Sermon For the New Year, Presented by me at Grace Community Church, Potlatch, ID, December 31, 2023

             I have to confess that I have never been one to make New Year’s Resolutions. I had a cousin when I was in high school who resolved to commit suicide for the new year and he did it. I think that might have soured me on New Year’s resolutions. But I have also always figured if I need to do something, change something, or resolve anything, I should do it when I make that decision. I don’t save resolutions for the New Year. I’m not knocking New Year’s resolutions, I’m just saying it’s not my style and I don’t need a therapist to explain why.

            That doesn’t mean that I don’t use the new year to take stock of the wonderful things in my life and the, perhaps, less than wonderful things in my life. I love to celebrate Auld Lang Syne—Old times and remember the great things that have occurred over the year or years, but there are always shortcomings in our lives because we’re human. So I want to look at the scriptures from today’s lectionary and take stock of them, what they say about us so that we can renew resolutions that we have already made.

            I’m going to start with the Psalm: 1 “Praise the Lord.^[a]How good it is to sing praises to our God,  how pleasant and fitting to praise him!” While it’s probably true that God enjoys it when we praise Him, He certainly doesn’t need it. We don’t praise Him because He needs it. It’s a bit simplistic to ever think He is as arrogant as all that. We need to praise Him to keep our thoughts positive. I know I’m not the only person in here who reads, sees, or hears the news headlines. They are almost exclusively negative. Note that I said almost. I read an article in Time Magazine this past week that focused on how 2023 was actually a good year in many ways. Violent crimes in the United States have dropped considerably, yet I would never have guessed that by any other article in Time. The article also stated that we are really making headway on slowing our output of greenhouse gases. These are all things to praise God for. And those are the ones that affect us all, but if you read the Psalm further, it lists myriads of reasons to praise God. He covers the sky with clouds;
    he supplies the earth with rain
    and makes grass grow on the hills.
⁹ He provides food for the cattle
    and for the young ravens when they call.

¹⁰ His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse,
    nor his delight in the legs of the warrior;
¹¹ the Lord delights in those who fear him,
    who put their hope in his unfailing love

 In spite of our negative news feeds, our David and Debbie downer outlooks, God is in control and He really does know what He is doing, even when we don’t. How pleasant and fitting to Praise Him! We need to resolve to continue praising God, to give thanks in everything. The boat floats, not because of our ingenuity, but because of God. I’m reminded of Peter in Matthew 14: “²⁵ Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. ²⁶ When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.

²⁷ But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

²⁸ “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”

²⁹ “Come,” he said.

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. ³⁰ But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” “

We need to hold to our resolution of knowing why the boat floats and praise Him for that so that we will stop looking down and look up. That’s how you stay afloat.

            Now don’t get me wrong, I’m well aware that that saying “Be Happy” in, and of, itself, does not work. I’m not even saying “Fake it ‘til you make it” because that doesn’t work very often either. The reasons to praise God are infinite, and by doing it, we stop looking at ourselves and work to make things better for everyone. Sometimes we just have to consciously make an effort. Get outside. Call a friend. Go for a walk. Tell someone thank you for something they did that you noticed, even if they didn’t know they did it. Gratitude for all we have and those around us are vital ways to praise Him. All praise must go to Him.

Look at Isaiah 61 ¹⁰ I delight greatly in the Lord;
    my soul rejoices in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation
    and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness,
as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,
    and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
¹¹ For as the soil makes the sprout come up
    and a garden causes seeds to grow,
so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness
    and praise spring up before all nations.

            That praise that we give really originates with God, not us at all. We have done absolutely nothing of our own beyond simple belief, so we don’t need to be cry babies saying “Woe is me, I’m so worthless.” Of course, we are. It is by God’s grace that we are here and everything we have, everything we do, everything is by His grace. He gives our praise, our possessions, our eye color, our aching bones by grace because we don’t deserve any of it (except, maybe, the aching bones). He adorns us like a bride: the bride of Christ. Any righteousness we have comes from Him. He has that covered, not us. So let’s renew our resolve to not judge. Not our place. Leave it to God. God’s grace has everyone covered. All praise must go to Him.

