No more excuses, boys and girls. You’ve told us you can’t overturn John Bel Edwards because you’d lose all the federal money, it would muck up hurricane recovery…every kind of story possible about how the petition just a dozen or so of you need to add your names to in order to end an emergency which is clearly not justified by the facts anymore would be a disaster for the state.

None of it holds water anymore. Not after what’s happened in Idaho.

Today lawmakers in Idaho’s House voted to advance a resolution that ends Idaho Governor Brad Little’s Coronavirus Emergency Declaration.

Idaho is now the first state where it’s constituents have voted to remove the insane coronavirus regulations put on by their governor in overwhelming fashion.

The resolution effectively lifts all restrictions across the state. Lawmakers voted and passed the resolution 48-20 amid a special session that the Governor called to deal with liability laws and mail-in voting concerns.

The resolution now heads to the Senate and if it passes the Governor’s Emergency declaration, that he put in place back in March, is over.

Brad Little is a Republican, by the way. It’s a Republican legislature tossing out his emergency. And all the same arguments about federal dollars came up in that debate.

They chose freedom over federal money.

So what exactly are the legislators in Idaho dumping out? It’s a lot less of a restriction than Edwards is keeping in place…

• The state entered Stage 4 on June 13. Gatherings of more than 50 people are allowed with social distancing. All businesses can open, including large venues, sporting events and nightclubs. Visits to senior living and other congregate facilities can resume with precautions. Travel can continue to locations without significant ongoing virus transmission. Employers can resume unrestricted staffing at work sites with proper precautions, but should encourage telework when feasible and make accommodations for high-risk individuals.
• The state released protocols for long-term care facilities, nightclubs and employers of high-risk individuals. It also updated guidance for restaurants to allow more than six people at one table.
• Little said the state intends to have schools reopen in the fall, with guidance for school districts and charter schools forthcoming.
• State leaders released a reopening framework for schools. Little said “the expectation is that schools will not be closed for extended periods of time.”

And in case you want to say “Oh, but that’s Idaho, and in Idaho they don’t have COVID-19.” think again. Yes, Idaho as of Tuesday only had 328 deaths from the virus, but on Tuesday Idaho had 405 new cases.

On Tuesday Louisiana had 550 new cases.

Louisiana’s population is 4.6 million. Idaho’s population is 1.7 million.

If Idaho can cancel its emergency, so can Louisiana. Don’t tell us it isn’t a valid comparison.

And without legislative action, at this point it seems readily apparent that nothing will reopen Louisiana. John Bel Edwards won’t do it without being forced to. He will cling to any justification for ratcheting down our economy and culture and he will continue fear-mongering and control-freaking the public to death.

So there’s your precedent. We now have a state legislature ready to pull its economy out of the COVID doldrums. Right now, that is not Louisiana’s state legislature.

Maybe soon it will be, but so far there are too many willing to be weak in their defense of our culture, economy and liberties out of fear.