Categories
Opinions / Op-eds

AG Labrador Warns Idaho Families About Jail Bond Scams

BOISE, ID — Attorney General Raúl Labrador is warning Idaho families about scammers impersonating law enforcement and court officials to steal money from relatives of incarcerated individuals. Bail bond agents and court officials across Idaho report that scammers are using publicly available jail rosters to identify targets, then contacting family members with false claims that immediate […]

Categories
John Livingston

The Freedom to Care for Ourselves

Title: Sixteen Years After Obamacare: How Command‑and‑Control Medicine Failed—and How Free Markets Can Still Save American Health Care On March 23, 2010, the Affordable Care Act—better known as Obamacare—became law. Its architects promised a new era of accessible, affordable, and high-quality health care for every American. Sixteen years later, the verdict is in: those promises were […]

Categories
John Livingston

Grace and Corruption

As I sit in my “home away from home” on Whidbey Island, I’ve been following the legislative sessions in both Idaho and Washington State. The contrast between the two has been striking. I find myself impressed by how consistently conservative the few Republicans in the Washington Legislature remain, while so many Republicans in the Idaho […]

Categories
Opinions / Op-eds

Op-Ed: Lincoln Day is an Idaho Tradition

On March 4, 1861, Abraham Lincoln took the oath of office to become the first Republican president in American history. Two years later, in the midst of a terrible civil war, he signed an act creating the Idaho Territory. From the very beginning, Lincoln, Idaho, and the Republican Party have been linked. That shared history […]

Categories
Bob's Words of Wisdom

Are Smartphones Dangerous?

As someone who grew up in the 40s and 50s, the idea that I could have a piece of equipment the size of a small note pad in my pocket that allowed me to instantaneously communicate with someone on the other side of the world was pure science fiction. The best we had was a […]

Categories
Podcast

Idaho’s Budget Crisis: Spending and Tax Policy Debate

Bob Neugebauer and IFF President Ron Nate dissect Idaho’s self-inflicted budget crisis stemming from 60% spending increases over six years. Nate reveals the Idaho Freedom Foundation’s $1.9 billion in proposed cuts, including repealing Medicaid expansion and Idaho Launch. The discussion exposes how the governor’s acceptance of federal healthcare funding and workforce training programs benefits corporate […]

Categories
Opinions / Op-eds

Reviewing HB 517

HB 517 was introduced to the legislature by Rep. Scott on January 22, 2026. The purpose of this legislation is to remove Idaho from the Pacific Northwest Economic Region (PNWER). PNWER, “a nonpartisan public-private partnership” and non-profit organization, was established by IC Title 67 Chapter 78 in 1991, based on the idea that there was an emerging […]

Categories
Opinions / Op-eds

Labrador Letter: 2025 Year in Review Part 2 – Defending Consumers and Meeting with Idahoans

Dear Friends, A few weeks ago, I shared part of what we accomplished in 2025 protecting children and defending Idaho’s laws. If you missed that newsletter, you can read it here. This week I want to tell you about our fights against scammers and threats to your constitutional rights. Defending Constitutional Rights Idaho was on the front […]

Categories
Opinions / Op-eds

AG Labrador Announces Sentencing of Kootenai County Woman for Public Assistance Provider Fraud

BOISE, ID — Attorney General Raúl Labrador has announced that Tracy Hofius, 49, was sentenced January 21, 2026, for Public Assistance Provider Fraud. Public Assistance Provider Fraud is a felony currently punishable by up to 15 years in prison, though at the time of Hofius’ fraudulent conduct in 2022 and 2023, the penalty was 5 years […]

Categories
Opinions / Op-eds

Fulcher On House Completing FY26 Appropriations

Jan 22, 2026 WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Congressman Russ Fulcher (Idaho-01) issued the following statement after voting in favor of the Defense; Homeland; Labor, Health and Human Services, Education; and Transportation, Housing and Urban Development appropriations legislation, marking the House of Representatives’ completion of all 12 annual spending bills for Fiscal Year 2026. Congressman Fulcher said, “Today […]

Categories
Opinions / Op-eds

Op-Ed: A Convention of States is Not the Answer

We all agree there are serious problems in our country: skyrocketing national debt, the breakdown of law and order in our biggest cities, and an economy built on hope and bubbles—it’s enough to drive anyone to despair. But I’m not despairing, and I hope you’re not either. We believe these problems can be solved when […]

Categories
John Livingston

Bishop Barron’s Minnesota Warning: De-escalate Before the Center Gives Way

Minnesota has become a case study in how a virtuous society can lose its bearings without quite noticing when the slide began. The state’s recent convulsions—a sprawling fraud scandal and mounting street-level confrontation around immigration enforcement—prompted Catholic Bishop Robert Barron of Winona-Rochester to issue a stark warning: the situation is “untenable,” and unless all sides […]

Gem State Patriot News