Brown will make us proud

The following letter to the editor by Brian Leekley was printed on page 9A of the Friday, October 24, 2008, issue of Moscow-Pullman Daily News, a daily newspaper distributed in and near Moscow, Idaho, and Pullman, Washington.

     I recently spoke with Judy Brown. Judy is a Democratic Party candidate to represent Latah County in the Idaho state legislature. I found her to be moderate, sensible, and level-headed in her views, with a friendly, cheerful disposition. Her professional experience as an economist in the areas of state budget and tax policy make her well-suited to produce legislation that uses public funds responsibly and judiciously for the common good.
     Judy's priorities, expressed in her election campaign handout, look good to me:
*Good Schools: quality public education, affordable higher education, and safe child care;
*Good Jobs--economic development focused on small businesses and living wage jobs; and
*Fair Taxes and Fiscal Responsibility--a tax system that shares the burden fairly and funds critical public services.
     Best of all, Judy is a Democrat. This is the party that is of, by, and for Americans who believe in and want responsible, democratic, Constitutional government, with a constituency of all Americans -- wage earners with owners and managers, small business owners with medium and big business owners, family farmers with corporate farmers, enlistees with generals, bookkeepers with bankers,mortgagers with mortgagees, homemakers, professionals, students, the retired, the laid-off, the infirm and disabled -- all of us, without favor, discrimination, or neglect. This is the party that neither over-regulates, stiffling initiative, nor under-regulates, insisting that even the Fortune 500 have minimal civic responsibilities not to grievously harm the common good.
     Okay, that is an over-idealized party portrait. But the Democratic Party comes way closer to that ideal than does the Republican Party, and we the people can make both better.
     Electing Judy Brown is a step in the right direction. She is a candidate for the Idaho legislature who will do her party, Latah County, Idaho, and the USA proud.

        Brian Leekley
        Moscow, Idaho