            To continue with today’s readings, look at the gospel of John: “1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was with God in the beginning. ³ Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. (including aching bones) ⁴ In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome^[a] it.” That’s why we don’t need to worry. The darkness can’t comprehend the light, let alone overcome it. That should bring us the peace that goes beyond understanding.

And he continues: ^“The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. ¹⁰ He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. ¹¹ He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. ¹² Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, (to us) he gave the right to become children of God— ¹³ children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” That’s us. All we did was believe. We recognized him. We need to resolve to be little moons reflecting the brightness of Him, the son. By grace we are saved from the gloom and doom that really could overpower us, drown us. But we are flooded with the light that that doom and gloom doesn’t even understand. We need to continue our resolve to not be ruled by darkness. All praise must go to Him.

            The next scripture is Galatians. I think this is the first time I have ever read this passage from the point of view of being underage or mature—a parental, or teacherly, view. It’s like all those conversations I used to have with students about drinking ages and voting ages. The Mosaic law was for the underaged. Interesting thought. Here’s Galatians: “²³ Before the coming of this faith,^[a] we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed. ²⁴ So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. ²⁵ Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian. (The guardian being the law, and to a large extent, a do as your told mentality that didn’t make sense until our belief in Jesus.) ²⁶ So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, ²⁷ for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. (Isaiah’s For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness.) ²⁸ There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹ If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. 4 What I am saying is that as long as an heir is underage, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate. ² The heir is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. ³ So also, when we were underage, we were in slavery under the elemental spiritual forces^[b] of the world. ⁴ But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, ⁵ to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.^[c] 6 Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba,^[d] Father.” ⁷ So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.” Not only are we now fully grown up, we are joint owners without having done a lick of work. It’s like having the keys and title to a brand new Cadillac (or a Tesla?) without even playing the lottery or anything. When you see it in that light, How pleasant and fitting to praise Him!

            And, of course, as adults, Christians, it is our responsibility to act like adults and share the grace that has been given to us. We have to forgive others and ourselves for the sins we regularly, often unwittingly, commit. We have to help others along the way without condition. We are all human, so we need to not dehumanize through politics, nationality, religion, or anything. Because we are adults we know we are part of the all that has sinned in Romans 3:23: “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” And when I tell you this, I have to remind myself over and over. God’s grace has clothed us, and given us enough clothing to share with everyone and we’re not talking Good Will used clothing, but clothing no earthly money can buy. The kind that none of us deserve. And we all know that we get kind of picky about who we want to share anything with. Jesus said in John 10:10 (KJV) ^“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” We are not the thieves, but those who have abundant life. Again, how pleasant and fitting to praise Him.

            There is no doubt that terrible things have happened this year. We have had wars abroad, divided politics at home, wildfires, death, continued disease. We can all look at that stuff, and we should, not to wallow in it, but to give thanks for what we have. We are grown ups with an inheritance that gives us pause, or should, to remember Him and praise Him for everything.

            I told you that I don’t typically make New Year’s resolutions because I associate it with negative things that happened in my life. But I do believe in making resolutions right away. And we, all of us here and many more of us around the world, already resolved to be grown-ups, to believe in the Word that became flesh and dwelt among us, to accept His grace. John 1:14: We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. So, the only resolution I want to make this year, right now and forever more is to believe and accept that grace and truth and live like it by remembering how pleasant and fitting it is to Praise Him. He is what keeps us afloat, so we need to be helping others stay afloat as well. Amen!

 

Back to Blogging

I want to get back to my blog. For the last few years it has been a blog of gratitude. I needed that because I was shocked by the political turn the country had made and how it seemed to be embracing the dark side. I don’t know why that shocked me, but it did. I was in the public education system most of my life and there are very few placed that feel the political shifts and rumblings of the country more than public schools.

