Editor’s Note: As part of our ongoing effort to educate and inform voters, we have invited Democratic candidates running in the 2026 election to submit information about their campaigns and their stance on issues of importance to voters. The article below is from Larry Nostrant a candidate for Idaho State House – District 7A. The opinions expressed are those of the candidate and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Nez Perce County Democrats.
A prominent and pervasive recent refrain from Republicans is that anyone who does not agree with their policies and positions is a Communist.
As a child I heard all of the 50’s propaganda, saw almost all of the 60’s television coverage, and was thoroughly aware of the decline and ultimate fall of the Soviet satellite states in the 80’s and 90’s. I believe the Republican party of the 2020’s needs to do a little introspection, particularly here in Idaho when spouting this trope.
Soviet style “communism”, in a nut shell, is the use of legislative power by a minority of powerful individuals to coerce the majority of a population to submit to their whims. In the soviet bloc this was a few politicians and connected supporters using this power to extract the work and income from a general population that was just trying to live a fulfilling life. In Idaho there is one governor, one attorney general and 36 legislators who are dead set on making sure that the general population adheres to their authoritarian policies to the detriment of the population’s wellbeing.
Some examples:
- In 1950’s Russia the state had absolute control of the earning power of the population. Wages were fixed and financial upward mobility was reserved for a select few.
In Idaho wages are stagnant due to a legislative compression, particularly at minimum wage and through union suppression. - In Soviet Russia government surveillance was the rule and “ratting” out your neighbor was rewarded.
In Idaho the legislature rewards people who file spurious claims against physicians for following their Hippocratic Oath. The legislature encourages people to accuse another of using the wrong bathroom. In Idaho it is now the case that everyone driving a vehicle will be tracked by cameras located on streets and highways and roving law enforcement vehicles. - In Communist counties, libraries contained no published material that did not comport to government ideology.
In Idaho, roving individuals and groups aligned with the Republican party file regular complaints about public library content and officials of the state then have them removed. - Under Soviet rule higher education was meted out based on family position in the state hierarchy.
In Idaho the legislature has done away with admissions policies that made higher education available to many less privileged applicants regardless of merit. - Under communist rule collective bargaining and workforce self-determination was met with imprisonment, forced labor or death.
In Idaho the legislature uses misinformation and intimidation to suppress State and school employees their rights and services accrued from union membership. - Even in current day Russia a privileged class is made wealthier through diversion of public funds.
In Idaho the privileged and strategically positioned people and firms receive tax cuts, sweetheart contracts and property swaps/deals at the expense of the taxpayers. The most recent case in point is the soon to be finalized federal/state deal surrounding INEL and the federal energy commission. This jeopardizes one of the state’s two largest aquifers while offering additional earnings opportunities for a few select corporations.
In short, when a Republican claims a detractor a Communist, I believe it is their jealousy for not being recognized for their true ideology.
My Pledge
When elected, and with their input, I will diligently do the work for my constituents that protects their interests. I will ask the questions that I feel will provide the most clarity for every piece of legislation. I will not vote purely along party lines. And, I will not be swayed by the influence of lobbyists, corporations, influencers of any stripe.
Larry Nostrant
larrynostrant4idaho.com
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