IFF - Idaho Freedom Foundation

The Idaho Freedom Foundation is available to speak to your group or organization about what we do, free-market principles and how you can be empowered to take back your freedoms. For more information, call Wayne at (208) 921-6749, or send an email.

Those of us who believe in limited government tend to get worked up when new government programs are proposed or when taxes are raised to accommodate some state objective. We also understand that government exists for a purpose, and sometimes those purposes require the creation of programs to benefit the general public and the collection of money to pay for it. Fine.

Eagle, Idaho – Idaho Freedom Foundation Executive Director Wayne Hoffman today encouraged Idaho government leaders to follow Eagle City Council’s example and approve transparency measures that allow taxpayers to review expenses, revenues and contracts online.

Eagle City Council passed its transparency resolution last week. The resolution requires the city to post expenses, revenues and contracts on the city’ website.

NEW IDAHO GROUP TO EMPHASIZE FREE-MARKET SOLUTIONS, TRANSPARENCY IN GOVERNMENT

Idaho Freedom Foundation seeks to empower Idahoans to take back their freedoms, protect private property rights & economic opportunity

Boise, Idaho – A new Idaho think tank will emphasize free-market solutions and transparency in government as part of its core mission to empower Idahoans to take back their freedoms, protect private property rights and expand economic opportunity. 

I'm one Idaho taxpayer who is delighted that state government is undergoing major surgery. Every time the state adds 6 percent onto the price of the things I buy, I imagine ways I'd spend that money if I were not giving it to the government. And I'll be blunt about it. In 2003, I thought the Legislature did a poor job analyzing state spending and cutting waste. Sure, they cut some, but not enough to avoid raising taxes during an economic downturn. 

I have to give some kudos to the Eagle City Council. On Tuesday, the council became the first in the state to adopt a resolution supporting transparency in government.

For the first time in the state of Idaho, a local government has decided to put its cards on the table and give taxpayers the opportunity for close, routine monitoring of city expenditures and business dealings. It is our hope that all levels of government will create similar websites that empower Idahoans and boost transparency and accountability in government.

Summary: Raising taxes will not solve Idaho's surface transportation issues. Any gas tax increase is unsustainable, will likely require successive increases and will merely subsidize the inefficiencies government highway programs experience. Many international, state and local governments have had positive experiences with private highways and bridges. Idaho should examine successful privatization models.

Last year, something truly incredible happened. In the freest country on the planet, the United States’ top money manager, Henry Paulson, called the country’s leading bankers to a meeting at the Department of Treasury. According to one news account, “As the meeting neared a close, each banker was handed a term sheet detailing how the government would take stakes valued at a combined $125 billion in their banks, and impose new restrictions on executive pay and dividend policies. The participants, among the nation’s best deal makers, were in a peculiar position.