Now I want to write about goals and aspirations I have for myself and my communities that are all very interconnected. That includes education, running, politics, and faith. I kind of hope that I get as few readers for that as I did my journals of gratitude, but I really think people are more likely to interact with opinions and that bothers me a little bit. I think the best life comes from gratitude and that comes from my faith and my real-world experiences. I’m never more content and happier than when I just set aside all the strife in my life (and there is much there for all of us as human beings) and think about all the wonderful things I have. So, I won’t leave that behind. I will try to infuse gratitude into every aspect of my thinking, even if I’m working for change.

I think of people growing up here in Potlatch and going to school in a building with no walls between classrooms. They often would say, “If it was good enough for me, it’s good enough for them.” I admire the aspect of gratitude in that statement, but I chafe at the idea of us all having the same things and settling for it. I believe America has always been great because it is dynamic, living. I also believe a more perfect union lives within that dynamic life.

Bloomsday at 60

            Yesterday I ran Bloomsday for the plus twentieth time. Again, as is almost always the case this early in May, I was not in good enough shape to run 7.5 miles. Much of that comes from the lack of motivation due to the long winter and the fact that getting out and trying to push it too fast causes aches and pains. It was no different yesterday, so I did a fair amount of walking, especially up the hills. My right Achilles was giving me fits. But I still came in at an hour twenty-eight minutes. I do think I’m still, if in decent shape and healthy, able to run it in an hour fifteen to twenty. This year was a little different because of the long winter and the fact that we were off to southern climes being touristy so I didn’t get lots of running in. That’s also why my Achilles gave me problems.

            The thing about being sixty is that my motivation to be fast is no longer there. I am very content to just be part of it all. No longer am I worried about the crowds pushing on me or me squeezing through the slow pokes. Now I am one of the slow pokes and very happy to encourage the speedsters while getting out of their way. Of course I am! I was a running coach for thirty-eight years and I just recently retired from it. I will still do a good share of volunteer coaching next XC season. I might even make my way to the state meet. I’m very happy to be able to participate in road races and to coach people on how to train to run the same events, pushing their minds and bodies to their fullest potential. And I plan on being part of the road races until I can’t do it at all. I am now fully embracing the idea of a Fun Run.

 

Sermon for the 4th Sunday of Easter, April 30, 2023: Jesus, the Good Shepherd

Scripture readings:

Psalm 23, Acts 2:42-47, 1 Peter 2:19-25, John 10:1-10

 

Jesus, the Good Shepherd

            In reading today’s scriptures there is a logical progression, though we may not necessarily read it in this order. In my mind we first read Psalm 23 and find that the Lord is our Shepherd and we have everything we need because of him. Second, we read the Gospel of John to discover that Jesus declares himself to be that Shepherd. Third, the Acts of the Apostles tells us how the disciples lived because of their recognition of Jesus as that good shepherd, and finally 1 Peter, where Peter tells us how to follow our Shepherd. Today’s lectionary can easily be read in the order it appears in our Bibles.

You all have probably already noticed that I love the lectionary, especially when it comes to creating a sermon. The lectionary readings all follow a theme around the church calendar and none of the scriptures are left out in the course of three years of Sundays, or in the case of the daily lectionary, two years. The early church designed a perfect school teacher curriculum. And as a retired school teacher I’m all about curriculum and very happy that the early believers gave us one to follow. Today is the fourth Sunday of Easter and the lectionary topic seems to me to be about Jesus, the Good Shepherd.

            “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” For Psalm 23 I like to use the King James just because that’s what I have memorized and it seems more poetic which is fitting because all the Psalms are poems/song lyrics. But the point is that we have everything we need because of the Lord, even in the Valley of the Shadow of Death, or “the darkest valley,” or lowest point whatever that may be. He is always there with us. That is the foundation of our Christian faith. As Paul said in Romans 8, “³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,^[k] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹ neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” That’s how much he loves, how much of a good Shepherd he is.

