Over the weekend, I watched “Idaho Reports” with my 12-year-old son, and he distinctly heard the governor promise to send a $50 check to every “man, woman and child” in Idaho. He perked right up. “I’m a child,” he said. “I want my 50 bucks!”

I explained that he’s paid neither the power bill, for which the governor’s rebate is supposed to make up, nor the taxes. He thought about that for a while, then said, “Well, you wouldn’t get it if it weren’t for me. So I’m willing to give you half.”

When I told that story to a group of legislators yesterday, one advised, “Tell him not to spend it yet.” Another suggested that my 12-year-old was the first person he’d heard of who actually supports the governor’s initiative. Bottom line? The governor’s $50-a-head energy rebate isn’t getting much traction in the Legislature.

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