The bills in the Legislature have started to flow like spring runoff on a 75-degree day in early March. It has been common to have 30 or more bills on the third reading calendar with more being introduced every day. Here are a few that might be of interest.
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A couple of weeks ago, local representatives sat in a small room at the capitol on a conference call with the greater Pocatello Chamber of Commerce. I looked up and noticed the clock on the wall was stuck. The second hand would click forward and then back, without going anywhere. In some respects it made me think of how the legislative process works sometimes.
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Court decisions and processes can be much as Forrest Gump described life: “like a box of chocolates, because you never know what you’ll get.” Law and laws are like that, so open to interpretation and opinion. Decisions can teeter on how a judge or jury perceives the case, and personal bias and philosophy can be hard to weed from the process.
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I think most would agree. We have enjoyed an amazing fall this year. The weather has been almost perfect. But the calendar doesn’t lie and we understand what is just around the corner. The unique serenity that only a beautiful fall day can offer can be replaced with all the cruelty that the wrath of winter can muster in just a few hours time. The fall to winter transition is a great reminder that we can be comfortable one minute and feel very anxious the next.
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Ten years ago, a slight young man with sandy hair entered our store and demanded that the clerks hand over money and cigarettes. The two employees happened to be my sister and niece and their worst fears just became reality. They stared down the barrel of the handgun the youth was wielding with a decision to make. Thank goodness they made the correct one and off he ran with cash and smokes in hand.
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