            In the reading from John Jesus told the Pharisees that He was the Good Shepherd. You can see why that might ruffle some feathers, no matter what. He said he was God. Anyone that says that, in my mind, would have to be suffering from delusions of grandeur. But Jesus wasn’t just any man, he WAS God incarnate—God become man. And He proved it by suffering on the cross, dying, and rising from the dead, defeating even death. That’s why we have everything we need, not because we aren’t sometimes sick, or hungry, or uncomfortable, but because He came as one of us to show us the way. That’s all we need. As it says in 1 Corinthians 15:55-58 (KJV)

“O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Death has no victory over us because of that. We are fully resurrected with Jesus, our Good Shepherd.

            I know many people just can’t or won’t believe this. For one thing, we all know we are sinful and accepting forgiveness is really hard. I don’t know why we want to cling to our guilt, but we do. We always think we need to do something more than just accept forgiveness. If you’ve ever watched (and I know you have) kids playing any sports you can see so many of them beating themselves up for mistakes. And we all have that tendency to say (hopefully only to ourselves) “What were you thinking?” It’s hard to shake it off, but mistakes and our sins just get in our way of moving on. Forgiveness releases that. Forgiveness from God and each other and ourselves. As Christians we are not only given permission to move on, we can do that. Another reason it’s hard to believe is because the story of Christ is old enough that it seems more like a fairy tale than a reality. But it just as easily seemed like a fairy tale to those during the time of Christ. They were real people just like us. Jesus’ disciples experienced it and believed, just like we have. They had nothing to gain by telling a fairy tale any more than we do. But even Thomas, one of the disciples, had doubts right up until Jesus had him feel his wounds. We need to accept that in our non-believing friends while continuing to live out our faith. Seeing is often believing and along with our faith and love, not excessive nagging, they often will come to believe. I think one of our biggest witnesses to the truth of the resurrection and the Good Shepherd is our living proof through our moving on, our ability to accept and give forgiveness. Again, from John “When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.” We have to listen to that voice that tells us we are never alone, we have everything we need. And I also believe the biggest thing we have to work on all the time is giving and accepting forgiveness which also requires admitting sin. As Jesus said in John “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” (Again, sometimes the KJV just rings with me a little better—Abundant life.) It’s not too good to be true, it’s just perfectly good, perfectly true.

            We all can have that abundant life, but the thing that separates us sheep from the others is our belief. Nothing else. We aren’t better, we just know that we’ve been given “goodness and mercy…all the days of [our lives]: and [we] will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.” We shall not want. We also won’t follow other voices that suggest everything He gives us is less than enough. We don’t need to do anything to be forgiven. We don’t need to find “New Age” ideas, because there is nothing more renewing and new than God becoming a man in Jesus, taking on all of our sins, throwing them away, and rising from the death all of that brings. That simple belief is the only thing that separates us from the rest of the lost sheep. That is the voice of our Master. Anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. As Jesus said in John, “2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” That doesn’t mean we haven’t heard a stranger’s voice, maybe even contemplated it, but in the end we continue to follow our Good Shepherd because He gives us everything. “I shall not want.”

            But let’s go on to Acts and hear how the early Christians lived. “⁴² They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. ⁴³ Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. ⁴⁴ All the believers were together and had everything in common. ⁴⁵ They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. ⁴⁶ Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, ⁴⁷ praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” It really sounds like they had the good life together and it’s tempting to think that it was just better for them and that maybe things have fallen apart since then. I mean, we all read or watch the news. We’ve also heard stories of “the end times.” That’s a HUGE temptation of modern American Christianity. But the truth is that we are part of that number that was and is being added daily. Christianity has crossed cultural barriers and how we live our daily lives is now different from the early disciples. And, lest we forget, we are all still human, tempted in many ways and things just happen so that we do experience the “dark valleys” of the Psalm.

            Peter addressed it in his first letter that we read today and I’ll read again: ^“19 For it is commendable if someone bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because they are conscious of God. ²⁰ But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. ²¹ To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.

²² ‘He committed no sin,
    and no deceit was found in his mouth.’

