Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Huckleberries Online

Jeers: Maniac bill deserves to die

At the bottom of his Cheers & Jeers column today, Marty Trillhaase of the Lewiston Tribune offered another Jeer ... to state Rep. Pete Nielsen, R-Mountain Home:

A tied House vote Tuesday had consigned Riggins Rep. Paul Shepherd's Orofino Maniac license plate to the round file, where it belongs. This is a state where stigma of mental illness keeps people from getting help. It has a high suicide rate and a poorly funded mental health program. Why make it worse with a term Idaho's mental health community finds offensive? Why set a precedent that could lead to a specialized license plate for every school in the state? But Nielsen reversed his no vote and sent the bill back for reconsideration. The House passed the Maniac license plate 34-32. Now it's up to the Senate to kill it. Full column here.

Question: Do you support/oppose the bill to put the Orofino Maniac on license plates?



D.F. Oliveria
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.

Follow Dave online: