that muder is wrong, that having children before you can pay for them is socially unacceptable and then really, really, really, stigmatize it.

When you accept bad behavior, you just get more of it.
Why not say the quiet part out loud? The 'conservatives' want a caste system. Period.
No one on the right wants a caste system. Period.

I have serious doubts about the left with their extremist beliefs and Marxist tendancies.
 
When is this lunacy going to end? It's like a bad dream that just won't end. I mean, this is not a battle for the soul of America as its most vocal opponents have described it. It's child care for young children who are not in school yet simple so their parents can go to work, earn a living, and put food on the table at dinner time. How can that possibly be controversial?

---------------------------------------------------

In the months since a Republican house of representatives member first brought the grant for early childhood education to the legislature for a vote, far-right opponents have insisted, despite evidence and assurances proving otherwise, that the grant would be used to “indoctrinate” children five and under, and turn them into social justice activists.

Supporters of the grant include the state’s two Republican senators and its business lobby, but the most vocal opponents have pitched it as a “battle for the soul of America”.

The real battle, however, appears to be against the influence of fringe voices in Idaho politics. Though seemingly an obscure battle, the intensity of the fight in the state and the blood-curdling language used by its opponents reveals much about American politics in the post-Trump era.

It is a place where conspiracy theories run amok and where even some Republican legislators are at a loss how to combat the extremism of many of their supporters, who have concluded that grant money for educating young children represents a dire threat to their way of life.

Mike Satz, executive director of a new effort to combat extremism in Idaho, the Idaho 97 Project, said: “The politics have really started devolving and the extremists have really started taking control of the Republican party in the state, and now the policies are not for the people – conservative or liberal or whatever the ideology is.”

When it comes to the early childhood grant, the people who would be affected by it are watching and waiting to see if the money will be available to improve access to care – a typical family in the state spends 25% of its annual income on care for an infant and a four-year-old.

A vote in the house on whether or not to accept the money is expected any day. The house initially rejected the funds in early March, but the state senate approved an amended version of the bill by one vote earlier this month.

Supporters have flooded local news with opinion pieces clarifying misconceptions about the grant and explaining exactly how the money would be used, but they face a mountain of misinformation coming from some rightwing lawmakers and the libertarian group Idaho Freedom Foundation (IFF).

The Republican representative Charlie Shepherd provided an insight into this last week, when he told the Idaho Press that he approves of the amended version of the bill after voting against it in March.

Shepherd said that his earlier concerns about “indoctrination” had been addressed, but his constituents were not aware of that change. “And if I cannot educate them on what the bill actually does in time. At this point it’s almost political suicide for me to support the bill,” he confessed.


The amended version of the bill includes language that specifies that the appropriated money “shall not be used to dictate curricula for use by local collaboratives”. That was also true before, but the additional language makes it legally binding.

The executive director of one Idaho collaborative which could receive some of the funds, Andrew Mentzer, said the money would be beneficial for expanding childcare capacity and to help existing providers stay afloat in Valley County, a scenic, rural region in the west central part of the state.

“We lost two childcare facilities in the past 15 months in our area and that put about 50 families in a pretty bad position, during a pandemic, with regard to how and when they can go to work,” said Mentzer, executive director of the West Central Mountains Economic Development Council.

“A lot of the families ended up with situations where they had to cut hours or had a parent who couldn’t go to work, and that’s food on the table at the end of the day for the individual families.”

Already, the community is short 400 childcare slots. “Those are 400 kids whose parents can’t go to work,” Mentzer said.


The people stirring the pot
The grant money would be distributed to local collaboratives like Mentzer’s by the not-for-profit Idaho Association for the Education of Young Children (Idaho AEYC). This group is separate from its national affiliate, the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), a professional membership organization for people who work in education and childcare.

Intensity of Idaho childcare battle shows rise in extremism, post-Trump (msn.com)
The rise in liberal extremism hurts everyone. There's nothing logical or beneficial to any of it.
If you had actually bothered to read the article, it's far RW activists who are insisting that this funding would be used to turn young children in to social justice activists when the reality is the most controversial thing this children would likely be taught is how to build legos toys, or how to color within the lines in a coloring book, followed by a snack and a cup of milk and a midday nap followed by a recess period where they could run and play.
If you had bothered to take the time or understand the world, you'd know that childcare is NOT the responsibility of the Government. Ever. Full stop.

This is NOT extremism. Wanting the taxpayer to pay for the childcare of other people's children IS EXTREMISM.

How about taxpayer subsidized school lunches for children who would otherwise go hungry? Would you just let them go hungry? If so, would you please go to the schools to tell the children yourself.
Again, not what I am saying. When did the FEDS become responsible for feeding your brats?
Morality in general, which certainly includes the Christian commandment to love one's neighbor as thyself, compels us to not let children go hungry without regard to the parents' failings.

In other words, we don't punish children for the sins of their parents.
Since when? The left seems to have zero problems with punishing those living for the sins of slavery in the past.

Regardless, the CORRECT thing to do is to hold the parents responsible for having children they cannot support AND THEN start teaching the children that having children you cannot support is akin to the same revulsion we feel toward murder.
 
I'm all in favor of feeding hungry children
I did feed my children and I didn't ask or expect anyone to do it for me. If you aren't responsible enough to care for your children--don't have them.
Like there is no such thing as bad luck. Could happen to anyone. During the recession and covid tons of people lost jobs and had to apply for relief. Guess they should give their children up.

Effing rightwing "family values".
RW values can best be summed up by the last song The Beatles recorded in January of 1970.

I, Me, Mine
Incorrect. RW values actually value life and that value is not determined by how much money is thrown at something.
 

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