We took the time this past week to attend an open Ada County Commissioners’ hearing for Priscilla Giddings, a state representative from Idaho County. What we found out was quite interesting and somewhat confusing. The lawyer for Mrs. Giddings presented a very cogent case stating all of the necessary requirements under Idaho law on what has to be filed when it has to be filed regarding the homeowner’s property tax exemption. He also explained the circumstances necessary to get a double exemption on your property, which Rep. Giddings followed to the letter; he even showed the board emails from the Ada County Assessor’s office written to Representative Giddings that specifically authorized the dual exemption.
Unfortunately, it didn’t seem to matter to the crony commissioners who seemed to have their minds made up from the beginning of the hearing before listening to Mrs. Giddings attorney. There is an old saying “You Can’t Fight City Hall”; well, that was what came to mind at the end of the hearing where the commissioners decided to table any decision until they had additional time to review the case even though this case has been ongoing for nearly a year now.
First of all, we should all know who Representative Giddings is. She happens to be one of the most conservative liberty minded representatives in the House and is not afraid to speak her mind and stand up for the people she represents. Of course, this is not something the establishment cares to deal with as they don’t feel the citizens of Idaho should know what is going on in their legislature nor should they involve themselves. Rep Giddings is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy and serves as a Major in the Air Force Reserves, formerly flew A-10s, and has won the “Top Gun” award along with having flown 1,000 combat flight hours. She recently published a book, Curiously Strong: A Female Fighter Pilot’s Story of Developing Strength, recounting her experiences growing up in Idaho and flying combat missions overseas. For more information on her, please click here.
Let us set the stage as to why there has been so much press regarding a measly $1000 on this issue of her property tax exemption. If we go back to the last legislative session it was Rep. Giddings who forced the house to change the way they did business when it came to reading the bills presented before the house. Rep. Giddings and three of her conservative colleagues forced the reading of bills aloud which is actually required by house rules for which she was admonished by Speaker Bedke better known as the “Head Gator of the Swamp”. The news pressed on with more fake news saying she was going to slow down the process of passing legislation in the house by the reading of these bills. Well, we at the Gem State Patriot doubt that many of the legislators in the house even have an understanding of 20% of the bills that are past so maybe it is a good idea to read them aloud. I’m sure the public would not mind if the legislature ran a few weeks longer but had a better idea of the bills they were passing.
She was also accused of misusing the term “Fake News” although we are not quite sure why because most of what she was accused was just that, Fake News. Mind you that this lady has a score of 96 out of a possible 100 on the Idaho Freedom Index which must drive the crony politicians as well as the fake press nuts. She was falsely accused of threatening protester’s when she said to some young students “Do you think I should show these girls the empty 30mm shells I have in the truck?” Now only the fake news would take that as a threat when she only wanted to show them the size of the casings that were used in her A10 aircraft to protect them and our country from harm. Lord knows how many fake stories were written about that incident but there were many.
As you can clearly see, the press has been hot on Rep. Giddings heels since her election and will do anything to demean her character even to the point of out and out lying. Getting back to this tax issue, rumor has it that the newest member of the tax commission Janet Trujillo passed along the information on the double exemption to the not so illustrious Betsy Russell who now works for the Press Tribune. We must remember that Mrs. Trujillo had her own troubles during the 2017 session when she was collecting per diem payments as a legislator for Idaho Falls but was rumored to be living in Ada County with her husband Majority Leader Rep. Mike Moyle. Trujillo refused to say where she was living during the session or whether she was paying rent. The press didn’t pursue this case even though Mrs. Trujillo collected $129.00 a day instead of the $49 allowed for living in Ada County. It seems neither the press nor anyone else wants to investigate the crony establishment politicians who play ball but they love beating up on the conservatives.
We all know the types of fake news reporting that come with Ms. Russell’s grandstanding as the champion of the liberal left as we have had the displeasure of reading way too many of her articles for rebuttals. With all of the press on Mrs. Giddings for this tax foray, it is amazing to us that the two reporters Betsy and William Spence could not figure out that it was the convoluted laws in Ada County and the State that caused the problem. Rep. Giddings got a double deduction not because she was trying to avoid paying her taxes but because of the obscurity of the laws in effect, however; the press would have you think she was trying to dodge paying taxes. My question to the fake news reporters is “Where were you during the hearing for Rep. Giddings?” because not one of them showed up.
It is clear that the press was trying to damage Rep. Giddings’ reputation as they try to do on a regular basis. I will tell you that the only one being honest in this perverted mess is Priscilla Giddings. Unfortunately, you can bet regardless of how it is settled the press will once again try to say she was trying to avoid her taxes. Ms. Russell and William Spence should receive the fake news awards of the year for their disservice to Idaho citizens who read their articles.