²³ When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. ²⁴ ‘He himself bore our sins’ in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; ‘by his wounds you have been healed.’ ²⁵ For ‘you were like sheep going astray,’ but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”

            Sometimes we throw that WWJD around a little too lightly. But Peter tells us to follow Christ’s example, so we should. And I don’t think Jesus ever said to anyone, “What would I do?” Instead He just did it. That’s how we need to be. It’s only good to ask ourselves that in the same manner of his example of humility and acceptance. According to a recent (this last week) survey by the Wall Street Journal, only 12% of the US population considers themselves “very happy.” That’s the lowest percentage they’ve ever polled. I suspect some of those polled might also have been Christians because sometimes even we Christians forget that we have everything we need even in the darkest valley. I certainly know I forget. I sometimes see my cup and think it’s only half full when, in fact, it’s running over. I have everything I need even in the darkest valley. I have no reason to be anything less than very happy.

            I’m here to tell you that reading the scriptures will quickly bring you back to the realization that we do have a Good Shepherd. You will hear His voice right there. Look at what Paul told the Philippians: “¹⁰ I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. ¹¹ I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. ¹² I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. ¹³ I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” Or the King James: “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

            I know full well that I am not telling you anything new that you don’t already know, but I know that we sometimes just have to told to be happy. And that, of course, is an oversimplification. But as Christians living in fellowship with one another and our Lord, we can be very happy just by listening to His voice (read the scriptures!), praying together, and knowing “The Lord is our Shepherd, we have everything we need.” And coming together here is just a reminder that Christ is Risen, there is no sting in death, so we need to go forth and be happy, sharing that good news through our faith because Jesus is the Good Shepherd, we have everything we need.

Amen

 

The Current State of American Healthcare

While the founders of the United States said the truths of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are self-evident, they didn’t fully secure the ability to prevent others from preying upon these truths. Now, after more than two centuries, we still struggle to fully obtain these truths. As far as I’m concerned, there is no happiness if you can’t be healthy, but in the United States our health is at the mercy of profiteers who find ways to capitalize upon our diseases and injuries. To obtain good health you have to buy insurance and that can easily cost hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars every month. To keep their workforce healthy, many employers cover those insurance costs and this has seemed reasonable to many, if not most, Americans.

 The problem with employers covering health insurance expenses for their employees has been twofold. The number one problem has been that pharmaceutical companies have not been held in check. Things that are necessary to maintaining good health have been allowed to make astronomical profits off of very inexpensive products—insulin, for example.  These unchecked costs have to be dealt with by insurance companies that in turn pass them on to their customers, making health insurance far too expensive for employers to cover. These costs drive employers to take measures to affordably cover their employees. This might be with high deductibles or minimal prescription coverage. The burden of affording decent health coverage becomes difficult.

 The second problem is that health insurance depends too often on employment. This, of course, proved especially problematic during the COVID-19 pandemic which caused a complete lockdown thus leaving many unemployed and without health insurance. One might as well be left to gamble the Vegas strip for their healthcare in the United States. That hardly makes life seem “self-evident,” let alone being able to pursue happiness.

 And then, during the pandemic, the supreme court overturned the fifty-year-old Roe v. Wade ruling that allowed women to have abortions with restrictions varying from state to state. Now states can ban abortion altogether. Some states, like Idaho where I live, tend to view abortion as wrong in all cases failing to understand how certain cases can endanger the lives of women and their fetuses. Some lawmakers have even suggested that the life of the fetus should be prioritized above that of the mother. And doctors can be prosecuted for performing an abortion by a woman’s rapist’s family if that is how she was impregnated! Here the law clearly interferes with a doctor’s Hippocratic oath. Family doctors now want to stop caring for pregnant women because they can’t risk imprisonment and the well being of their own families. One hospital in Sandpoint, Idaho no longer offers obstetrics because of this. Idaho is far down on the list of doctors per capita, making healthcare scarce as it is. Now our unreasonable abortion laws will make it even more difficult for anyone to get healthcare.

 I fully believe that life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are self-evident, but I’m not sure our government, especially in a state like Idaho, sees it as anything more than a platitude to obtain independence from Great Britain. Perhaps the greatest irony is that in the United Kingdom adequate healthcare is a national priority secured by the National Health Service.

