Do you know of a law that is outrageous? The Idaho Freedom Foundation and humorist P.J. O'Rourke are looking for candidates for our first ever Outrageous Law Contest. We're on the hunt for laws that shouldn't be on the books because they're outdated, ignored, silly, unenforceable or infringe on basic freedoms.
I'd bet when Superman hangs out in the Hall of Justice with Aquaman, Wonder Woman and the Wonder Twins, the Man of Steel wonders whether he should be in a league of his own.
"Aquaman talks to fish. How useful is that? I'm faster than a locomotive!" Superman pontificates.
Members of Congress are like that, belittling or ignoring the power of the people and the states.
Lawmakers are part-timers, too, and should pay more for health insurance
By Wayne Hoffman
Gov. Butch Otter’s administration correctly determined earlier this year that part-time government employees should pay more for their health insurance than fulltime employees. Name a workplace where part-time employees get the same health benefits at the same cost as fulltimers. It hardly happens. For taxpayers, the change is a victory that will save them $10 million a year.
Idahoans are rightfully upset over the continuous expansion of all levels of government. Spending is out of control. Taxes are too high.
But where we go wrong is we let the folks who want bigger government present the solutions while we do nothing. Then the rest of us get to talk about how bad and upsetting the solutions are, and we demand leadership. Then we say stupid stuff.
A few years ago, a friend, bemoaning a proposed expansion of the public school system, told me, "I'm against early childhood education."
The state government’s financial predicament appears to be growing, yet policymakers are unwilling to publically admit the obvious: taxpayers gave the University of Idaho $10 million in 2007 that hasn’t been spent. Were the money returned, it could help defray against a possible budget crisis next year.
Documents obtained by the Idaho Freedom Foundation show Boise's urban renewal agency and Ada County commissioners fighting over parking operations – and now the county is demanding thousands of dollars from the agency.
The Capital City Development Corporation (CCDC) has taken away the first hour of free parking at the Ada County Courthouse and has threatened to remove the first 10 minutes of free parking in favor of a flat rate of $2.50 an hour.