I can emphasize empathize with the folks who feel that they’re not being politically represented - having all their rules drawn up by people in the city, several hours away.
I can also empathize with the folks who feel the cultural divide between them and the city folk has grown too deep.
What I can’t fathom tho, is how they think they’ll benefit more with being part of Idaho… Idaho’s minimum wage is almost half of what Oregon’s is. Oregon’s city folk make up the lion’s share of the tax base that pays for what little infrastructure eastern/rural Oregon does have. Oregon also has free health insurance for low income folks - Idaho does not. Cannabis legalization in Oregon has brought a ton of jobs to the rural areas, especially on Idaho’s border. Cannabis is still fully illegal in Idaho.
The only people, it seems, that would really benefit from the border change would be wealthy people that own large amounts of land in rural Oregon due to Idaho’s much less restrictive (or lack of) environmental protections.
All rural areas are massively funded by the cities. The tax revenue in the rural areas doesn’t even come close to covering the basic infrastructure of roads and utilities.
Their community’s economies are also highly dependent on government handouts.
What baffles me is that no one who supports this stupid ass idea realizes that having part of your new state be separated from the rest of it by a FUCKING MOUNTAIN RANGE that IS REGULARLY CLOSED DUE TO SNOW IN THE WINTER would be an administrative nightmare.
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