House Speaker Lawerence Denney (pictured) and Rep. Tom Loertscher have pulled off the nearly impossible. They’re making themselves look almost as bad as state Rep. Phil Hart, the Legislature’s resident tax dodger and timber hound. ... By now, the allegations against Hart are well-established: the
self-styled tax protestor owes hundreds of thousands in back taxes,
interest and penalties to the state and the feds; he has repeatedly
tried to delay tax cases by invoking legislative immunity from arrest or
civil filings; he cut down timber from state endowment lands — and, 14
years later, finally got around to sending what he called a “donation.” ... Here’s another thing about an ethics complaint: The process reflects
well, or poorly, on the people in charge. Denney’s performance has been
pathetic at best/Kevin Richert, Idaho Statesman. More here.
Question: Do you think more/less of House Speaker Lawerence Denney & Rep. Tom Loertscher as a result of their involvement in Phil Hart's misadventures?
D.F. (Dave) Oliveria joined The Spokesman-Review in 1984. He currently is a columnist and compiles the Huckleberries Online blog and writes about North Idaho in his Huckleberries column.