From the March 2005 Idaho Observer:

by Don Harkins

Former Kootenai County Commissioner and current District 3 Senator Dick Compton has somehow built a political career by proving over and over again his contempt for the people he represents.

His most recent antics during hearings prior to the passage of HB 163—the controversial contractor licensing bill—should be held up as the capstone to this public servant’s political career.

People came from all over this big state to testify against the bill, which has implications so idiotic one has to wonder how it got out of the House committee where it was introduced. Henry Kulczyk, who has followed the bill as it was steered through the legislative process, commented that, "This bill has had two of the most unfair hearings I have ever seen."

Regarding the Senate hearing, Business Committee Chairman John Andreason allowed bill sponsor Jeremy Pisca speak for 25 minutes. Bill opponents were given only three minutes. According to Kulczyk, Sen. Compton kept interrupting the opponents with silly questions to limit what they could say in three minutes. "What a jerk," Kulczyk observed.

Going back to 1998, when Dick was a county commissioner, he approved the construction of a train refueling depot over the sole-source aquifer that supplies water to some 500,000 people (The Idaho Observer, May, 1998). The approval was opposed by almost everyone. Friends of the Aquifer Chairman Kristy Reid Johnson asked Commissioner Compton what would he do when the fuel tanks began to leak. "It won’t be happening on my watch," Compton said.

In 2000, Commissioner Compton was leading the charge to tax the people of Kootenai county to pay for the unnecessary expansion of the county jail (which was really an environmental upgrade for police personnel). The IO produced a four-page insert detailing why already over-taxed county residents should not be asked to pay for an unneeded jail. On county commissioner letterhead, Compton wrote and signed a letter to The IO stating, "Please send 10 copies of this trash. I’m out of supplies in my lake cabin outhouse" (The Idaho Observer, June, 2000).

This legislative session, VacLib Director Ingri Cassel wrote to Sen. Compton and asked him to deny the Health and Welfare Committee’s desire to add a 2nd MMR vaccine and 5th DTaP vaccine to the requirements for entrance into public school. Cassel argued that most of the deaths and permanent disabilities reported to VAERS from Idaho were due to adverse reactions to these two triple antigen vaccines. "There is evidence that the additional shots increase the possibility of not getting the illnesses," Compton said.

Cassel asked him to please forward that evidence because they have been searching the world over for it.

Compton has never replied.

So, the fuel depot is contaminating the aquifer (see article this page), contractors and homeowners are getting the shaft and children are best utilized as pincushions for medical experimentation. Thanks Senator.

Sen. Compton can be reached for comment at (208) 667-6912. Truly a representative of the people, I am sure he would like to hear from you. Tell him 10 copies of The IO will cost him $10—just like everyone else.

Caption: Richard "Dick" Compton