Contact:
Leland G.“Lee” Heinrich, Republican Candidate
Idaho State Senate,
Legislative District 8
208-382-3244 or 208-630-4701
lheinrich@senate.idaho.gov
Lee Heinrich is committed to adequate school funding,
the protection of public access, protecting water and property
rights, promoting economic development and is a dedicated
advocate for a complete analysis of the entire tax system
:
School Funding: State lawmakers pledge not to increase
taxes rather than face voters’ wrath and despite
everyone clamoring for better schools; Idaho’s K-12
budgets are too small to prevent additional cuts.
So as we think about the 2006 ballot, let’s consider
that perhaps our best defense against bad ideas are good
ones of our own.
In 2000 Congress passed Craig/Wyden which restored the
1908 compact between the people of rural America and the
federal government and it has been an enormous success
in developing forest health improvement projects and simulating
job development and stabilizing community economies.
Craig/Wyden has:
- • Restored programs for students in rural schools
and prevented the closure of numerous isolated rural
schools.
• Funded over 780 rural county road districts and county road departments
to address the severe maintenance backlog resulting from decimated road budgets
from 1986 to 1999
• Reduced funding from property tax to provide search and rescue work on
federally administered lands -
The reauthorization of Craig/Wyden is pending before
the US Congress and all counties in District 8 are on record
as being strongly supportive of fully funding the approval
of this Act as well as developing a long-term solution.
Property Rights: Prosperity and property rights are inextricably
linked. The importance of having well-defined and strongly
protected property rights is widely recognized among policymakers.
Simply put, property rights are the key to economic development.
Property taxes is the major funding source for local government.
Until alternative revenue resources are allowed property
tax must be relied upon.
The constitution and statutes of the state of Idaho protect private property
rights, including water rights. Consequently, Idaho water should be managed for
Idaho only within the existing water structure. In providing such a statement,
the first and most important order of business is to give a clear definition
of "property." In every area of the law except the law of public takings,
as every first-year law student learns, "property" refers not simply
to the underlying estate but to all the uses that can be made of that estate.
James Madison put the point well in his essay on property: "as a man is
said to have a right to his property, he may be equally said to have a property
in his rights." Take one of those rights--one of those sticks in the "bundle
of sticks" we call "property"--and you take something that belongs
to the owner. Under the Fifth Amendment, compensation is due to that owner.
County governments are under some pretty stringent rules and the state should
have to live by their own rules. Money for education needs to be put in dedicated
funds and not spent for anything else. It is also very important to maintain
control of schools at the local level.
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