The state constitution, like the federal Constitution, begins with the words, "We the people." The constitution doesn't begin with the words "we the governments" or "we the cities" or "we the bureaucrats."
I point this out only because certain city government officials believe it is their responsibility to "educate" us on the constitutional amendments that are on the ballot this November.
That's not their job.
A public relations firm has been paid more than $200,000 since 2003 by the Idaho Judicial Branch, which is exempt from state rules that would require the deal to go out to bid. According to public records obtained by the Idaho Freedom Foundation, the Gallatin Public Affairs (formerly known as the Gallatin Group) has received $25,000 a year for the last eight years.
The way the urban planners describe it, you’d think portions of Boise resemble the tribal enclaves of Afghanistan. You know, dilapidated buildings, barely functional infrastructure, chaos, black cats, broken mirrors and unpermitted, non-conforming uses.
Some of that I made up. But then again, most of the conclusions in a 40-page report to Boise’s urban renewal agency and City Council are also made up.
BOISE -- Records obtained through the state's Public Records Act show Boise city officials are engaging in campaign activity on the taxpayers' dime, attempting to win passage of a constitutional amendment on the November ballot. The Idaho Freedom Foundation filed a public records request in June, asking for documents related to House Joint Resolution 5. HJR 5, if approved during the November general election, would allow cities to debt finance airport projects without a vote of the people.
When a district loses students, it’s entitled to a bailout. Not so for public charter schools.
Previously I wrote about Idaho Code 33-1003:
Here is the latest update from Elizabeth Hodge, in an email to her husband, Alan, on Ralph Smeed, our dear friend.
The future of socialized medicine is already here, and it looks like this: The government is going to insist that doctors treat patients according to the government's terms and conditions. If they protest, argue, complain, fight or plead, they will be pegged as part of a grand conspiracy and silenced. It's happening already.
Recently, the state and federal governments fought a group of Idaho doctors because they decided they would no longer participate in the government's worker's compensation system.
On Wednesday July 7th, The Idaho Freedom Foundation was pleased to host Mr. Clint Bolick as our guest speaker in Boise. Mr. Bolick is a nationally recognized expert on the Heath Care mandate and on the legal ramifications facing our nation. Mr.
Everyone’s heard of government programs paying farmers not to farm and rewarding dairy producers for pouring milk down the drain. Not as well-known, however, is the law requiring Idahoans to pay for students who don’t exist.
The state of Idaho calculates its portion of K-12 public education funding based in part upon “average daily attendance” or ADA. This policy is designed to prevent spending money on students who are enrolled but not attending. However, Idaho Code section 33-1003 mandates payment for students who aren’t even enrolled:
Two news stories last week present an incredible teaching opportunity when it comes to how the media and academia promote statism by insisting that big government is the solution to all our problems. First comes the story out of Siena College Research Institute in Loudonville, New York, which announced last week that more than 238 so-called presidential scholars had concluded that Franklin D. Roosevelt was the nation’s top president. The legacy news media giddily reported these findings, and the story appeared in hundreds of news outlets worldwide.
