In response to Congressman Simpson’s proposal to breach four hydroelectric dams on the lower Snake River, I wrote an article last month entitled, “Congressman Simpson Should Put Idaho First and Do No Harm.” The article named players who oppose Simpson’s plan including, Governor Brad Little, United States Senators Jim Risch and Mike Crapo, Representative Russ […]
In a recent article for the Post Register, my good friend Doyle Beck wrote, “As parents and grandparents, we’re tired of raising good conservative young men and women, sending them off to college only to have them return home as devoted Marxists and socialists.” He concluded the article by saying, “I believe that the fight […]
The Idaho Legislature passed two bills dealing with emergency powers, SB 1136 and HB 135. Both were designed to protect the rights of Idahoans during declarations of emergency, including gun rights, the right to peacefully assemble, and the right to free exercise of religion. Both bills passed both chambers of the Legislature by significant majorities. […]
The expression “first do no harm” is a popular phrase often attributed to the Hippocratic oath taken by doctors. The idea is that it may be better to do nothing rather than intervening and causing more harm than good. The Hippocratic oath taken by dentists includes a similar promise to do no intentional harm to […]
Recently, Congressman Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) proposed spending more than $33 billion to breach four dams on the Lower Snake River. This is the first time a sitting senior elected official has ever asked the region to consider breaching dams that are still functioning.
In May 2017, Bonneville County voters approved a new taxing district to finance turning Eastern Idaho Technical College (EITC) into a community college. The proponents of the new College of Eastern Idaho (CEI) relied heavily on a Community College Study Panel Report (CCSPR) to advance their arguments in favor of creating CEI, whose President Rick […]
Democrat Pat Tucker recently wrote she cannot agree with me that a grocery sales tax elimination would benefit all Idahoans. Interestingly, House Democrats are currently working to repeal the grocery sales tax. These Democrats know providing a 6% tax break on food helps low-income earners the most because these folks spend a larger share of […]
Recently, Pat Tucker, the chairwoman of the Bonneville County Democratic Central Committee, published an “open letter to Bryan Smith” expressing her contempt about my misplaced priorities for spending Idaho’s $630 million budget surplus. If there ever were an opportunity to contrast the differences between a tax and spend wealth redistribution Democrat like Pat Tucker, who […]
As we now cast our eyes to the soon-to-convene 2021 legislative session, we behold a marvelous and perhaps generational opportunity for lawmakers to boldly provide sweeping tax relief for Idaho families and small businesses. But will they? Idaho is loaded with cash. Consider that officials believe the state will end its fiscal year with a […]