 

Opposition to Educational Savings Accounts/Vouchers in Idaho

Note: This is the sort of writing I have been dedicating myself to during the last month or so. It's a testimony to the state legislature in opposition to a bill for ESA/Vouchers. I was hoping to present it remotely via Zoom, but in the end I had to convert it to letter form since I was in Hawaii at the time testimony was given.

I am Brian Potter from Potlatch. I am a product of Idaho’s fine public-school system as are my children. I also had the good fortune to teach in Idaho’s public-school system for 35 years. Idaho’s public schools are notoriously underfunded and yet they produce some of the best. Many of the complaints about public schools in Idaho, such as poor buildings, bullying, lack of effective courses, etc. would be solved just by fully funding public education so that the buildings are adequate, the personnel is not spread too thin so that bullying is stopped, and people actually see education as a viable profession so that there is not a personnel shortage. People my age from Idaho who attended one of the many rural districts in the state will remember when we all had art, music, P.E., shop, Home Economics, along with the required language arts, sciences, social studies, and business courses. That is no longer the case as the state has gradually pilfered education funding, while establishing high stakes testing to demonstrate accountability. Students of all abilities meet state requirements and demonstrate that with regular testing in the public-school system. Our school districts constantly raise property taxes through levies to meet the unfunded mandates of the state and federal government in order to maintain accountability.

Now in the name of school choice and the euphemism of educational savings accounts it is being proposed that the state continue to purloin money from these public schools so that parents have options. That makes as much sense as me getting a voucher for my taxes toward the highway system since I don’t use I-15 in eastern Idaho. Does that highway not promote the wellbeing of the residents of Idaho through its contribution to our economy? Of course, it does. So, I pay my taxes to continue the wellbeing of this state’s commerce. We should all do the same for our public education system, whether we use it or not. Public education has contributed to the good of this entire nation because we all drive on those highways that engineers from our public schools designed, not to mention the myriad other occupations that benefit all of us. The foundation of our democracy depends upon an educated electorate. Denying the best education to the neediest through tax breaks to those who can already afford private education is not the best way to nourish our democracy.

The idea that districts will be forced to raise property taxes even more to fund their schools and maintain their accountability while no new choices will be provided is ludicrous. The people who homeschool or send their kids to private school will continue to do so while denying choice to those who cannot begin to afford private school tuition or home school their children because they have to work to pay their rent. Meanwhile all those people getting tax breaks for private tuitions or homeschool curriculums will have absolutely no accountability. How will this improve education in Idaho for anyone? The mere suggestion of the idea of ESA/Vouchers is a dereliction of duty to the constitution of the state of Idaho in its lack of accountability, its withholding of monies from desperately underfunded, but constitutionally mandated school districts, and the wellbeing of our democracy. Please vote no on SB1038.

 

 

 

Admonition to Reuben

 Ah Reuben, eldest of Jacob

Chafing the feelings of your dad,

Mad, not your desire to make him.

Whims o’ertake you and you love that

What he has—look at little brother—

Mothers not shared—he’s a great pain

Mainly in his arrogant thoughts—

Brought on dreams his brothers will

Willingly serve him like the moon

Swoons to the sun and you know he

Sees that your father loves him so,

Oh, more than you or your brothers

Smothered not by gifts like he—

Peeled away from the family nest

Just leaving Jacob inconsolable—

Noble, that blasted rubbish of bowing sheaves

Leaves woven into incredible dreams,

Dreams aching that cause all of you

To want to rip him from the world.

Twirling through your mind the things you

Truly love—old Jacob and his

Mistress, and his youngest son.

Fun to throw him to the wolves,

Gloves on so traces are removed—

Loved even by you. Oh Reuben,

When will you release your jealous

Lusts for what your father has and

Mend the truth within your heart?

Start by admitting you love them.

Same as you’ve always loved within,

Thinly disguised from yourself, your

Poor mourning father and his

Listless loves and all that he has.

That’s your fault that you lost Joseph.

Brian Potter