Dear Friends: We at the Gem State Patriot are a not-for-profit service for the people of Idaho. We have been serving Idahoans for nine years and we seldom, if ever, ask for donations. Unfortunately, like so many other conservative organizations, we suffer from time to time from a lack of recognition of the services we […]
Reconciling Economic Contributions with Fiscal Costs An Analysis of Competing Data and Perspectives on Unauthorized Workers The February 2026 release of an economic impact study by the Idaho Alliance for a Legal Workforce has reignited debates about unauthorized immigration’s role in Idaho’s economy. While the study projects devastating economic consequences if unauthorized workers are removed, […]
Bob Neugebauer welcomes Idaho Freedom Foundation President Ron Nate to the Idaho Pulse for a sweeping discussion of the battles shaping the 2026 Idaho legislative session. The conversation opens with the historic and controversial Convention of States vote, which passed the Idaho House 36 to 34 for the first time in state history. Nate details […]
Dear Friends, Last fall, a senior here in Idaho turned on his laptop and got a pop-up alert claiming his computer was blocked for security reasons. A phone number appeared on his screen, and he called it. The voice on the other end claimed to be from Microsoft technical support. She told him his computer […]
If You Paid for Certain Generic Prescription Drugs in the United States Between May 1, 2009, and December 31, 2019, You Could be Eligible for Money BOISE, ID — On February 2, 2026, Attorney General Labrador joined a coalition of 48 states and territories announcing settlements with Lannett Company, Inc. (“Lannett”) and Bausch Health US, LLC […]
Here We Go Again was a lengthy article about the Convention of States (COS). By the time the reader came to the end of it, there might have been some information exhaustion to really check out some of the links. However, the most important information was in The Plot Thickens section. Contained in that section […]
Janus, the two-faced Roman god, could look at a situation and have two different perspectives. It seems the politics of the left has embraced Janus, choosing the view that best suits their agenda. They abandon the truth in favor of their preferred reality. Not long ago the left was chanting “Nobody is above the law” […]
Most readers of the Gem State Patriot aren’t avid sports fans, and few will lose sleep over the fact that multimillion-dollar athletes owe income taxes in every state and city where they play. But here’s the hidden story: professional sports teams spend staggering sums on accountants and compliance staff just to navigate the tangle of […]
My father often told me, “Tend to business and keep your eye on the ball.” I heard those words as a child and again as a young man, and I’ve come to understand how much wisdom they still carry. We live in a time when noise has replaced focus, and political theater has replaced governing. […]
When Governor Butch Otter asked me to serve on the Idaho Health Insurance Exchange board, I agreed on one non‑negotiable condition: that an independent outside auditor be hired and funded to document, in detail, how taxpayer dollars flowed through that new organization. That requirement was adopted, written into the exchange’s governance, and ultimately led to […]
Nearly two decades ago, I stood with millions of American taxpayers in demanding an end to bailouts, crony capitalism, and endless government spending. The Tea Party movement was a wake-up call to the political class that the working people of America were fed up. How simple it seems looking back. If you had told me […]
Recently, there has been lots of talk about calling for an Article V convention, as Idaho has not yet signed on, and the pro-convention players are on the prowl to get our legislators to sign on to this instrument of change. What does Article V of the constitution say: The Congress, whenever two thirds of […]
Bob Neugebauer and Ron Nate examine the Article 5 convention resolution that passed House State Affairs Committee 9-4, with chief sponsor John Schertz leading the charge to make Idaho the 29th state calling for a constitutional convention. Nate systematically dismantles three fatal flaws: conventions cannot be restricted to balanced budget amendments despite assurances, Idaho would […]